Cheese breads are very popular in South America, where bread rolls are baked with cheese on top and sold for breakfast by street vendors. This recipe uses Asiago as the cheese, which is a cow’s milk cheese made in the Italian mountains. The American version of the cheese is made in Wisconsin and has a somewhat different flavor from the traditional Italian. In America, this bread is perhaps most famous for being on the menu of the popular food chain Panera Bread. However you can make your own in this recipe that uses a Dutch oven to bake very moist bread.
Recipe Servings: 6
Prep Time
20 minutes
+ 1 hour 30 minutes resting
+ 1 hour 30 minutes resting
Cook Time
45 minutes
Total Time
2 hours 35 minutes
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal
Ingredients
Directions
- Combine yeast, sugar, and warm water in a large bowl. Let the mixture rest about 5 minutes, until foamy.
- Add kosher salt and ¾ cup cheese to the bowl. Add the flour a little bit at a time, stirring gently with your hand until all flour is incorporated and dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.
- Gently sprinkle flour on all sides of the dough and turn dough over inside of mixing bowl. Cover with a dish towel and let rise until dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- When dough has doubled, lightly flour a large cutting board. Tip the dough out on the cutting board without popping the air bubbles.
- Lightly flour the dough and shape into a round loaf. Again flour a mixing bowl and place loaf in. Cover with a tea towel and let rise another 30 minutes. Dough will again increase in size.
- Place an empty Dutch oven (with lid on) in the oven and preheat to 460°F.
- Remove the Dutch oven when it is hot. Lightly tip bread back onto cutting board.
- Sprinkle remaining cheese onto the top. Carefully place loaf, cheese side up, into the Dutch oven. Put the lid back on and put the pot in the oven.
- Bake for 30 minutes, and then remove the lid. Continue baking for 10–20 minutes uncovered until crust is brown. Remove from Dutch oven and let cool 20 minutes.
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