Roommates can be marvellous if you choose them right.
They accept you at your strangest, prevent you from going insane, and occasionally train you in the dark arts of cheese bread making.
That’s right, cheese baked into bread. If you make this for your friends they will probably acknowledge you as a god or at least a demi-god (assuming they aren’t lactose intolerant). It’s delightfully filling, delightfully fattening, and the perfect comfort food for the cold fall days that are ahead of us.
Ingredients (recipe makes 2 baguettes):
-½ cup of garlic butter
-1/3 of a pound of cheese – white cheddar with herb and garlic
-1 ½ cups lukewarm water
-4 cups all purpose flour
-1 ½ tsp. table salt
-1 1/2 tsp. instant yeast
Preparation:
1) Add the water to a large greased bowl
2) Stir the dry ingredients into the water until the dough is soft.
3) Knead the dough for 1-2 minutes.
4) Let the dough rest in the covered container for 2 hours at room temperature and then refrigerate overnight or for up to 7 days.
Baking:
1) Grease a bowl or work surface. Place dough on a greased work surface and divide into two flat oval shaped discs. Let discs rest for 15 minutes under greased plastic wrap.
2) Fold discs in half lengthwise and seal edges. Repeat folding action.
3) Roll dough into a 15” log with the seam side down. Place log, seam side down, on greased baking sheet.
4) Cover baguettes for 1 ½ hours while preheating your oven to 450 degrees. The baguettes should be very puffy by the time you put them in the oven.
5) Score the top of the baguettes with 3 or 4 cuts.
6) Spritz or brush baguettes with warm water and place them in the oven for 15 minutes.
Toppings:
1) While baguettes are in the oven, melt the garlic butter, and slice the cheese into thin slices.
2) When the baguettes are done baking brush them liberally with garlic butter and then place them back in the oven for 5 minutes.
3) Take the baguettes out and wait approx. 15 minutes for them to cool.
4) Using a sharp knife, make 5-8 deep slices in each loaf. Leave a quarter of an inch un-sliced so the loaf still stays together.
5) Brush loaves with the remainder of the garlic butter making sure to butter each gap.
6) Place the cheese slices into the gaps.
7) Place the baguettes in the oven for 3-5 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
8) Take the baguettes out, and after they cool engage in shameless delicious gluttony.
