Fresh Asiago Bread

OK, sometimes I must admit sometimes I get carried away at Sam's Club and a lot of times, it is in the cheese isle.

Now I had Asiago I had to use.





What better to go with a Fresh Herb Dinner than Cheese Bread!!! 

This a very easy bread recipe.  First I combined 1-1/2 cups of the flour, yeast, salt and pepper into my flexible bowl and heated the milk with the butter.

I poured the flour mixture into my Kitchen Aid and mixed in the milk/butter mixture and blended till smooth with the paddle attachment. I added the cheese and continued to stir with the paddle.  I slowly added the remaining flour until a soft dough formed.  I changed to the dough attachment and kneaded for about 3 minutes adding more flour as needed.  I placed the dough in a large oiled bowl turning to coat all the dough lightly in oil. I covered and let it raise for about 1 hour until doubled.    I gently punched down and divided the dough in to.  I then rolled each half into a rectangle and then rolled each rectangle into a long baguette.  I placed them in my french bread pan that I had sprayed with Pam and with sprinkled with cornmeal and let them raise, covered, until doubled  about 45 minutes. 

I  preheat oven to 450 with my pizza stone on the lower rack.  When the loaves were ready to baked, I slashed the dough with a sharp knife and brushed them with a lightly beaten egg and sprinkled top with remaining 1/4 cup cheese.  In the oven they went, I decreased the oven temperature to 375 and  baked them for about 30 minutes.  It was so hard to let them cool on rack for a hour, they smelled so good!

             

Asiago Cheese Bread

  3 3/4 cups  flour
  1 (2 1/2 ounce envelope)  dry yeast
  1 1/2 teaspoons  salt
  1 teaspoon  sugar
  1/4 teaspoon  black pepper
  1 1/4 cups  milk
  2 tablespoons  butter, cut up
  1 1/4 cups  asiago Cheese, shredded
  1 large egg
  Chopped fresh herbs (basil, parsley or rosemary),  optional

In large bowl, combine 1-1/2 cups of the flour, yeast, salt and pepper. Melt butter in milk to 120-130 degrees. Stir milk mixture into flour mix until smooth. Stir in 1 cup cheese.  Gradually stir in about 2 cups flour to make soft dough. Knead in mixer or by hand until smooth and elastic, adding flour if needed.  Oil large bowl, add dough, turn to coat. Cover with clean damp towel and let double. (It may take 2-1/2 hours, must be the cheese.)  Punch down, form into 2 long thin loaves. Spray baking sheet, (sprinkled with cornmeal) Or use baguette pans. Place loaves on pan, let raise, covered, until doubled (45 min.) Preheat oven to 375.  Slash dough with serrated knife. Brush with lightly beaten egg and sprinkle top with remaining 1/4 cup cheese and chopped herbs if used.  Bake 30-35 minutes till done. Cool on rack.