On 2007-09-07, BH > wrote:
>>Incidentally, my favorite "party" bread (an original recipe of mine; I
>>will post it when I have time to type it up if anybody cares to have
>>it) is shaped with a layer of cheese just beneath the surface. It is
>>shaped as a log (a fat baguette in terms of proportions), and scored
>>
>
> I'd like to see that recipe, please. It sounds good! Thanks!

The recipe is actually not the critical part; it's all about shaping.
Feel free to make it with your favorite dough, and just skip to the
shaping section. But here's the recipe I use:

Dough Ingredients (for a single loaf; I usually make a double batch):
300g whole wheat flour (I use whole white wheat, freshly ground)
230g skim or lowfat milk, scalded and cooled
6g starter (highly active, *NOT* straight from fridge)
4.5g salt

That's roughly 69% hydration once you account for the milk solids.
You want a wet but cohesive dough; if you were doing this with white
flour you'd use less liquid -- probably 65% or thereabouts.

I mix all ingredients but salt, then add the salt a few hours later.
I ferment for about 22 hours total, with strech & fold cycles whenever
I happen to be in the kitchen. Then there's about 2 hours final proof
after shaping (see below), then I bake on a stone preheated to 500F,
and turn down the heat to 450F as soon as it goes in the oven. I use
a *LOT* of steam via a homebuilt steam injection system involving a
pressure cooker with tubing to direct the steam into the oven. Get
steam in the oven however you are used to doing it, though different
methods will likely affect baking time. Baking time for me is usually
about 20 minutes or slightly less.

As I said, feel free to substitute your own favorite dough. When it
comes time to shape it, you will need the filling. Usually I use a
cheese and a "flavoring" of some sort. My two favorite combinations
are sharp cheddar and snipped chives, and pesto and provolone. I use
anywhere between 1/4 and 1/2 pound of cheese per loaf, usually closer
to 1/2lb. The cheese should be shredded.

Start by pressing the dough out gently into a rectangle about 1/3 inch
thick. The proportions of the rectangle determine whether you get
short, fat loaves or long, skinny ones. Spread the "flavoring"
topping (e.g., chives or pesto) over the dough, leaving 1" bare dough
along the top and sides so you can get a good seal. Layer the cheese
evenly and completely over this. Roll up from the bottom, keeping the
roll very tight as you go and trying to minimize trapped air as much
as possible -- this is very important. Pinch the seam and ends
closed, then roll gently back and forth to smooth the seam and ends a
bit and even out the shape. (You are not trying to elongate the loaf
here, just smooth things out. In fact, I often compact the loaf a
little as I roll, if it seems to be too long.) Sprinkle parchment
with cornmeal and place loaf seam down on parchment. Cover loosely
and proof 2 hours (or whatever your starter and temperature demands).

When ready to bake, score loaves as you would a baguette, making sure
to cut all the way through the top layer of dough to the cheese layer.
If you don't know how to score a baguette, I advise you to find
pictures somewhere, but to describe it briefly: The cuts should be
nearly parallel with the loaf itself, just slightly angled, but not
nearly as angled as they look after they've opened up. They should
overlap each other by roughly 1/3, with just a thin (1/2") strip of
dough between each cut. It is that thin strip of dough that is
critical in this particular loaf, because it is what will ultimately
separate your big gooey globs of oven-crisped cheese. If the strips
are too thin, the globs run together. If too thick, the cuts don't
open up properly. Do a couple of practice loaves before you make this
for company -- they will be delicious even if disastrous.

Note that cheese will likely bubble up over the sides of the loaves.
I usually leave the loaves on the parchment so that I don't get
charred pieces of cheese on the stone -- this doesn't hurt the stone,
but it sure makes a lot of smoke. Actually, come to think of it, I
think last time I did this I put the loaves on a baking sheet that
went directly on the stone, and it worked just fine, and was less
messy.

I should probably post photos somewhere. I think I have some taken,
but not put online anywhere.

--
Randall