Pane al Formaggio 1

Recipe Pane al Formaggio / Cheese Bread

Take two of Italy’s best cheeses- aged Parmesan and the saltier, more pungent pecorino- fold them into a dough enriched with eggs and a little olive oil, and you have a superb cheese bread to eat with smoked meats, soups, green salad, and even fresh fruit.

Makes 2 round or long, thin loaves

2 ½ teaspoon (1package) active dry yeast or 1 small cake (18 grams) fresh yeast
1 cup warm water
2 eggs, room temperature
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 ¾ cups (500 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons (10 grams) salt
¾ cup (75 grams) grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup (50 grams) grated pecorino cheese
Cornmeal
1 egg white, beaten

By Hand
Stir in the yeast into the water in a large mixing bowl; let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. Whisk in the eggs and oil. Mix the flour and salt and stir half into the yeast mixture; stir in the remaining flour with the cheese. Knead om a lightly floured surface, sprinkling with 2 or 3 tablespoons additional flour as needed, until firm, elastic and silky, 8 to 10 minutes. The texture may be slightly gritty from the cheese.

By Mixer
Stir the yeast into the water in a mixer bowl; let stand until creamy about 10 minutes. Mix in the eggs and oil with the paddle, and then the flour, salt, and cheeses. Change to the dough hook and knead until firm, velvety, and elastic, 3 to 4 minutes. The texture may be slightly gritty from the cheeses.

By Processor
If the capacity of your food processor is 7 cups or less, process this dough in 2 batches. Stir the yeast into ¼ cup warm water in a small bowl; let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. Place the flour, salt, and cheeses in a food processor fitted with the dough blade and process with several pulses to mix. Break the eggs and pour the oil on the top of the four mixture. With the machine running, pour the dissolved yeast and ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons cold water through the feed tube as quickly as the flour can absorb it and process until the dough gathers into a ball. Process 45 seconds longer to knead. Knead briefly by hand on a lightly floured surface until elastic and silky.

First Rise
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled, about 2 hours.

Shaping and Second Rise
Punch the dough down on a lightly floured surface and knead briefly. Cut the dough in half and shape each piece into a round loaf or a log that is fatter in the middle and tapered at the ends. Place on a baking sheet or peel sprinkled with cornmeal, cover with a towel, and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Baking
Thirty minutes before baking, heat the oven with a baking stone in it to 425º F. Just before baking, brush the loaves with the egg white. Slash the long loaves with 3 parallel cuts, using a razor. Sprinkle the stone with cornmeal and slide the loaves onto it. Bake 40 minutes, spraying 3 times with water in the first 10 minutes. Cool completely on a rack.

Carol Field
The Italian Baker