I could...would...DO...happily make a meal out of a freshly baked loaf of bread, some wine, some cheese, maybe some fruits/nuts/meats. Throw in some cloves of roasted garlic that I can smoosh in. It just makes me smile. Since there's a bit of dreamland in my head anyway, I always feel like I'm an Italian or French woman. Because they know how to live. (Okay, those are total made-up sterotypes in my head. Obviously they're not the only ones who know how to live. I mean, come on. Look at me.) ←if you know me, you know I'm laughing my head off right now. At myself. Because I crack myself up.
You know who else knows how to live? The (rest of the) Bread Baking Babes. I mean, why else would we be making beautiful, swirly loaves of bread filled with magical things like bright, fresh, emerald basil...sweet, pungent, scarlet sundried tomatoes...and musky, seductive roasted garlic? There is no other explanation.
Pane Bianco filled w/ Roasted Garlic, Sundried Tomato, & Basil
by
Prep Time: 2½ hours
Cook Time: 35-40 minutes
Keywords: bake bread garlic basil sundried tomato
Ingredients (2 loaves)
- 1 c. warm milk
- ½ c. warm water
- ⅓ c. extra virgin olive oil
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- ¼ c. sugar
- 2 tsp. fine sea salt
- 6 c. (723 g) bread flour
- 4 tsp. instant yeast
- 1 (7-8 oz.) jar oil-packed sundried tomatoes
- 1-2 heads roasted garlic cloves
- 2 c. (8 oz.) shredded Italian blend cheese (some combo of mozzarella, provolone, parmesan, asiago, romano)
- ⅔ c. (just under 2 oz.) fresh basil
Instructions
making the dough:
You can make this dough by hand, in the mixer, or in a bread machine. I, of course, chose the bread machine. Place everything in your bowl in the order listed (or however you like, just being sure to keep the salt away from the yeast when you add them). If using a bread machine, hit the dough cycle. If using a mixer, use the dough hook and go low until mixed, then turn up to medium speed to knead until smooth and silky. If doing it by hand, mix all with a wooden spoon or dough whisk until you can't anymore, then turn out onto a work surface and knead until smooth and silky, ~10 minutes
Either way you go, once the dough has been kneaded and you have a smooth ball, set the dough into a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside and allow to rise in a fairly warm place until doubled in size, ~45 minutes.
Drain the sundried tomatoes and absorb most of the excess oil with a paper towel. Chop them finely. Roast the garlic, if you need to. Slice the basil into chiffonade by stacking the leaves and rolling them like a cigar before slicing into thin strips. Set the cheese out.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or two, if you'd rather - but both of mine fit on one...plus, I only have one oven rack, so I do what I have to).
Gently deflate the dough by slowly putting your fist into it. Turn out onto a very lightly floured work surface. Divide in half; set one half aside.
Roll one portion of dough out into a rectangle that measures approximately 22" x 8½". Scatter half of the cheese over the dough. Do the same with the tomatoes and basil. Do the same with the garlic, smooshing and breaking it up a bit between your fingers before scattering.
Roll up the dough, as tightly as possible, starting at a long edge. Pinch the seams to seal. Turn so that the seam is facing down and the log of dough is facing either up-and-down or diagonally (for easier cutting).
Using a pair of kitchen scissors, cut into the dough about ½-inch from the end closest to you. Continue to cut down the log, taking care not to cut all the way through; you should cut about 1-inch deep. Stop when you have about the same amount of dough left at the other end (½"). Now bend the top half of the dough to the right, and the bottom half to the left to form an "S" shape. Tuck both ends underneath the center to form a figure-8. Put your fingers underneath the dough and pinch those ends together with the center of the dough as best you can. Carefully lift the whole thing up and onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining half of dough and fillings.
Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a fairly warm spot until doubled in size, ~45 minutes. Preheat oven to 350° F during last 15-20 minutes of rise time.
Remove the plastic and slide the tray into the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, then quickly open the oven and tent the loaves with foil to prevent over-browning. Bake for another 15-20 minutes, until golden and cooked through.
Slide the loaves, parchment and all, onto wire racks to cool. Store leftovers at room temperature, well-wrapped.
If I had thought about it in advance, I would have drained the sundried tomatoes before mixing up the dough, and used the oil from them in place (at least partially) of the olive oil.
I say 1-2 heads of roasted garlic because sizes vary. I love garlic, so I'll use 2 heads every time. If you're not as big a fan, just use one.
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The Bread Baking Babes
Bake My Day - Karen
blog from OUR kitchen - Elizabeth
Feeding my Enthusiasms - Pat/Elle
girlichef - Heather
Life's a Feast - Jamie
Living in the Kitchen with Puppies - Natashya
Lucullian Delights - Ilva
My Kitchen In Half Cups - Tanna
Notitie Van Lien - Lien
Paulchen's Foodblog - Astrid
Provecho Peru - Gretchen
Thyme for Cooking - Katie
If you'd like to bake along as a buddy this month, check out the post by host-kitchen-Babe, Natashya at Living in the Kitchen with Puppies, our Babe kitchen of the month - then head into the kitchen and bake up your own Filled Pane Bianco and send her your link by the 26th. She'll send you a badge for baking along and round up all of the entries on her site!
I am sharing this post with Susan's YeastSpotting
