ASIAGO CHEESE BREAD RECIPE
March 1st, 20093 1/2 to 3 3/4 cups bread flour
1 envelope active dry yeast
11/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
11/4 cups milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut up
11/4 cups Asiago cheese, see note
1 large egg
Instructions
In large bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups of the bread flour, yeast, salt and pepper.
In small saucepan, heat milk and butter over medium-high heat until butter is melted and temperature is 120 to 130 degrees.
Stir the milk mixture into the flour mixture until smooth. Stir in 1 cup of the cheese. Gradually stir in about 2 cups of the flour to make a soft dough.
Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, adding more flour as needed to prevent sticking (we used a heavy duty mixer with a dough hook).
Oil large bowl, add dough and turn to coat. Cover with clean kitchen towel. Let rise in warm place 1 hour or until doubled in volume.
Coat an 8-by-2-inch round cake pan with cooking spray. Punch down dough. Form dough into a 6-inch round. Place in prepared cake pan. Cover with towel. Let rise in a warm place away from drafts, about 45 minutes or until doubled in volume.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg. Brush top of dough with beaten egg. Sprinkle top with the remaining 1/4 cup of the cheese.
Bake for 35 minutes or until the crust is golden and bread sounds hollow when tapped with fingertips. Transfer the bread to a wire rack. Let cool.