Prep Time: 25 mins. to 35 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins. to 35 mins
Yield: 4 mini-loaves or 2 standard-size loaves
From the Bakery at King Arthur Flour
Starter
Dough
- all of the starter
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons to 1 1/4 cups lukewarm water*
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon Pizza Dough Flavor (optional)
- 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 (sharp cheddar, or a mixture of provolone and mozzarella are tasty)
- 1 tablespoon garlic oil (optional)
- 1 tablespoon pizza seasoning (optional)
Directions:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Tips from our bakers:
- This bread is a bit messy to make. The dough is soft; some of the cheese spills out. Don't worry about it; the final loaves will be beautiful in their own rustic kind of way
- Feel free to use whatever cheese you like, so long as it melts well. Combinations are always nice (e.g., provolone and mozzarella).
- Once you slice the log of dough and form loaves, get them into the oven as quickly as possible. Cutting the dough deflates it, but if you put the loaves into the oven quickly enough, they'll pick right up again.
- When making yeast bread, let the dough rise to the point the recipe says it should, e.g., "Let the dough rise till it's doubled in bulk." Rising times are only a guide; there are so many variables in yeast baking (how you kneaded the dough; what kind of yeast you used) that it's impossible to say that bread dough will ALWAYS double in bulk in a specific amount of time.