Pear & Stilton Bread

Well then, I wasn't expecting this.  Yesterday morning before I'd even had breakfast it was announced that I would be left alone at least for the day.  Instantly, of course, I realised I'd have undisturbed use of the kitchen.  This is my version of bliss.  Well okay, it's one of my versions of bliss, but I take the happy where I can!

I intended to make some nice healthy wraps for lunches, with the thought of adding some roasted garlic.  My decision making processes aren't always apparent but this one certainly was and I ended up making Pear & Stilton Bread.

I seem to recall flicking through a recipe book while my dough was proving and I realised the basic dough recipe was the same whether it was for wraps, a nice basic loaf, or a fancy loaf filled with 'stuff'.  This is where my mind went straight to the block of stilton in the fridge, but I couldn't just make stilton bread.  The grapes were past their best.  I don't have cranberries, dried or otherwise, sitting in the cupboard or the fridge.  Pears.  Aha!  I always have pears hanging around, so there it was; my plan to make a loaf filled with stilton and pear.

I had another flick through the book to find some inspiration for the best way to accomplish a decent loaf with stilton and pear running all the way through. I settled on this:

• I flattened out the dough after the first prove, into a large rectangle
• I crumbled the stilton and peeled, chopped pear evenly over the dough
• I rolled it up tightly from the long edge into a sausage
• I smoothed it out so it was as even as possible
• I wound it up into a spiral

The resulting finish was a little bit of a surprise.  When it was proving the second time, directly before baking, it just looked like a promising nice round loaf of bread.  When it came out of the oven I can only describe it as looking like a giant turd.


Pear & Stilton Bread


I can guarantee you, however, that it takes nothing like that.  It's delectable, especially with those browned bits of cheese.  Perhaps you'll appreciate it a bit more if I show you what it's like inside.



Pear & Stilton Bread
Looking better for taking a slice!

 It's ever so soft and moist and moreish.  I had to slice it up and freeze it before I scoffed it all down and made myself sick.

So the quantities I used to one standard loaf recipe were 200g stilton and one medium pear.  I was going to add two pears, but I was nervous of the moisture content and what effect it might have on the dough and the finish, but I could have easily gotten away with two, and next time that's what I'll use.  It needs that extra little bit of sweetness to counteract the strength and saltiness of the stilton.

Pear & Stilton Bread

So that was my first proper experimental loaf and it was a resounding success.  Whatever should I try next?  Oh, oh, oh, perhaps I should start myself off a sour dough starter!

I did make chocolates yesterday too, and this afternoon I made some cakes, but they're all for Tuesday and I need to do some finishing.  They're very much not ready for blogging, although they're just a little tweak on something I've done previously so don't get all excited.

I also appear to have given myself a slight wrist injury from kneading the dough with so much passion and energy yesterday.  Yes, I was picturing one person in particular.  No, I won't say who I was pummeling there on the kitchen table.  Yes, if you know me well you'll know exactly who it was!

I will say the wrist injury was worth it, both for the resulting scrummy loaf and the frustration that melted away when I finally stopped beating the cr... kneading the dough.

Try it, it's fun.! And you get to eat something really lovely afterwards.  If they're lucky, so will your family!