Pepper and Onion Flowerpot Bread
The ancient Egyptians used to bake their bread in cone-shaped terracotta pots and this is the updated version, although the herbs and onions are authentic ingredients. This bread is particularly good for dinner parties – the little pots are very eye-catching and you could even try painting them for extra effect.
Ingredients
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 50 g butter softened
- 500 g strong white flour
- 20 g yeast warm water to mix
- 2 large onions peeled and finely chopped
- olive oil for frying
- 30 g fresh basil leaves roughly chopped
- 3 red peppers deseeded and finely chopped
Instructions
- You will need three flowerpots for this recipe, each 10 cm/4 inches in diameter and 25. 5 cm/10 inches high.
- Add the salt and butter to the flour and rub together.
- Dilute the yeast in a little water and add this to the flour, then mix in enough warm water to make the dough pliable.
- Knead the dough well for 5 minutes, until elasticated.
- Place in a bowl, cover and leave in a warm place to rest for 1 hour.
- Fry the onions in a little olive oil until translucent, then set aside to cool.
- When cool, mix with the basil and peppers, add to the dough and blend together.
- Divide the dough into three equal pieces and mould them into rounds.
- Line the insides and bottoms of the flowerpots with silicone paper.
- Place a ball of dough inside each pot and leave to prove for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.
- Bake the flowerpots for 30 minutes.
- Turn the breads out onto a wire rack to cool, then return them to the unlined flowerpots for display on your dining table.
