Cheesy-bready Dip

1 large, round, unsliced loaf of white bread (a cobb loaf or similar)
1 200gram tub (or closest in size) of Philadelphia cream cheese (low-fat works just as well)
1 200ml tub (or closest in size) of sour cream
200 grams grated cheddar cheese
2 dessert spoons of powdered French onion soup mix (if catering for vegetarians, check the label for chicken stock)

You need to make the mix up well ahead of time; if possible, the night before, but at least an hour before it goes in the oven so the flavours mix up a bit. Remember, it takes an hour in the oven, so prepare in advance!

  1. Place the cream cheese, sour cream, grated cheese and powdered soup mix in a bowl and mix with a large spoon until alll ingredients are mixed in.
  2. Cover bowl with cling film/lid and place in fridge for at least an hour.
  3. An hour before you want to serve the dip, cut a “lid” off the bread (like a halloween pumpkin), and dig out the bread, leaving roughly a 1cm thick bread crust inside.
  4. Break up the bread into bite-sized pieces and place on a baking tray. Put to the side.
  5. Scoop the cheese mix into the hollowed-out bread, then place the lid back on the bread.
  6. Cook in a moderate oven (180 degrees) for 1 hour.
  7. Five minutes before the dip is ready, place the tray of bite-sized bread pieces in the oven to crisp them up.
  8. Once cooked, place cheesy loaf in large tea-towel-covered basket, and add bite-sized bread pieces around the loaf.
  9. Take the lid off or nobody will know what to do.
  10. Eat it – all of it, including the lid and the sides and the base.
About

I'm a technical author, journalist and writer from Australia who has been living in Europe since 2000 and exploring the world from there. My passions are writing, snow sports and travel.