Reduced-fat chicken and leek potato bake

A creamy, dreamy delicious dish that is also low fat

Ingredients (serves 4)

• Olive oil cooking spray
• 1 large (280g) chicken breast fillet, trimmed, thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 leek, trimmed, halved, washed, sliced
• 800g desiree potatoes, thinly sliced
• 1 cup reduced-fat grated tasty cheese
• 300ml light cooking cream

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Grease a 7cm-deep, 19.5cm (base) square baking dish.
2. Spray a non-stick frying pan with oil. Heat over medium-high heat. Add chicken. Cook, stirring, for 4 to 5 minutes or until cooked through. Transfer to a plate. Add garlic, thyme and leek to pan. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until softened.
3. Layer one-third potato over base of prepared dish. Top with half the chicken and leek mixture. Sprinkle with one-third cheese. Drizzle with one-third cream. Repeat layers, ending with potato. Add remaining cream. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover with foil. Bake for 50 minutes or until potato is tender. Remove cover.
4. Increase oven to 200°C/180°C fan-forced. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden. Stand for 10 minutes. Serve.

Step-by-step basic bread dough recipe

This recipe works every time - use it to make all sorts of breads and rolls.

Makes

1 loaf

Ingredients

• 450g (3 cups) plain bread flour (see note)
• 1 tbs (12g/2 sachets) dried yeast
• 2 tsp caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 250ml (1 cup) warm milk
• 2 tbs melted butter

Method

1. Combine flour, yeast and sugar in a large bowl. Stir in salt. Make a well in the centre. Add milk and butter.
2. Use a wooden spoon to stir the mixture until well combined, then use your hands to bring the dough together in the bowl. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
3. Brush a large bowl with olive oil to grease. Place the dough in the bowl and cover with a damp tea towel. Set aside in a warm, draught-free place to prove for 45 minutes-1 hour or until the dough has almost doubled in size.
4. Punch down the centre of the dough with your fist. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 2 minutes or until the dough is elastic and has returned to its original size. Continue following your recipe (see related recipes).

Notes

• For best results, use a plain bread flour (also known as bakers flour). This has a high protein content, which helps to create the elasticity the dough needs to rise. If bread flour is unavailable, use ordinary plain flour instead.