Preheat and Prepare: First, preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Grease a 900g (2lb) loaf tin and line the bottom and sides with a strip of parchment paper, leaving an overhang to help you lift the bread out later.

Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the 300g of plain flour, 2 tsp of baking powder, 1/2 tsp of bicarbonate of soda, 1/2 tsp of salt, and 1/4 tsp of black pepper. Whisking helps to aerate the flour and distribute the leavening agents evenly.

Mix the Wet Ingredients: In a separate, medium-sized bowl, lightly beat the 2 large eggs. Add the 250g of cottage cheese, 120ml of milk, and 60g of cooled melted butter. If you're using it, stir in the caster sugar now. Mix until everything is just combined. The mixture will be lumpy because of the cheese curds, which is exactly what we want.

Gently Combine: Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Using a spatula, fold the mixture together until just combined. I find that about 10-12 folds is usually enough. Be careful not to overmix; a few small streaks of flour are perfectly fine. If using, fold in the chopped chives now.

Transfer to Tin: Scrape the batter into your prepared loaf tin. It will be a thick, slightly lumpy batter rather than a smooth dough. Use your spatula to gently spread it evenly into the corners of the tin.

Bake Until Golden: Place the loaf tin in the centre of the preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes. The bread is done when it's risen, beautifully golden on top, and a wooden skewer or cake tester inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Cool Completely: Let the bread cool in the tin for about 10 minutes before using the parchment paper 'handles' to lift it out. Transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. This is an important step, as slicing while it's still warm can make the crumb gummy.