French Asiago Bubble Bread for Bread Baking Day

In the movie “Top Gun,” there’s that famous line:  “I feel the need, the need for speed!”  Well, in my case, I’ve been feeling the need for yeast. So, this month’s Bread Baking Day provided just the excuse I needed to whip something up, particularly since the topic is bread with cheese.  Yum.  Specifically, Bread with Cheese hosted by High on the Hog.

I turned to a recipe that I had bookmarked over at King Arthur Flour’s baking blog, and substituted parmigiano reggiano for the Asiago cheese called for in the recipe.  I think Asiago is an Italian cheese, so I don’t have a clue why this is called “French” Asiago Bubble bread.

I tweaked the recipe a bit since I don’t have a bread machine, and in a remarkably short period of time, had these warm, flavorful little cheesy nuggets sitting on my counter.  I should say, on the counter in my smoke-filled kitchen.  Why?  I forgot to put the pan on a baking sheet, and as the bread rose in the oven, the olive oil overflowed and burned, leaving me gasping and gagging for fresh air.  Don’t believe me?  Here’s a picture to the right, proving yet again that I make the mistakes so you don’t have to!

One other thing that I did was to mince the garlic instead of crushing it – I thought that would reduce the chance of burned garlic, and I was right.  Use a strong cheese for this – your wimpy parmesan in a green can will not provide the flavor punch needed to have a tasty bread.  The end result is a flavorful, doughy bread with a slightly crisp crust. This is not a fluffy bread, but it’s not really dense, either.

This is my submission for Bread Baking Day.  I also recommend that every Friday (and heck, every other day, too) you wander over to Susan’s wonderful blog to check out her weekly roundup called YeastSpotting.  Happy yeasty baking, everybody!  Recipe after the jump . . . .

French Asiago Bubble Bread
Adapted from a recipe by Robyn Brown Sargent of King Arthur Flour’s Test Kitchen

Dough
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) water, warmed to 100-110 degrees F
1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) honey
2 tablespoons (1/2 ounce) olive oil
1 large egg, beaten
3 3/4 cups (15 1/2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
3/4 cup (3 ounces) freshly grated Asiago cheese, or Parmigiano Reggiano
1/4 cup (1 1/4 ounces) Baker’s Special Dry Milk or nonfat dry milk
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons instant yeast

Filling
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic
1/2 cup (2 ounces) freshly grated Asiago cheese, or Parmigiano Reggiano

Dough

1) Combine the yeast, water, and honey in the bowl of a stand mixer, and let sit for about 10 minutes, until the mixture starts to puff up slightly and bubble.  Add the remainder of the dough ingredients. Mix and knead everything together—by hand, mixer or bread machine set on the dough cycle—until you’ve made a smooth dough. If you’re kneading in a stand mixer, it will take about 10 minutes at second speed, and the dough should barely clean the sides of the bowl, perhaps sticking a bit at the bottom. In a bread machine (or by hand), it should form a smooth ball. I had to add about 1/4 cup extra flour to get the dough to pull together, so be prepared to do that.

2) Place the dough on a lightly floured board, and let it rest for about 10 minutes.

Filling

Combine all of the filling ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.

Assembly and Baking

Lightly oil a 9-inch round cake pan or Pyrex pie dish. Note: a dark-colored pan will produce bread with a crispier bottom than a light-colored, reflective pan. Divide the dough into 16 pieces and shape each into a ball. Dip each ball in the filling mixture, and lay them into the pan. Pour any remaining filling evenly over the dough. Cover the pan with greased plastic wrap, and let the dough rise for 30 minutes. Place on a lined cookie sheet (use foil or parchment or a Silpat).  Bake the bread in a preheated 400°F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until it’s golden brown. Remove it from the oven, and allow it to cool for 10 minutes before serving. Yield: One loaf, 16 servings.

Nutrition information per serving (1 /16 of loaf, 71g): 237 cal, 12g fat, 8g protein, 23g complex carbohydrates, 1g sugar, 1g dietary fiber, 22mg cholesterol, 329mg sodium, 102mg potassium, 32RE vitamin A, 1mg vitamin C, 2mg iron, 149mg calcium, 130mg phosphorus.