Tomato, Cheese and Bacon Bread
- Ready In:
- 1hr 30mins
- Ingredients:
- 8
- Yields:
-
1 loaf
- Serves:
- 8
ingredients
- 6 slices bacon
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 1⁄4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 3 cups bread flour, divided (13 1/2 ounces by weight)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1⁄8 lb monterey jack cheese, grated
- 1⁄2 teaspoon table salt or 1 teaspoon kosher salt
directions
- Cook bacon in non-stick skillet until very crisp. Drain on paper towels until cool. Reserve 1 tablespoon of bacon fat. Crumble bacon and set aside.
- In bowl of stand mixer, make a quick sponge by combining water, sugar, yeast, and 1 cup of flour. Mix well and let stand for 15 minutes, until frothy.
- Add remaining flour and tomato paste. Knead with dough hook until dough becomes shiny and elastic. Add cheese, crumbled bacon, salt, and reserved bacon fat and knead until all ingredients are incorporated and evenly distributed.
- Coat a bowl with olive oil. Form dough into ball and place in oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside until doubled, about one hour.
- Preheat oven to 350°F and sprinkle baking sheet with cornmeal or semolina flour. Remove dough from bowl and form it into a taut ball (boule). Place it, seam-side down, on prepared baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside until doubled, about 30 minutes.
- Slash top of loaf with a very sharp blade in any design you like. Bake in preheated oven until browned and interior temperature reads 205-210°F, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool completely before slicing.
Questions & Replies
Got a question?
Share it with the community!
Reviews
Have any thoughts about this recipe?
Share it with the community!
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
DrGaellon
New Rochelle, 0
I'm a 48 y/o gay Jewish man in the suburbs immediately north of New York City. I'm a general internist, practicing and teaching at a medical college north of NYC. I also earned a Masters in Public Health degree in 2013.
After a Walt Disney World trip in Dec 2006 where I had to rent an electric scooter because I couldn't manage the walking, I decided to have gastric bypass surgery, which was done Feb 28, 2007. I lost 160 lbs (though I've gained back about 60 of that since). I can't eat as much as I used to, so I want every bite to be extra good!