Cheese Bread

[kirra]

Cheese Bread
Chef James Beard

Ingredients:

1 7-gram packet active dry yeast
1 tbsp. sugar
1 1⁄2 tbsp. vegetable oil
3 oz. semihard goats' milk cheese, (such as Achadinha Cheese Company Capricious), finely grated (about 3⁄4 cup)
5 1⁄2 oz. domestic or imported gruyère, coarsely grated (about 1 1⁄2 cups)
5 1⁄2 cups flour
1 tbsp. salt
4 tbsp. butter, at room temperature, cubed
1 tsp. Tabasco
1 egg white, lightly beaten

Preparation:

Dissolve yeast and sugar in 1/4 cup warm water; set aside until foamy. Meanwhile, grease two 6-cup loaf pans and a large bowl with oil; set aside. Mix 2 tbsp. of the goat cheese and 1/4 cup of the gruyère in a small bowl; set aside.

Combine 5 cups of the flour and salt in a large bowl. Stir in yeast mixture, 1 1/2 cups warm water, butter, and Tabasco. Turn dough out onto a work surface dusted with remaining flour and knead until almost smooth, 15–20 minutes. Transfer dough to greased bowl; turn to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm spot to let dough rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.

Knead remaining cheeses into dough on a lightly floured surface. Halve dough, shape into balls, and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll out balls with a rolling pin into 6" × 11" rectangles and let rest for 3 minutes. Starting with a short end of each rectangle, roll up each into a tight cylinder. Transfer doughs, seam side down, to prepared pans and flatten slightly. Cover pans with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm spot to let doughs rise until doubled in bulk, 1–1 1/2 hours. Preheat oven to 375°.

Bake loaves for 20 minutes. Brush tops with egg white and sprinkle with reserved cheeses. Continue baking until loaves sound hollow when tapped on top and bottom, 25–30 minutes. Tip loaves out of pans and return them to oven for 5–7 minutes to firm crusts. Let loaves cool on a wire rack before serving. Makes 2 loaves.