Bubble and squeak with buttered toast
- Published: 28 Apr 15
- Updated: 13 Sep 24
Our bubble and squeak recipe is inspired by Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows in which Toad enjoys the scramble of cabbage and potatoes with hot buttered toast.
For something similar, take a look at this version with gammon and fried eggs.
- Serves 4
- Hands-on time 50min, oven time 45-50min, plus rising and proving
Ingredients
For the bread
- 350g granary bread flour
- 100-150g strong white bread flour, plus extra for kneading
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 x 7g sachets fast action yeast
- 1 tbsp black treacle
- 350ml mixture half milk, half water, warmed gently
For the bubble and squeak
- 500g floury potatoes, cut into small chunks
- ½ savoy cabbage, shredded
- 100g British free-range bacon lardons
- 1 onion, finely sliced
- 3-4 tbsp butter or beef dripping
- Nutmeg for grating
Method
- For the bread, put the granary flour and 100g of the white flour in a mixing bowl with the salt. Stir in the yeast. Stir the treacle into the warm milk mixture, then stir it through the flour mixture, bringing the dough together with a round-bladed knife. The mixture should be moist and soft. If it’s sticky, add a little more of the white flour; if it’s dry, add a tiny splash of water. Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Put the dough back in a large, lightly oiled mixing bowl, cover with a cloth and leave to rise in a warm place for 45-60 minutes until doubled in size. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface, knead for a minute to distribute the air, then shape into a fat round and put on a floured baking sheet. Slash the top of the loaf 3 times with a sharp knife, then cover loosely with lightly oiled cling film. Leave to prove for 30-45 minutes until the loaf has increased in size by one third and a small imprint remains when you gently press the dough with your finger. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 220°C/fan200°C/gas 7.
- Bake the loaf for 15 minutes, then turn the heat down to 190°C/fan170°C/gas 5 and bake for 30-35 minutes more. The loaf should sound hollow when tapped on the base. Cool before slicing and toasting.
- For the bubble and squeak, put the potatoes in a pan of boiling water and cook for 5-6 minutes until just underdone. Drain the potatoes, reserving the water. Put the shredded cabbage in a colander and pour over the reserved boiling water. Leave the cabbage to steam dry for a few minutes.
- Heat your largest frying pan or 2 smaller ones until hot. Fry the bacon lardons for 5-6 minutes until beginning to crisp. Add the onion with the butter or dripping and cook over a medium-high heat, stirring frequently. The onion should take on some colour but not burn. Once the bacon is crisp and the onions are soft, remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl, leaving the fat in the pan.
- Add the cabbage to the pan, season and fry over a high heat, tossing every now and then but allowing the cabbage to brown a little. Grate over some nutmeg, add the potatoes, toss everything together, then press the mixture down into the pan to crisp it up in places. Don’t stir too much. Once the vegetables have spots of gold on them, stir through the bacon and onions. Fry for another 3-4 minutes, taste and adjust the seasoning, then serve with hot buttered toast.
- Recipe from March 2015 Issue
Nutrition
- Calories
- 497kcals
- Fat
- 30.1g (16.9g saturated)
- Protein
- 12.2g
- Carbohydrates
- 45.1g (6.8g sugars)
- Fibre
- 7.6g
- Salt
- 1.8g
delicious. tips
Bubble and squeak can be made with whatever veg you have hanging around – just make sure there’s potato and something from the cabbage family.
Cook the potatoes, fry the bacon and onion, and blanch the cabbage the night before, then store, covered, in the fridge. Reheat everything together as in step 6, then serve with the toast.
The bread will keep for 1-2 days to eat untoasted – for toast it will keep for 3-4 days. Or freeze it for up to 1 month, well wrapped in cling film.
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