Umbrian cheese bread and ignoring one instruction on the recipe

When it comes to cooking or baking one thing I have learned over the years is to read the entire recipe before actually making it – that has saved me a lot of trouble in the kitchen and a lot of frustration, too, and it’s a habit I highly recommend you to acquire.

Days ago I decided to put the cheeses in my fridge to some good use by baking Nick Malgieri’s wonderful bread – I sat down and carefully read the entire recipe, top to bottom. Off to the kitchen I went and a while later the bread perfumed my house while in the oven: it turned out delicious, crusty on the outside and tender on the inside, with an amazing cheese flavor. After placing the bread onto the wire rack I remembered Malgieri’s instructions to cool the bread completely before serving it and I had a big laugh: that was never going to happen. :D

Umbrian cheese bread
slightly adapted from Nick Malgieri's Bread: Over 60 Breads, Rolls and Cakes plus Delicious Recipes Using Them

3 teaspoons dried yeast
¼ cup (60ml) slightly warm water
400g all purpose flour
½ cup (113g/1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, chopped
5 large eggs
80g parmesan cheese, finely grated
40g pecorino Romano, finely grated
80g gruyère, cut into 5mm dice
½ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together the yeast and water. Set aside until bubbly.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flour and butter and beat on medium-low speed until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs and no large portions of butter are visible. Switch to the dough hook. Add the eggs and the yeast mixture to the bowl and mix on low for 1 minute to combine, then add the cheeses, salt and pepper. Mix on low-medium until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough ferment until it starts to puff, 15-20 minutes (mine needed 35 minutes). In the meantime, butter a 20cm (8in) deep round cake pan, line the bottom with a circle of baking paper and butter the paper as well.
Scrape the dough into the prepared pan and cover with slightly oiled plastic wrap. Let it rise until it reaches the top of the pan, about 45 minutes – while that happens, preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
Bake the bread until deeply golden and well risen, about 30 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then carefully unmold and remove the paper. Transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm (this bread also reheats well at a 180°C/350°F oven for a few minutes).

Serves 8-10