Tomato and ricotta breakfast bread

Ingredients

1 round sourdough loaf
300g fresh ricotta cheese
5 eggs, lightly whisked
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup milk
a handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced).

Cut the top off the loaf and pull out the bread, leaving just its shell (this is a good job for the kids). Place the loaf top and insides in a plastic bag and freeze to use later for breadcrumbs.

Whisk together the ricotta, eggs and parmesan and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Spoon the ricotta mixture into the loaf shell and top with the cherry tomatoes.

Place the filled loaf on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Cook for 45 minutes or until golden on top.

Remove the cooked loaf from the oven and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before eating, so the filling can settle and set.

Notes

Like most kids, mine just love eating outdoors. Picnics of all persuasions are popular with us, the more out of the ordinary the better. We sometimes make this recipe on a weekend morning and take our breakfast outside for an early picnic. It’s a fun way to start the day and with this recipe being SO easy and yummy, a pretty delicious one, too!
To make this loaf even more tasty and interesting, place a few rashers of bacon in the base before spooning over the ricotta mixture.
Instead of the tomatoes, you could top the loaf with roasted sweet potato and caramelised onion.
We also serve this loaf for brunch and even lunch with some salad.
This recipe was created by Sophie Hansen