Parmigiano Reggiano loaf (a/k/a Hamelman's Cheese Bread)
"Cheese Bread" is a rather drab description of this strongly flavored bread, so I decided to give it the name of the cheese I used.
The overall formula (which includes a stiff levain) is:
Bread flour - 100%
Water - 60%
Olive oil - 5%
Salt - 1.5%
Yeast - 1% (or half that amount if you plan to retard the bread overnight)
Parmesan cheese - 20%
Half the cheese is cubed and half grated, then added to the dough after it has been mixed to moderate gluten development.
I was unable to retard the dough overnight because of lack of refrigerator space.
The bread was wonderful lightly toasted and served with a breakfast egg. It would be a terrific accompaniment with spaghetti, as well as broiled with a bit of garlic, olive oil, sliced tomatoes, and maybe a dash of fresh mozzarella.
Am betting it will also make excellent croutons and bread crumbs.
This is a great recipe for a special occasion and the quality of the cheese you use will have a major effect on the result.
Only one caveat: it will make one very lousy PB&J!
Comments
Beautiful loaf!
As I was reading and enjoying your pictures, I kept thinking Oh Yum! Thanks for sharing!
Marni
Your Loaf looks real nice, Lindy. I imagine it delicious toasted or not.
--Pamela
We have a lot of Italian, pasta loving fans in my family...this bread looks so lovely with it's cheese and open crumb and I have a lot of parmigino reggiano wedges always in the frig...so this one is diffinately on the to do list. Thanks, Lindy!
Sylvia
I didn't even think about making garlic bread for this loaf. That would be doubly good with spaghetti & meatballs, even if that is an American concoction (I watched the Good Eats episode last night).
--Pamela
I'd gladly pass up PB&J to have some of this!
- Jackie
Can you post the actual amounts of the ingredients please? It looks absolutely delicious!!
Thanks, everyone, for the nice remarks. I wish we could all gather at a picnic table with the bread, some veggies and fillings, plus a nice cold adult refreshment.
Allysnina, here are the ingredients from Jeffrey Hamelman's "Bread, a Baker's Book of Techniques and Recipes." It's really an excellent book.
Stiff levain build:
5.8 oz bread flour
3.5 oz water
1.2 oz mature stiff culture
Build the levain and let stand about 12 hours at 70F.
Final dough:
1 lb., 10.2 oz bread flour
15.7 oz water
1.6 oz olive oil
.5 oz (2.5 tsp) salt
.1 oz (1 tsp) instant dry yeast (NOTE: if you plan on retarding the dough overnight, use half the yeast)
9.3 oz levain (all less 2 T + 1 tsp)
6.4 oz Parmesan cheese (half grated, half cubed)
Mix all ingredients except the cheese. I mixed for about three minutes at speed 1 in my KA Artisan. The dough will be a bit stiff. Switch to speed 2 and mix for another three or four minutes. You want moderate gluten development. Add all the cheese and mix at first speed until it's incorporated in the dough. You'll wind up using your hands a bit. Desired dough temperature is 76F.
Bulk fermentation is 2.5 hours. Fold once at 1 1/4 hours or if the dough needs more strength, fold twice at 50-minute intervals (I did the two folds).
Divide and shape into 1.5 pound rounds or batards. Don't worry about cubes of cheese popping out. Just stick them back in the top of the dough; they'll melt in the oven.
You can retard the dough for up to eight hours at 50F or up to 18 hours at 42F.
If you are not retarding the dough, the final fermentation is 1 to 1.5 hours at 76F.
Oven temp should be 460F initially. Bake with normal steam for a total of 40 to 45 minutes, but lower the oven temp to 440F after the first 15 minutes.
I imagine these would also make some nice rolls.
I could bring my margarita machine :>) !
--Pamela
That looks so rich and good. I have not posted recently. Missed a LOT !! I can almost taste it.c
Hi lindy I was looking at your parm. regeano bread and thinking of making it. Could I add the weight of the leven in flour then use say 1 1/2 teaspoons yeast? would that work? Thanks. FYI your breads look good enough to eat. Ha ha i am so funny.
Hi Will,
The stiff levain uses 5.8 ounces of bread flour and 3.5 ounces of water. If you're going to add the weight of the flour in the levain to the overall formula, you need to add the water as well.
I've only made the bread using the levain so I'm unsure if 1.5 teaspoons of instant yeast would be sufficient to raise the dough and the cheese. Maybe two teaspoons?
Let us know how it works.
I'll let you know how it turns out as soon as I have the chance to whip it up. My wife volunteered me to make the holiday cake for her office party on Thursday. The girls got together to give me a challenge. I hope I am up for it. I have not made a cake in about five years. Back then I did make a pretty good authentic Brooklyn black out cake
Oh my that looks amazing! I am so going to try this! thank you