Sir Trogsdill Domnall (aka Trog) is the most revered knight in Fallhollow, and General of the King’s army. He stands almost 7 feet tall and is muscular and broad. With dark hair and peridot eyes, he appears supremely confident but has a sensitive streak he struggles to hide. He is perceived as demanding, intolerant and domineering by young pages and squires, but he is admired nonetheless. He is confident, aggressive, fearless, charismatic, and while you are in his presence, you will be served up with generous doses of chivalry, courtesy, gallantry, care and warmth. His enemies see him as lethal, and the sound of his name sends chills up their spines. He dislikes people fawning over him, and is most at home in a small cabin with minimal possessions.

This hearty and savory Potato, Leek and Cheese Bread is sure to satisfy Trog’s medieval hunger, especially if he throws in a slab of deer and a mug of ale!

This recipe is part of the series of Fallhollow Recipes I have created with author J.Keller-Ford for characters in her new book In The Shadow of the Dragon King, to be published in 2016. This will be the first book in The Chronicles of Fallhollow trilogy. See below the recipe to find out more.

WHAT YOU NEED

Makes 3 small loaves.

For the bread dough:

– 3 cups whole wheat/wholemeal bread flour
– 3 cups white bread flour
– 3 teaspoons quick dried yeast
– 2 teaspoons salt
– 2 tablespoons butter, softened
– 500ml warm water
– A little olive oil for greasing

For the veg and finishing:

– 3 to 4 leeks, white and very pale green parts only, (should fill two cups once sliced)
– Approx 4 medium potatoes (should fill two and a half cups once cubed)
– 1 small bunch of parsley
– 1 stick/half a cup of butter
– 3 tablespoons olive oil
– Three-quarters cup grated strong cheddar
– 1 beaten egg
– 300ml cold water

WHAT YOU DO:

1. Place the flours into a large mixing bowl, put the yeast on one side, and the salt on the other. Add the butter and about three quarters of the warm water.

2. Using either your hands, or a mixer with dough hook attachment, bring it all together into a dough. Add more of the warm water as needed. Water is never an exact measurement in bread-making, you may need more or less than the 500ml. The dough should be soft, but not overly sticky.  Knead the dough for up to 10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic – you can either do this with the mixer and dough hook or on a lightly floured surface by hand. I usually start the process with the mixer and then finish the last few minutes of kneading by hand to get a feel for when the dough is ready.

3. Lightly grease a large bowl with olive oil, shape the dough into a ball and place it in the bowl. Cover with a slightly damp kitchen towel and put in a warm place for about one hour until doubled in size.

4. While the dough is rising, prepare the veg. Thinly slice the white and very pale green parts of the leek. Peel and cube the potatoes into approx 1cm cubes, place the cubed potatoes into a bowl of cold water until ready to use to avoid discoloration. Roughly chop the parsley.

5. Melt the stick of butter and two tablespoons of the olive oil in a pan, add the potatoes and on a low to medium heat cook them, shaking the pan around occasionally, after about 10 minutes add the chopped parsley and keep cooking. In a separate pan, warm the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and cook the leeks, stirring regularly.

The veg is done when the leeks are just starting to caramelize a little, and the edges of the potato cubes are turning brown. It may take up to 20 minutes. Time it so that the veg finishes cooking around the same time as the dough finishes rising because you want the veg to still be warm. Drain the potatoes on some kitchen paper.

6. Tip the dough onto a surface, tip the warm veg over it, and work it into the dough. At first this will feel like an impossible task as the veg will keep dropping out, but persevere, and after a few minutes, as the potatoes start to break up a little, it will all come together and the veg will incorporate.

7. Divide the dough into three and shape into balls. Stretch them out to approximately 20cm rounds, place onto baking sheets lined with greaseproof paper, and score the top quite deeply to create wedges.

8. Cover each a with lightly damp kitchen towel and leave for around 40 minutes to rise again.

9. 20 minutes before rising is finished, turn the oven to 425F/220C, and place a baking tin in the bottom (a large roasting tin is best, but if you have a smallish oven then a loaf tin will be fine so that you can still fit one of the bread trays next to it).

10. Remove towels from loaves, brush with beaten egg and scatter the cheese over the top.

11. Place the loaves in the oven, pour the 300ml cold water into the heated tin. The steam from that water will help create a crisp crust on the bread.

12. Bake for 25-30 mins until golden brown, and hollow sounding if you tap the loaf on the bottom. Place on wire racks to cool a little. Best served warm.

In the Shadow of the Dragon King, coming Summer 2016 – A seventeen-year-old squire with knightly ambitions reluctantly joins forces with a sixteen-year-old overachiever to slay a dragon, free the realm, and maybe even get the girl.

J Keller-Ford Author Info

J. (Jenny) Keller Ford is a scribbler of Young Adult and New Adult speculative fiction. As an Army brat, she traveled the world and wandered the halls of some of Germany’s most extraordinary castles in hopes of finding snarky dragons, chivalrous knights and wondrous magic to permeate her imagination. What she found remains etched in her topsy-turvy mind and oozes out in sweeping tales of courage, sacrifice, honor and ever-lasting love.

When not torturing her keyboard or trying to silence the voices in her head, Jenny spends time collecting seashells, bowling, screaming on roller coasters and traveling. She is a mom to four magnificent and noble offspring, and currently lives in paradise on the west coast of Florida with a menagerie of royal pets, and her own quirky knight who was brave enough to marry her.

Find out more about Jenny here –

Twitter: @jkellerford
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/OUw7Zp
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/Nm96OT
Website: http://www.j-keller-ford.com
Blog: https://jennykellerford.wordpress.com/