Best New Years Resolution Ever. January 20th is National Cheese Day or National Cheese Lovers Day, or just Cheese Day. If you don’t believe me I don’t care, it’s my New Years Resolution and I’ll celebrate how I want to.
My creation for Cheese Day was inspired by my time in Japan. While there, I went with Momma and Staramama to the grocery store and saw this bread with some cheese on top, we decided to get it. Upon cutting the bread to eat it, I discovered that there was CHEESE MELTED INSIDE THE BREAD! GENIUS! The cheese was infused throughout the bread. I can’t tell you how often I dream about that bread, because it’s probably obscene. In Japan they have lots of breads with food items in them, and I fully support that action.
I decided to do the easiest thing I know how for this foodsperiment, make a batch of pretzel dough to make into rolls and put some cheese inside. I made enough to share with folks at work too so Cheese Day could be celebrated by one and all. Even though I started baking after going to see Memphis (sooo good) and I was sleepy, I’m committed to the Holidays cause.
Cheese Bread Rolls – from my mom (pretzel dough) and my brain.
Ingredients:
- 4 cups flour – check
- 1/3 cup brown sugar – check
- 1 1/3 cup warm water – check
- 1 tbs of dry yeast – check
- 12 chunks of gouda – check, you could probably use any cheese
- Crumbles of gorgonzola – check
Step 1: Combine water, yeast, and brown sugar. Allow to proof (aka get bubbly). Roughly 1-3min.
Step 2: While the yeast etc proofs, measure out 4 cups of flour into your favorite mixing bowl. Mine is a metal mixing bowl I inherited from my excellent Teta, who by the way was probably one of the BEST bakers I’ve ever known.
Step 3: Mix the wet ingredients with the flour. You can do this in a food processor but I prefer the wooden spoon and subsequent kneading method. Knead dough until smooth. This can be done on a lightly floured surface or right in the mixing bowl…which is what I like to do for easy cleanup. Coat the dough lightly with some veg oil and set to rise for a bit. Use the saran wrap technique for quick results.
Step 4: As the dough rises, cut up your gouda into 12 hunks of cheese, because that’s how big your roll pan is.
Step 5: Rip 12 pieces of dough, for each pieces flatten and place your hunk of cheese in the middle. Fold the dough over the cheese hunk and form into a roll. Place into your roll pan and allow to rise just a bit more.
Step 6: With the remaining dough, flatten it and put some gorgonzola crumbles into it to create a gorgonzola cheese bread roll. Put into your bread pan.
Step 7: Put both your pans into the oven and bake at 400F for 15 to 20minutes or until golden brown on top and some cheese tries to ooze out the sides.
Step 8: Offer to friends and co-workers alike and also consume some rolls yourself. You can save the gorgonzola small loaf for yourself. You might need it for a snow day.
I have to say, there’s nothing bad about these. Maybe I could have cooked them a bit longer, but everyone at work LOVED the gouda bread rolls! As my dear friend Sam (and what a delight she is) said “It was like a party in my mouth!” I’ll take that as a compliment. I also wish the gouda had melted or stayed melted but it didn’t. The gorgonzola did better but also wasn’t heavy enough to weigh the bread down so there was a lot of bread and the cheese was concentrated in a small area. I’ll try again someday.
This foodsperiment: +7 for taste, +5 for ease, +5 for easy cleanup, +5 for holiday celebrations, +5 for making people happy! Happy Sperimenting!
Gorgonzola Mini Loaf
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