I don’t know what the weather is like in your neighborhood, but Autumn has definitely arrived here in the Bay area. Not that we ever had a summer. And yes, I’m still bitter about that. The zucchini just started producing in late August, and I’ve harvested exactly 4 red tomatoes, but who’s counting? I digress.
As the light changes dramatically, and the chilly breeze steals warmth from sunny, shorter days, it feels right to talk about this hearty Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge Potato, Cheddar, Chive bread I originally baked back in June. It’s the second-to-last bread in the book.
The dough begins with boiled potatoes and their cooking water. Sourdough starter, bread flour, salt,and yeast are added. Late in the kneading process, the chopped chives are mixed in.
Once the mixture has risen, the loaves are shaped, while rolling slices of sharp cheddar into the pliant dough. 
After the dough rises a second time, it is scored deeply across the top, allowing the cheese to bubble up and brown during the baking process. The result is a chewy, yet tender, sourdough potato loaf with cheese. I honestly can’t say the chives add all that much flavor to the bread, but they are pretty. Our favorite way to eat this bread is with vegetable soup, though friends who were given this bread said it went straight from bag to mouth. I’m sure I’ll be making this again!
Those of us in the challenge agreed not to publish the recipes, but you can find this one here.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Nice job! Your finished bread is beautiful. It has been a while since I made this recipe, but I really enjoyed it. I miss the BBA Challenge now that I’m finished with it.
Thanks, Phyl! I haven’t wanted the BBA Challenge to end because I know I will miss it, too. But there’s no denying it – one more bread and it’s over for me! I’ve learned so much from you and all my baking partners.
You are pretty much there, crossing the finish line!
That was an awesome bread, which I should have made again and again, but… there’s too many breads, not enough time
Will be waiting to cheer you on the last bread!
It’s nice to see you’re still with the BBA Challenge. It’s been a couple of months since I’ve made a BBA bread but hope to get back into the final recipes this fall.
Great looking bread!
This was one of our very favorites . . . one that gets requested again and again. I definitely up the chives (maybe even double?) to get a good onion-y flavor. Can’t wait to see your last bread!
So, did you make the last one?
Unfortunately, I left my sourdough starter on the counter during a very hot spell this summer, and I killed it. I’ve tried 3 times to make starter from scratch since then, and it has never worked yet! I’ve got some starter on day 2 right now, so we’ll see what happens. Once I’ve got the starter again, I plan to finish up with the last bread.