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Prep Time: 0 Minutes Cook Time: 20 Minutes |
Ready In: 20 Minutes Servings: 8 |
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Chewy, oven-hot bread with a crown of crusty melted cheese… does it get any better? This recipe comes from the French Pastry School in Chicago. I can live on just this wonderful stuff for the rest of my life and be happy! Read more ! (of course with Chardonnay) Life is good. Ingredients:
starter |
1 1/4 cups king arthur unbleached bread flour |
1 teaspoon salt |
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast |
1/2 cup cool water |
dough |
all of the starter |
1 cup + 2 tablespoons to 1 1/4 cups lukewarm water |
1 teaspoon salt |
3 1/2 cups king arthur unbleached bread flour |
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast |
*use the greater amount of water in winter, when conditions are dry; and the lesser amount in summer, when the weather is humid. |
filling |
2 1/2 cups grated gruyère cheese, or the grated/shredded cheese of your choice (a mixture of provolone and mozzarella is tasty) |
1 tablespoon garlic oil (optional) |
p.s prep and cook time does not include overnight for the starter, but worth the wait |
Directions:
1. To make the starter: Mix the 1 1/4 cups flour, salt, yeast, and 1/2 cup water in a medium-sized bowl. Mix till well combined; the starter will be very dry. Cover and let rest overnight at room temperature; it'll become bubbly.
2. To make the dough: Combine the risen starter with the water, salt, flour, and yeast. Knead—by hand, mixer, or bread machine set on the dough cycle—to make a smooth dough.
3. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let it rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, till it's nearly doubled in bulk.
4. Gently deflate the dough, and pat and stretch it into a 3/4 -thick rectangle, about 9 x 12 . Spritz with water, and sprinkle with the grated cheese.
5. Starting with a long side, roll it into a log, pinching the seam to seal. Place the log, seam-side down, on a lightly floured or lightly oiled surface.
6. Cover it and let it rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, till it's puffy though not doubled in bulk. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 425°F.
7. Gently cut the log into four crosswise slices, for mini-breads; or simply cut the dough in half, for two normal-sized loaves. Place them on one (for two loaves) or two (for four mini-loaves) lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheets, cut side up. Spread them open a bit, if necessary, to more fully expose the cheese. Spritz with warm water, and immediately place them in the preheated oven.
8. Bake for 20 minutes (for the mini-loaves), or 35 minutes (for the full-sized loaves), or until the cheese is melted and the loaves are a very deep golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and cool on a rack.
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