Bread Story
There are some breads that politely sit beside the meal. This isn't one of them. Golden, fluffy bread loaded with garlic butter, mature Cheddar and fresh herbs, baked until crisp on top and irresistibly soft in the middle. Perfect for sharing—although nobody ever really wants to.
You’ll Need
Serves 6–8
For the Dough
500g strong white bread flour
7g fast-action dried yeast
1 tsp caster sugar
2 tsp sea salt
320ml warm water
2 tbsp olive oil
Garlic Butter
75g unsalted butter, softened
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
100g mature Cheddar, grated
Freshly ground black pepper
Optional but Dangerous
Mozzarella
Chilli flakes
Parmesan
Extra garlic butter for serving
Method
Mix the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl.
Add the warm water and olive oil, mixing until a soft dough forms.
Knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
Cover and leave to rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
Meanwhile, mix together the softened butter, garlic, parsley, chives, black pepper and half of the grated
Cheddar.
Knock the air from the dough and divide into 16 equal pieces.
Roll each piece into a ball, coat lightly in the garlic butter mixture and arrange them close together in a lined
round baking tin or heatproof dish that fits your air fryer.
Scatter over the remaining Cheddar.
Cover and leave to prove for a further 30 minutes.
Preheat the air fryer to 170°C.
Air fry for 22–28 minutes until the loaf is beautifully risen, golden brown and cooked through. If the cheese
browns too quickly, loosely cover with foil for the final few minutes.
Leave to stand for 10 minutes before placing in the centre of the table.