Parmesan cheese bread

http://www.recipezaar.com/Italian-Parmesan-Bread-for-Bread-Machine-155369


Here's how I made this recipe:

Mix water, yeast and a tsp of sugar, and let sit until foamy.

Add salt, cheese, dried basil and oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, and stir.

Add flour, then adjust with flour or water to make a good dough.

Knead, let sit 1 hour, punch down, fold, form loaf, let sit another hour.

Bake in a dutch oven with the lid on at 425*F for 30 minutes

Remove lid, then bake another 15 minutes.

The cheese flavor was pretty subtle. Perhaps it might be better to put the cheese on top.

Foccacia bread

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easiest-focaccia-recipe/Detail.aspx
The instructions are a little vague, so this is how I did it:


(double recipe)

Mix 2/3 c very warm water with 3 1/4 tsp dry yeast and 2 tsp sugar

After letting the yeast become foamy, stir in 2 1/4 tsp salt, a splash of olive oil, then 4 c flour

Mix the dough (will be very dry with excess flour), then add 1/2 c water, and continue adding 1 tbsp of water at a time until the dough pulls together.

Knead the dough, then form into a ball. Oil the dough generously with olive oil, then cover and let rise 1 hour.

Punch the dough down, and form into a 3/4" thick rectangle on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with dried oregano and basil. Drizzle with olive oil, then top with a huge handful of coarsely grated Parmesan cheese.

Bake in a pre-heated 475*F oven for 15 minutes.

This was really good!

Rosemary cheese bread

The crumb came out very soft and cake-like even after a lot of kneading. I will use bread flour next time and try a longer rise time.

Mix and allow to foam:
2 Tbs yeast
2 Tbs sugar
2 c warm water

Then add:
3 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp salt
4 c flour

Mix, then add:
1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

Let rise 1 hour, then punch down and form into two loaves. Let rise for another hour, then top with grated cheese. I used cheddar on one loaf and Parmesan on the other -- both were great. Bake at 425*F for about 25 minutes.

Cheddar, thyme and beer bread

I forget where this recipe came from. I recently made it for a block party, and it turned out really well -- the entire loaf was eaten in a few minutes!

200 ml (scant cup) beer
100 ml (1/3 cup) water
20 g (1.5 Tbsp) fresh yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
50 ml (3 Tbsp) melted butter or canola oil
400 ml (1 ¾ cups) wholemeal spelt flour (use all-purpose if spelt is not available)
200-300 ml (1 cup) all-purpose flour
~200 ml (scant 1 cup) oat bran (don't omit this)

filling
a handful of finely grated cheddar cheese
3 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme (I usually use dried thyme, and only a teaspoon or two)

topping
beer
grated cheese


Dissolve the yeast in the water and beer. Blend in sugar, salt and melted butter. Work in the flours and oat bran a bit at a time and knead until you have a springy dough.

Let rise for about an hour at room temperature.

Roll the dough into a rectangle of about 16x10 inches. Sprinkle with thyme and grated cheese. Roll up into a tight log.

Transfer the bread to a floured baking sheet and let rise, covered, for 30 minutes. Brush the breads with beer and sprinkle on some more cheese.

Heat the oven to 250°C (480°F) and mist with cold water just before putting in the breads. Lower heat to 225°C (440°F). Bake for 25 minutes, misting with more water a few times during baking.

Chicken Satimbocca

Serves 2:

Dip two chicken breasts in flour, then brown both sides in butter for a few minutes each.

Place the chicken in a glass baking pan, then arrange a slice of prosciutto on each one and top it with a slice of Monterey jack cheese. I used Muenster, and it was good too.

In the same pan that was used to brown the chicken, add some more butter, 1/2 of a chopped onion, and 3 minced cloves of garlic.

When the onion is translucent, add 1/2 c dry white wine, 1 c chicken broth, 1 tsp thyme. Boil until the liquid is almost gone (10 minutes). Stir in 1 tbsp flour, 1/2c cream (or milk) and sherry (if desired). Add salt and pepper to taste. When the sauce is done, pour it over the chicken, and bake for 30 minutes at 375*F.