I know that many people are intimidated by bread recipes that involve yeast. After all, yeast is a live organism and many things can go wrong with it, right? Well, the truth is far from that. Bread making using yeast-based recipes is among the easiest and most satisfying things to make as it requires very few basic ingredients and usually no special equipment.
If you have been following this blog for some time now, you probably know that bread is among my favorite things to bake. There are at least a dozen recipes in the archives of this blog in the bread category, among them the popular recipes for Semolina Bread, Oatmeal Bread, Honey-Wheat Dinner Rolls, Focaccia with Fresh Herbs, and an easy Olive Bread. Some are super fast and a few are a bit more involved, but all are equally fool-proof.
This recipe for cheese-stuffed-bread (pane bianco) is packed with flavor and has a wonderful soft–almost brioche-like–texture. It is slightly adapted from a King Arthur Flour Baking Challenge for bakers for the month of August. Do not be intimidated by the list of steps or ingredients as this is not all that complicated to put together. This rich dough is rolled out and then filled with delicious things like Fontina and/or Asiago cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, minced garlic and fresh basil. It is then rolled into a long log, sliced right in the middle, twisted into an S-shape and, just like that, it is ready for the oven! You can substitute any of the ingredients used in the filling with whatever else you may have on hand. I suspect olives would be a great addition as well.
To encourage those who are still sitting on the fence about baking your own bread, I have included a photo tutorial for each step of this recipe for extra encouragement. Even if you have not made bread before, I think that you should dive right in with this tasty loaf and make it this weekend’s project!
It all starts with a ball of dough. If you have one, use a stand mixer to mix the ingredients faster.
This very elastic and easy-to-work-with dough is easily stretched on a floured surface with a rolling pin.
A delicious filling of cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic and basil is then spread evenly on the dough.
The dough is then tightly rolled length-wise.
The ends are pinched together and the roll is placed seam-side down on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Using either a sharp knife or kitchen shears, this perfectly rolled dough needs to be cut lengthwise to reveal the filling!
After the initial shock of “destroying” that perfect log, we twist it to an S-shape and things look promising again.
The end result: A bread worth waiting for!
- For the dough:
- 3 cups bread flour
- 2½ tsp. instant yeast
- 1½ tsp. sea salt
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- ½ cup lukewarm buttermilk or milk
- ⅓ cup lukewarm water
- 3 TBSP. olive oil
- For the filling:
- 1 cup shredded Fontina or Asiago cheese
- ½ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
- 5 med. garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- ⅓ cup fresh basil, chopped
- To make the dough: Combine all the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer equipped with a dough hook. Add the egg and the rest of the liquid ingredients and mix until a soft and smooth dough is formed. The dough should stick a bit to the bottom of the bowl.
- Add some olive oil to the bowl and turn the dough over so it is coated with the oil. Cover, and let it rise for 45 to 60 minutes, or until it is doubled in size.
- Meanwhile, drain the sun-dried tomatoes and put them dry. Use kitchen shears to cut them into small bits.
- Gently deflate the dough. Flatten and pat it into a 22” x 8” rectangle. Spread evenly with the shredded cheese, tomatoes, garlic, and basil.
- Starting with one long edge, roll the dough into a log the long way. Pinch the edges to seal. Place the log seam-side down on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Using kitchen shears, start ½” from one end and cut the log lengthwise down the center about 1” deep, to within ½” of the other end.
- Keeping the cut side up, form an “S” shape. Tuck both ends under the center of the “S”. Pinch the ends together to seal.
- Cover loosely and let rise in a warm place until double, 45 to 60 minutes.
- While the loaf is rising, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Uncover the bread, and bake it for 35 to 40 minutes, tenting it with foil after 20 – 25 minutes to prevent over-browning.
- Remove the bread from the oven, and transfer it to a rack to cool. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.
[…] bread”. To make this recipe, I was inspired by the one posted by Marilena on her website Marilena’s Kitchen called Cheese-Stuffed Bread (Pane Bianco). I invite you to visit her website to see how she made […]