Quick Delia Smith potato bread is a loaf with no yeast, made from raw grated potato, goats’ cheese, spring onions and thyme in self-raising flour. You mix it with a palette knife, then bake it for up to 50 minutes at 190°C, so it is ready in about an hour. One loaf serves 4 to 6.
On page 84 of her first How to Cook book (1998), it is called Goats’ Cheese, Onion and Potato Bread with Thyme. She reckons no home-made bread is faster or simpler, and it is so good that you cannot stop eating it. With the bread and cheese all in one, it also packs well for a lunch or a long trip. Her website now gives an updated version, with baking powder and soft goats’ cheese.
It is best served slightly warm, though it is still very good a day later, warmed through in the oven. It can also be frozen on the day of baking, once it has cooled. Filed under soup and bread on her website, it is worth trying with a soup such as her leek, onion and potato soup. How to Cook Book Two (1999) even toasts it under the grill to serve with her anchoïade.
Delia Smith Goats’ Cheese Potato Bread
A yeast-free loaf of self-raising flour, grated raw potato and goats’ cheese, flavoured with spring onions and thyme.
4
servings15
minutes50
minutes300
kcalIngredients
- For the bread:
175g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
1 level teaspoon salt
1 rounded teaspoon baking powder
a generous pinch of cayenne pepper
1 heaped teaspoon chopped thyme leaves, plus a few sprigs
1 medium Désirée potato, about 175g
110g soft goats’ cheese without rind, cut into 1cm chunks
4 spring onions, finely sliced
1 large egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 heaped teaspoon grain mustard
Directions
- Heat: Heat the oven to 190°C, gas mark 5, and grease a baking sheet well.
- Mix: Sift the flour into a large, roomy bowl, holding the sieve up high. Add the salt, baking powder, cayenne and chopped thyme, and mix with a palette knife.
- Grate: Pare the potato skin thinly with a peeler, then grate the potato on the coarse side of the grater straight into the flour. Add the spring onions and two-thirds of the cheese, and mix thoroughly.
- Dough: Beat the egg with the milk and mustard and pour it in. Bring it to a loose, rough dough with the palette knife, then lightly with your hands.
- Shape: Pat the dough into a rough round on the baking sheet, keeping it quite high. Press the rest of the cheese over the top, dust it generously with flour and add a few thyme sprigs.
- Bake: Bake near the centre of the oven for 45 to 50 minutes, until golden brown, then cool it on a rack.
FAQs
Which goats’ cheese should I use?
Soft goats’ cheese with no rind is what her website uses now, cut into 1cm chunks. The 1998 book used a 110g round of firm goats’ cheese instead, with the rind pared off before cubing.
Which potato works best?
A medium Désirée of about 175g is the potato her website asks for. In 1998 it was a medium red potato of the same weight, and both versions pare the skin thinly and grate the potato raw.
How does it rise without yeast?
Self-raising flour does the work, helped by a rounded teaspoon of baking powder in her website version. The 1998 book uses self-raising flour alone and pats the dough into a 15cm round.
How do I know it is cooked?
The loaf is ready after 45 to 50 minutes, once the top has browned well. Her website adds that the inside should be moist but not firm.
Can I use feta or halloumi instead?
Yes, the 1998 book makes a Feta Cheese, Potato and Rosemary Bread with the same amount of cubed feta. A quarter of a red onion replaces the spring onions and rosemary replaces the thyme, with sliced onion, rosemary sprigs and halved olives on top.
For halloumi, her website says it will not melt like goats’ cheese, but it should behave like the feta version.
How do I make a Cheddar version?
Use her Cheese and Potato Bread with Sage and Caramelised Onion, from A Year in My Kitchen. It has 75g of strong Cheddar and 50g of cottage cheese. The dough takes 175g of grated new potatoes and chopped sage, with a caramelised onion layered between two rounds of it.
The baking time and oven heat stay the same, and her website serves it with asparagus to mop up the buttery sauce.
Can I use celeriac instead of potato?
Yes, celeriac can replace the potato, as How to Cook Book Three (2001) shows on page 49, with crumbled Lancashire cheese for the goats’ cheese. It uses 175g of grated celeriac and 110g of Lancashire, serves 6 and bakes just as long.
The crust turns crunchy while the middle stays soft, and any leftovers are really good toasted.
