Asiago cheese bread
I used pretty much the same recipe as the whole-wheat rustic italian bread that I posted some time back. The only difference is the addition of about 2-3 cup of asiago cheese, some black pepper and parsley flakes towards the end of the kneading.
Recipe adapted from Cook's Illustrated:
This recipe requires a standing mixer to make the dough, a spray bottle filled with water for spritzing, a rectangular baking stone, and an instant-read thermometer for gauging doneness. It also requires a bit of patience -- the biga, which gives the bread flavor, must be made 11 to 27 hours before the dough is made. If you own two standing mixer bowls, in step 1 you can refrigerate the biga in the bowl in which it was made. Use the second bowl to make the dough in step 2. Use bottled water if your tap water does not taste very good.
Makes 2 medium round loaves
Biga
2 cups bread flour
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
8 ounces water (1 cup), room temperature
Dough
2 cups bread flour, plus extra for dusting hands and work surface
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon instant yeast
10.7 ounces water (1 1/3 cups), room temperature
2 teaspoons table salt
2-3 cups asiago cheese
1 tbs black pepper
1 tbs parsley flakes / fresh parsley, chopped.
1. For the biga: Combine flour, yeast, and water in bowl . Knead until shaggy. Transfer biga to medium bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let stand at room temperature until beginning to bubble and rise, about 3 hours. Refrigerate biga at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.
2. For the dough: Remove biga from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature while making dough. Combine flours, yeast, and water in bowl of standing mixer fitted with dough hook; knead on lowest speed until rough dough is formed, about 3 minutes. Turn mixer off and, without removing dough hook or bowl from mixer, cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap; let dough rest 20 minutes.
3. Remove plastic wrap, add biga and salt to bowl, and continue to knead on lowest speed until ingredients are incorporated and dough is formed (dough should clear sides of bowl but stick to very bottom), about 4 minutes. Increase mixer speed to low (speed 2 on KitchenAid) and continue to knead until dough forms a more cohesive ball, about 1 minute. At the end of the cycle, add in the cheese, parsley flakes and pepper. Transfer dough to large bowl (at least 3 times dough’s size) and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in cool, draft-free spot away from direct sunlight, until slightly risen and puffy, about 1 hour.
4. Remove plastic wrap and turn dough. Replace plastic wrap; let dough rise 1 hour. Turn dough again, replace plastic wrap, and let dough rise 1 hour longer.
5. To shape the dough: Dust work surface liberally with flour. Gently scrape and invert dough out of bowl onto work surface (side of dough that was against bowl should now be facing up). Cut dough into 2 equal parts. Dust dough and hands liberally with flour and, using minimal pressure, push dough into rough 8- to 10-inch square. Shape dough and transfer to large sheet parchment paper. Dust loaf liberally with flour and cover loosely with plastic wrap; let loaf rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to lower-middle position, place baking stone on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees.
6. To bake: Using a lame, single-edged razor blade, or sharp chef’s knife, cut slit 1/2 inch deep lengthwise along top of loaf, starting and stopping about 1 1/2 inches from ends; spray loaf lightly with water. Slide parchment sheet with loaf onto baker’s peel or upside-down baking sheet, then slide parchment with loaf onto hot baking stone in oven. Bake 10 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees and quickly spin loaf around using edges of parchment; continue to bake until deep golden brown and instant-read thermometer inserted into center of loaf registers 210 degrees, about 18-20 minutes longer. Transfer to wire rack, discard parchment, and cool loaf to room temperature, about 2 hours.
Recipe adapted from Cook's Illustrated:
This recipe requires a standing mixer to make the dough, a spray bottle filled with water for spritzing, a rectangular baking stone, and an instant-read thermometer for gauging doneness. It also requires a bit of patience -- the biga, which gives the bread flavor, must be made 11 to 27 hours before the dough is made. If you own two standing mixer bowls, in step 1 you can refrigerate the biga in the bowl in which it was made. Use the second bowl to make the dough in step 2. Use bottled water if your tap water does not taste very good.
Makes 2 medium round loaves
Biga
2 cups bread flour
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
8 ounces water (1 cup), room temperature
Dough
2 cups bread flour, plus extra for dusting hands and work surface
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon instant yeast
10.7 ounces water (1 1/3 cups), room temperature
2 teaspoons table salt
2-3 cups asiago cheese
1 tbs black pepper
1 tbs parsley flakes / fresh parsley, chopped.
1. For the biga: Combine flour, yeast, and water in bowl . Knead until shaggy. Transfer biga to medium bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let stand at room temperature until beginning to bubble and rise, about 3 hours. Refrigerate biga at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.
2. For the dough: Remove biga from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature while making dough. Combine flours, yeast, and water in bowl of standing mixer fitted with dough hook; knead on lowest speed until rough dough is formed, about 3 minutes. Turn mixer off and, without removing dough hook or bowl from mixer, cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap; let dough rest 20 minutes.
3. Remove plastic wrap, add biga and salt to bowl, and continue to knead on lowest speed until ingredients are incorporated and dough is formed (dough should clear sides of bowl but stick to very bottom), about 4 minutes. Increase mixer speed to low (speed 2 on KitchenAid) and continue to knead until dough forms a more cohesive ball, about 1 minute. At the end of the cycle, add in the cheese, parsley flakes and pepper. Transfer dough to large bowl (at least 3 times dough’s size) and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in cool, draft-free spot away from direct sunlight, until slightly risen and puffy, about 1 hour.
4. Remove plastic wrap and turn dough. Replace plastic wrap; let dough rise 1 hour. Turn dough again, replace plastic wrap, and let dough rise 1 hour longer.
5. To shape the dough: Dust work surface liberally with flour. Gently scrape and invert dough out of bowl onto work surface (side of dough that was against bowl should now be facing up). Cut dough into 2 equal parts. Dust dough and hands liberally with flour and, using minimal pressure, push dough into rough 8- to 10-inch square. Shape dough and transfer to large sheet parchment paper. Dust loaf liberally with flour and cover loosely with plastic wrap; let loaf rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to lower-middle position, place baking stone on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees.
6. To bake: Using a lame, single-edged razor blade, or sharp chef’s knife, cut slit 1/2 inch deep lengthwise along top of loaf, starting and stopping about 1 1/2 inches from ends; spray loaf lightly with water. Slide parchment sheet with loaf onto baker’s peel or upside-down baking sheet, then slide parchment with loaf onto hot baking stone in oven. Bake 10 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees and quickly spin loaf around using edges of parchment; continue to bake until deep golden brown and instant-read thermometer inserted into center of loaf registers 210 degrees, about 18-20 minutes longer. Transfer to wire rack, discard parchment, and cool loaf to room temperature, about 2 hours.