Welcome to the first recipe in my TALES OF THE SHIRE menu! I’ve been looking forward to this game ever since it was first announced in 2023, and I’ve been playing it nonstop since it came out in July. I love the cozy aesthetic, relaxed pace, and—of course—deeply integrated cooking system.
There are 120 recipes to learn, and much of the game’s progress is tied up in inviting other local hobbits over for meals. Many of the recipes require general ingredients, and whatever specific ingredient you choose to fill that slot affects the flavor of the dish. For example, a recipe might just call for mushrooms, but using chanterelles can make the dish spicy while morels make it bitter. I love how the cooking skill slowly expands, adding more cooking stations to your kitchen, which allow you to further transform the flavors and increase the quality of each dish.
It was difficult to narrow down which recipes I wanted to use for this menu, but I knew for sure I wanted to include a hearty homemade bread. One of the early recipes you learn is Raised Cheese Bread, which requires flour, yeast, cheese, and onion.
For the base dough, I reworked the dough from the Dracula Dinner Rolls in my cookbook, A LITERARY HOLIDAY PARTY. It makes a delightfully soft, fluffy, almost smooshy bread, which was exactly the texture I wanted. I mixed shredded Cheddar into the dough, as well as grated fresh onion and snipped fresh chives. Although chives aren’t listed in the ingredient list for Raised Cheese Bread, they are an available seasoning in the game, and the thumbnail image of the bread shows little green flecks in the dough. For the finishing touch, I topped the bread with as much shredded Cheddar as it would hold.
This bread is so soft and perfect slathered with butter, and the fresh onion and Cheddar complement each other well. I LOVED this and will definitely make it again. The recipe makes two loves, and I brought one to a get together with friends—they ate it right up!
A
Raised Cheese Bread
“Crispy golden edges adorn this crown of bread, the cheesiness within is the flavour of dreams.”
— Tales of the Shire
INGREDIENTS:
- 1/4 cup very warm water (not hot)
- 1/2 cup milk, room temperature
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1 packet active dry yeast (7 g)
- 8 oz freshly shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
- 1/2 small onion, grated
- 1 egg
- 2 Tbsp snipped fresh chives
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 3/4 cups flour
Makes 2 7-inch round Raised Cheese Bread loaves
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Stir together water and milk the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir in the sugar until dissolved. Sprinkle yeast on top and allow to rest for 5 minutes, stirring gently after 1-2 minutes.
- Add 5 oz of the cheese to the bowl, along with the onion, egg, chives, garlic, and salt. Beat on medium-low speed with a paddle attachment for 30 seconds or until the egg if fully broken up. Gradually beat in the flour on medium speed until just combined.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for about 5-8 minutes until soft and only slightly sticky. Reflour the surface as needed.
- Grease a large bowl and place the dough inside, turning once to coat. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise for hour or until doubled in size. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Punch down the dough. Separate into 2 portions of equal size and shape each one into a 5-inch boule.
- To make a boule, flatten the dough into a circle and flip so that the side that was on the bottom while kneading is now on top. Fold the top of the circle down towards the center, pressing to adhere. Rotate the circle 90° and repeat. Rotate and repeat 2 more times. Flip the dough so the “seam” side is on the bottom. Cupping your hands, slide them about 2 inches under the dough to create more surface tension and round out the shape. Rotate the dough and slide your hands underneath it again, repeating until the entire circumference has been tightened and shaped.
- Place boules at least 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Cover and allow to rise for another 45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush the tops of the boules with milk, water, or oil and gently press the remaining cheese to the top and sides to adhere (you might not used it all).
- Bake for 20-30 minutes until the cheese on top is golden brown and the bottom sounds hollow when firmly tapped with a finger. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- Serve during Second Breakfast in your hobbit hole!
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