Georgian Cheese Bread
photo by Dreamer in Ontario
- Ready In:
- 4hrs 30mins
- Ingredients:
- 8
- Yields:
-
1 pizza
- Serves:
- 8
ingredients
- 2 1⁄4 teaspoons active dry yeast (a 1/4-oz package)
- 7 tablespoons warm water (105-115 F)
- 1 2⁄3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, divided
- 3⁄4 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1⁄4 lb havarti cheese, coarsely grated
- 1⁄4 lb salted mozzarella cheese, coarsely grated
- 1 teaspoon unsalted butter, melted
directions
- Sprinkle yeast over warm water and stir in 1 tablespoon flour. Let stand until creamy, about 5 minutes. (If yeast does not activate, start over with new yeast.).
- Stir together salt and remaining flour in a large bowl, then stir in egg and yeast mixture to form a dough.
- Turn out dough onto a well-floured surface and turn to coat with flour, then knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Form into a ball and dust with flour. Let dough rest in a bowl, covered with plastic wrap, punching down with a wet fist every hour, at least 2 hours and up to 3.
- Preheat oven to 500°F with rack in middle.
- Turn out dough onto floured pizza pan, turning to coat, then flatten with your fingers into a 7-inch disk.
- Toss together cheeses and press into a compact 3-inch ball with your hands.
- Place ball in middle of dough, then gather dough up around ball of cheese, squeezing excess dough into a topknot.
- Press down on topknot with a damp fist to press cheese out from center. Continue to flatten dough and distribute cheese evenly, pressing outward from center, until dough is an 11-inch disk.
- Cut a 6-inch X through top of dough to expose cheese.
- Bake until pale golden, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Brush surface of dough with butter and bake until golden and cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes more.
- Serve cut into wedges.
- Their cook's note: Dough can be made 1 day ahead and chilled in bowl (for a slow rise), covered with plastic wrap. Punch down and bring to room temperature before proceeding with recipe.
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Reviews
-
This was very good. The only problem I had was that i did not have a thermometer to measure the temperature of the water. I think I was pretty accurate, because the bread came out great, and the kids loved it. Was saved in my cookbook for a while, usually play the tag games, but nobody knew who was it, and this was my back up, A GREAT BACK UP> Thanks for the post.
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Kitchen Witch Steph
Blacksburg, VA
A picture of me and my dear friend Liz. I'm on the left.
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I live in Blacksburg, Virginia with my husband and 3 young children, and one fat cat. I'm a stay at home Mom of an 8 year old girl, 5 year old boy, and 2 year old girl. They are all stinky rotten but I am terribly attached to them. Plus, they do put up with me. I guess I'll keep them.
Dinner preparation can be challenging with my toddler hanging on my leg but I still try to make a really nice meal. I enjoy cooking so much and though I could turn to more convenience foods to help me out, I just don't like to. My food is a source of pride for me. Some of my best memories are of my Mom in the kitchen. So, let the laundry pile up and the dust accumulate because I am spending my time in the kitchen.
I live in a close knit community and have an excellent support network of other Moms. There are a lot of good cooks in the bunch so there is a lot of recipe swapping. My MOPS group just sent a cookbook to the printer to make it back by the holidays. I helped with the editing.
Blacksburg may be small but the presence of Virginia Tech ensures that we have a constant ebb and flow of folks from all over the place. Small town meets global world. I'm originally from Indiana where I was raised to love basketball but have transitioned over to Hokie football. Sometimes our town IS that football team. Certainly, I love the tailgating and I feel at home among the ever present sea of orange and maroon. I love this place.
If I am eating out in Blacksburg, I'm most likely to be seen at Gillies's for breakfast, Cabo Fish Taco for lunch, and the Cellar for dinner.
RecipeZaar is the cooking site I visit most. I can almost always find what I am looking for here. The reviews and ratings are so helpful. The folks here seldom let me down. I have accumulated quite a recipe collection from you all. Thank you!
I find myself in the natural foods section of the grocery more and more these days. I have been gradually weaning the family off of processed foods. I can't fathom becoming a vegetarian anytime soon so we buy organic beef from a local farmer. It's great stuff and we get it at a good price.
I've been cooking with whole grains and fresh produce more often lately. I am trying my hand at making my own mayo and ketchup. I went in with a friend to purchase a grain mill to mill our own grains into flour. I look forward to gaining more experience in bread making. Want to try grain soaking.
My favorite cookbooks are my old Fanny Farmer and Good Housekeeping, a 1990 edition of the NY Times cookbook, and an Amish cookbook by Marcia Adams.
I still love my sweets. I tell myself that if I make it from scratch and I use more organic and raw ingredients, that it's OK. Not exactly healthy but an improvement. I do find that many of the desserts I used to like are just too sweet for me anymore. This has put me on a quest to update or replace some of the recipes I've had for a long time.
Other interests of mine include children's literature, cardmaking, writing, afternoon naps. the art of Charles Harper & Audrey Kawasaki, craftsman houses, and tournament-style Scrabble.
Autumn is my favorite season. Few things please me more than the fall's crisp air, leaves dancing around in a cascade of colors, and my glorious friends the pumpkins. The Blue Ridge Mountains are perfect. Plenty of trails locally and in the mountains to do lots of nature walks.
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