Mozzarella Cheese Bread
Cheese is one of those foods that has always mystified me. I mean, what made whomever discovered it decide to taste ’spoiled’ milk? Were they merely curious? Or just really, really hungry? Whenever I think of myself as having an adventurous palate I remember the first cheese taster and realize that, while open to many new things, my experience with food has been pretty tame.
Legend has it that cheese was first discovered by an Arab nomad traveling across the desert. He was carrying milk in a container made from an animal’s stomach and at some point found that contact with the rennet in the stomach lining had separated the milk into curd and whey. Another myth, this one Greek, credits the god Aristaeus not only with inventing cheese but also with developing bee-keeping techniques and cultivating olive trees. In reality no one knows exactly when people started making and enjoying cheese. The earliest archaeological evidence has been found on Egyptian tomb murals dating to about 2300 BCE, which show people making cheese using methods and tools familiar to us today. We do know, however, that by Roman times cheese was an everyday food and that the techniques they used to make cheese aren’t very different from those used in modern times. Indeed, cheese was such an important part of the Roman diet that they introduced it to much of Europe. Rome conquered vast swaths of territory at the height of its power and the portability, long life and nutritional value of cheese made it a popular food among soldiers. Local peoples gave it a try and the rest, as they say, is history.
I would love to talk more about cheese… which sounds cheesy (haha!) but what do you expect from an obsessive foodie? Unfortunately, however, school work calls. Alas! But between now and my next post I leave you with a luscious recipe for mozzarella cheese bread. It’s based on a recipe for “Three Cheese Bread” found in “Beautiful Breads and Fabulous Fillings,” a book I am quickly falling head-over-heels in love with. This is the third loaf I have made from it and without exception the results have been wonderful - I think my favorite so far was a loaf of rosemary-sage bread with goat cheese & coconut milk filling. And no I am not torturing you needlessly by mentioning such an awesome sounding loaf of bread. I plan on posting the recipe within the next several days. :yum:
Slits on the top of the loaf allow the cheese filling to bubble out and toast to perfection
A quick word about the recipe below in case you’re inclined to try it (which you should be, look at the photos!). Every time I’ve made something from this book I’ve had to significantly alter the amount of liquid used to make the dough. I’ve now made the “basic bread dough” used as a base for savory loaves three times, and on every occasion I had to use different amounts of liquid to achieve the desired dough texture. At first I thought this was a flaw with the recipe, but now I think the variation lies in the fact that the flour amounts are given by volume and not by weight. Alton Brown did a “Good Eats” episode that demonstrated what a huge difference there can be between measuring the ’same’ amount of flour by weight and by volume. While I haven’t encountered such a noticeable discrepancy between liquid amounts before, the finished product (amazing loaves of bread) leads me to believe that the weight-vs-volume issue has something to do with it. Such being the case, I haven’t altered the measurements given by the book. My advice is to mix the appropriate amount of liquid for the number of loaves you want to make, and then slowly add it to your flour mixture until you have a ball of dough that has pulled away from the sides of your bowl. It should be smooth and springy post-kneading, and of course, you can lightly dust the dough with extra flour while working it to achieve your desired results. 
Mozzarella Cheese Bread (Or, [cheese name here] bread)
Reproduced with permission from “Beautiful Breads and Fabulous Fillings,” by Margaux Sky.
Step 1: Basic White Bread Dough
Ingredients: Makes 4 loaves
- 2 tablespoons yeast
- 4 cups warm milk
- 4 cups half-and-half (I used whole milk instead)
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 16 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
- 3 1/2 tablespoons salt
In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the milk and half-and-half. Let stand for 5 minutes, until the yeast is foamy. Add the butter and mix with a whisk. Add the powdered sugar and mix well to break up any clumps.
In a large bowl (or stand mixer bowl), combine the flour and salt. Slowly add the liquid mixture to the flour mixture and knead well. If you’re using a stand mixer, knead for 3 to 4 minutes. If you’re kneading by hand, knead for 4 to 7 minutes. Keep the dough moist for a soft, tender bread.
Place the kneaded dough in a generously buttered bowl, cover with a towel, and let rise in a warm, dry place for 1 hour.
Punch down the dough with your fist, and divide into 4 portions, one for each loaf.
Step 2: Add the cheese!
What you put inside your bread dough varies by taste. The original recipe called for 3 types of cheese, but since I only had mozzarella on hand (and love mozzarella!) I used that instead. I also only used 1 cup of cheese instead of 3, but if you want a cheesier, more decadently gooey bread then by all means add the full 3 cups!
Ingredients: Enough for 1 loaf
- 1 cup crumbled goat cheese
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded manchego cheese
- Or, instead of the 3 cheeses listed above, you could use 1 - 3 cups of your preferred cheese. I used 1 cup of shredded whole-milk mozzarella.
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons of water
Take one of your four sections of dough and roll it out into a 9 x 11 inch rectangle so that the long side is perpendicular to your body. Spread the cheese over the dough. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Using your hands, gently press the cheese into the dough.
Generously butter a 9-inch loaf pan.
Tightly roll the dough into a loaf, with the rolling action going away from your body. To hold in the filling, fold the outer edges of the dough as you roll. Gently press the seams together on the bottom. Place the dough into the prepared loaf pan seam side down. Place the pan in a warm, dry place and allow the dough to rise for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Beat together the egg and water to make an egg wash. Brush the egg wash over the dough. Make three diagonal slits - deep enough to see the filling - across the top of the loaf. Brush again with the egg wash.
Bake for approximately 1 hour (mine baked for 50 minutes). Oven’s vary so test for doneness. Remove the loaf from the pan and tap the bottom. If it sounds hollow, it’s done. If not, continue to bake, checking every few minutes. When the loaf is done, return it to the pan and cool for 30 minutes. Remove the loaf from the pan and transfer it to a wire rack. Cool for another 30 minutes before slicing.
