Recipe(tried): Italian Easter Bread With Cheese

ITALIAN EASTER BREAD WITH CHEESE
Crescia di Pasqua col Fomraggio

Very tasty and delicious.

To make FOUR (9 by 5 inch) loaves.

1 lb. BASIC BREAD DOUGH (recipe to follow)
8 cups flour
1 cup tepid water
1 cup tepid milk

TWO (1/4 oz.) packages active dry yeast OR two (3/5 oz) (18 g) cakes fresh yeast
1 cup tepid milk
10 eggs
3 1/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup diced Gruyere cheese
10 Tbsp. butter, softened
4 Tbsp. lard, softened
1 Tbsp. salt

ON THE EVENING BEFORE MAKING THE BREAD, prepare a sour dough leaven by mixing the BASIC BREAD DOUGH with 1 cup of tepid water and 1 cup of tepid milk. Then sift the 8 cups of flour onto a work surface and make a well in the center. Pour the softened bread dough into the well and gradually work the flour into the dough, kneading for about 10 minutes, to make a firm, elastic dough. Form the dough into a ball. With a sharp knife, make two cuts in the shape of a cross on the surface of the ball of dough, to help the rising process. Cover and leave the dough in a warm place overnight.

THE NEXT DAY, stir the yeast into 1 cup of tepid milk, and set aside for about 10 minutes. In a large bowl,beat the eggs and add the Parmesan and Gruyere cheeses, the butter, lard and salt. Mix them all together thoroughly. Knead the yeast mixture into the sourdough, then work in the egg-and-cheese mixture, kneading until the mixture is soft and smooth, about 10 minutes.

BUTTER FOUR 9 by 5 inch loaf pans. Divide the dough into four portions, shape the portions into loaves and put them into the pans. The dough should reach no higher than halfway up the sides of the pans. Let the loaves rise in a warm place for 30 minutes, or until the dough has risen to about 1/2 inch above the rims of the pans. Bake the loaves in a preheated 400 F. oven for 50 minutes, or until the loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when they are rapped.

BASIC BREAD DOUGH

This recipe will produce enough dough for two 8 inch round loaves, two 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 rectangular loaves, two 14-inch cylindrical loaves or approximately thirty 30 inch rolls.

TO MAKE ABOUT 2 1/2 POUNDS DOUGH. You need for the above Italian Easter recipe 1 lb. Do this whole BASIC recipe do not divide...use the other 1 1/2 lbs to make rolls or bread.

6 cups flour (about)
1/4 oz. package active dry yeast or 3/5 oz. fresh yeast
1 to 2 tsp. salt
2 cups tepid water (about)

In a small bowl or a measuring cup, mix the yeast with the tepid water, and leave it to soften in a warm place for about 10 minutes. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Pour the yeast mixture into the flour. Mix the flour and liquid together into a stiff, sticky dough, adding more flour or tepid water if necessary. Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead the dough for about 15 minutes, until it is elastic and glossy.

Shape the dough into a ball and return it to a clean bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in volume--process that may require from one to two and a half hours. The dough is ready when the insertion of a finger into it leaves a dent that does not immediately smooth out.

Punch the dough down with a blow of your fist. Put the dough on a work surface and cut it in half with a knife. Knead each half into a ball, cover the balls with a cloth and let them rise for 10 to 15 minutes. The dough is now ready for shaping and baking.

Piero Luigi Menichetti and Luciana Menichetti Panfili...Vecchia Cucina Eugubina