7 January, 2016
Madison’s Spicy Cheese Bread
One packet (2 ¼ tsp.) Red Star Instant Yeast (+ 1/4 cup warm water, sugar, per directions on packet)
3 -4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 black pepper
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
About 1 cup water
Provolone and Monterey Jack cheeses, cubed
Topping:
Olive oil, Red pepper flakes (required!), parmesan and romano cheeses, Italian seasoning (optional)
Mix yeast and water in a bowl, following the directions on the yeast packet (using warm water, and a pinch of sugar). Let sit for 5 minutes. Add 3 cups flour and about half the water and mix until combined. (If you have a stand mixer, mix on low.) Add the rest of the ingredients except the cheese. You can add a little bit more water at a time to get it to all stick together, until dough is a little sticky and soft.
Knead dough ball on a floured breadboard with your hands for 5 minutes, or on medium-low on a mixer. Fold in cheese cubes while kneading, and extra red pepper flakes if you want. Below is how much cubed cheese I used. Dare I say, I’d use more next time!
Place dough ball in a bowl, cover with a towel and let rise for about 2 hours. It should double in size during this time.
Transfer dough into a round cake pan, greased. It’s going to be pretty puffy, so it’s ok if you pat it down into a ball a little. Then, let rise again for about another hour.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees in the meantime.
Brush top with olive oil, and sprinkle some parmesan and romano cheeses, a little Italian seasoning, and a bunch of red pepper flakes on top.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown on the outside. Eat it while it’s warm and gooey!