Bacon-Cheese Bread
This bread has a long fermentation process, allowing you the luxury to dive into that book you’ve been meaning to finish for awhile now. And to top off this tranquil moment, serve it toasted with a fine glass of red wine.
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups (525 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp instant yeast
- 1 3/4 cups (430 ml) cold water
- 3 cups (300 g) strong orange cheddar cheese, grated
- 3/4 lb (340 g) bacon, thinly sliced, cooked until tender (not crispy)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt and yeast. Add the water. With a fork, stir until the flour is completely moistened, but the dough is not entirely smooth. Add the cheese and bacon. Mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 8 to 12 hours at room temperature.
- Butter a 10 x 4-inch (25 x 10 cm), 6-cup (1.5 litre) loaf pan. Line with parchment paper, letting it hang over all four sides.
- With your hands, keeping the dough inside the bowl, deflate the dough by folding it in on itself about 6 times, turning the bowl 90 degrees with each fold, or just until the bacon and cheese are well distributed throughout.
- Place the dough in the loaf pan. Cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap and let sit for 1 hour at room temperature or until the dough has risen higher than the sides of the pan.
- With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Bake for 1 hour. Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before unmoulding. Let cool completely.
This bread has a long fermentation process, allowing you the luxury to dive into that book you’ve been meaning to finish for awhile now. And to top off this tranquil moment, serve it toasted with a fine glass of red wine.