Recipe: Swedish Dill Bread (yeast bread using cream cheese and onion)

SWEDISH DILL BREAD
"Successful food writers in their own right, Eric Treuille and Ursula Ferrigno have collaborated on a best-selling breadmaking book and they both teach baking -- Ursula in her native Italy and Eric at the popular Books for Cooks Cookery School in London. Their recipe for Swedish dill bread is, quite simply, superb. Enriched with cream cheese, butter, and eggs, and subtly scented with dill, this bread is moist and light, with a golden crust studded with toasted onion. It is a wonderful accompaniment to smoked salmon. A lightly greased nonstick bread pan guarantees a cleanly turned out loaf."


2 tsp. active-dry yeast
1 tbsp. lukewarm water
3 1/3 cups bread flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. chopped fresh dill
2/3 cup cream cheese, at room temperature
2 onions, roughly chopped
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing pan
1 egg, beaten

Sprinkle the yeast into the water in a small bowl. Leave for 5 minutes, then stir until dissolved.

Sift the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and add the dill, cream cheese, onions, butter, egg, and yeasted water. Use a wooden spoon to mix all the ingredients together with the flour to form a stiff, sticky dough.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured countertop. Gather into a ball and then flatten. Shape the dough by folding one half over the other, bringing the top toward you.

Use the heel of your working hand to push the dough away from you. At the same time, use the other hand to rotate the dough slightly toward you, guiding it slowly around in a circle. Repeat the folding, pushing, and rotating for at least 10 minutes until the dough is silky smooth.

Put the dough in a clean bowl and cover with a dishcloth. Leave the dough to rise until it has doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

Grease an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 3-inch nonstick bread pan with butter.

Punch back the dough, then leave to rest for 10 minutes.

With the palm of your hand lightly floured, flatten the dough to expel any gas bubbles. Keep it in a round shape by exerting even pressure. Fold one edge of the dough to the center. Press gently to seal the fold.

Fold the other half of the dough inward so the two folds overlap along the middle of the loaf. Gently press along the length of the outer seam to seal the two folds together.



Place the dough seam-side down on the countertop. Shape to an even thickness. Lift the dough, tuck under the ends and place it in the prepared pan, seam-side down. Cover with a dishcloth. Leave to rise until the dough is 1/2-inch above the top of the tin, about 1 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake the loaf for 45 minutes to 1 hour until deeply golden and hollow-sounding when tapped underneath. Turn out on a wire rack and leave to cool

Makes 1 loaf
Source: The Essential Kitchen by Christine Mcfadden