Stuffed Sourdough Loaf with Chicken, Gouda and Mozzarella

Steps

1. Slice each chicken breast in half through its thickness so it cooks evenly. Rub the fillets with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and season both sides with paprika, garlic powder, salt and black pepper.

   5 min

2. Heat a griddle or frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken for 5-6 minutes on each side, until the centre reaches 75°C. Move it to a board, let it rest for 5 minutes, then slice it thinly.

   14 min

3. Cut the sourdough loaf in half horizontally and pull the soft middle out of both halves, leaving a crust shell about 1 cm thick — around 280 g of loaf stays. Brush the cut sides with the second teaspoon of olive oil and toast them cut side down in a dry pan until crisp.

   6 min

4. Shred the lettuce, slice the sun-dried tomatoes and drain the chargrilled peppers. Whisk the mayonnaise with the red wine vinegar, season with salt and black pepper, and toss the lettuce through it.

   4 min

5. Lay the gouda over the bottom half of the loaf, then the sliced chicken, then the mozzarella. Add the peppers and the sun-dried tomatoes, pile the dressed lettuce on top and close the loaf.

   4 min

6. Press the loaf firmly together, wrap it in baking paper and bake at 180°C for 8-10 minutes, until the cheese melts. Cut into three portions and serve warm.

   8 min

Serving suggestion

Cut it while still warm, so the cheese is molten.

Storage

Best eaten warm. Wrapped tightly it keeps 1 day in the fridge; the dressed lettuce softens the crust after that.

Notes

Keep the bread middle you pull out — blitz it into breadcrumbs and freeze it. Full-fat mozzarella and regular mayonnaise both work here; together they add about 380 kcal to the loaf.