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Crescia al Formaggio and
Savory Stuffed Bread Bowls
There's a religious tradition in many cultures of preparing
Easter breads that go way beyond the usual parameters of
"everyday" bread. The Greek tsoureki, a honey-gilded braid
stuffed with brightly colored hardboiled eggs, comes
immediately to mind. And babka, an eastern European bread,
features almonds, raisins and orange peel. But Crescia al
Formaggio -- an Italian Easter cheese bread -- is still
mostly unknown here. And what a shame! This light-textured,
golden egg bread, loaded with Parmesan and Romano cheeses,
perfumes the kitchen as it bakes. Pull off a piece of the
still-warm loaf, and you'll see a "webby" texture, the
strands of dough made almost shiny by egg yolks, cheese and
butter.
We also found that this loaf is wonderful made into bread
bowls, and filled with a souffle-like stuffing. So make a
double batch, serving one loaf with Easter dinner, and
making six mini-bowls to fill with the stuffings we suggest
below. Buona Pasqua!
Note: The dough for this bread is very soft and sticky, and
is best made using a machine of some sort. We were skeptical
about whether a bread machine (as opposed to an electric
mixer) would beat enough air into the dough for the dramatic
rise this bread needs -- and we were pleasantly surprised to
find that it did just fine.
Dough
2 1/2 cups (10 3/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached
All-Purpose Flour
1 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
3 large eggs (6 ounces), at room temperature*
1 egg yolk, white reserved
1/4 cup (2 ounces) water
1/4 cup (1/2 stick, 2 ounces) butter
1 tablespoon lecithin, granular or liquid (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper (black if you don't mind the
specks, white if you do)
1 cup (3 to 4 ounces) grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Pecorino Romano cheese
Glaze
reserved egg white (from above)
2 teaspoons water
*To warm the eggs before making the bread, place them in a
bowl of hot tap water for 5 to 10 minutes. Change the water
after 5 minutes if it feels cool.
Mixer Method: Place about half the flour into the bowl of an
electric mixer, and add the yeast, eggs, egg yolk and water.
Beat for 5 minutes. Add the butter and lecithin (if you're
using it), and beat well. Mix in the salt, pepper, and
remaining flour; the dough will be quite sticky. Continue to
beat for at least 5 minutes, until the dough becomes
shiny/satiny. Add the cheeses and mix until blended. Place
the dough in a lightly greased bowl, turn it over so both
the top and bottom are lightly coated with oil, cover the
bowl, and set it aside to rise for 1 hour. Gently deflate
the dough, turn it over, return it to the bowl, and allow it
to rise for an additional hour, or until it's nearly doubled
in size.
Bread Machine Method: Place all of the dough ingredients
into the pan of your bread machine, program the machine for
manual or dough, and press Start. Check the dough about 10
minutes before the end of the final kneading cycle, and
adjust its consistency as necessary with additional flour or
water; it should be shiny and elastic. Allow the machine to
complete its cycle.
Shaping: Oil or flour your hands. To make one large loaf,
form the dough into a ball, and place it in a greased
panettone pan, large soufflˇ dish, or other round, deep pan;
the pan should be about 6 to 7 inches wide and 3 to 4 inches
deep. To make two medium loaves, divide the dough in half,
shape it into two logs, and place it in two greased 8 1/2 x
4 1/2-inch loaf pans. To make "bread bowls," divide the
dough into six equal pieces. Round each piece into a ball,
and place them on a lightly greased or parchment-lined
baking sheet, or into a 6-mold cinnamon bun pan.
Cover the loaf or loaves lightly, and allow them to rise for
2 hours (or longer, depending on the warmth of your
kitchen); the bread should have become noticeably puffy,
though may not have doubled in size.
Baking: Put your oven rack in its lowest position, and
preheat the oven to 425°F. Whisk the reserved egg white with
the water and brush the top of the loaf/loaves. Place the
bread in the oven and bake until it's a deep, golden brown.
For one large or two medium loaves, bake for 15 minutes,
then reduce the oven heat to 350°F and bake for an
additional 15 to 18 minutes (you may need to tent them with
aluminum foil after 20 minutes, if they appear to be
browning too quickly.) For bread bowls, bake for a total of
18 minutes at 425°F, or until golden brown.
Remove the bread from the oven, and let the large and medium
loaves remain in the pan for 5 minutes to cool slightly. Use
a knife to loosen the edges, if necessary, and turn the
loaf/loaves out onto a rack to cool completely before
slicing. The bread bowls should be transferred from the
baking sheet to a cooling rack as soon as they're out of the
oven. Yield: one large loaf, two medium loaves, or 6 bread
bowls.
Nutrition information per serving (1 slice of large or
medium loaf, 1/16 of loaf, 46g): 150 cal, 7g fat, 7g
protein, 14g complex carbohydrates, 1g dietary fiber, 69mg
cholesterol, 281mg sodium, 53mg potassium, 64RE vitamin A,
1mg iron, 114mg calcium, 111mg phosphorus.
Savory Stuffed Bread Bowls
Leftover ham got you down? No problem -- combine it with
some springtime "greens" and stuff it into a savory cheese
bread bowl. These hot, filling loaves are perfect for
whatever cold, rainy days or chilly nights early spring can
fling at you.
Use the Crescia al Formaggio recipe (above) and make it in
the form of "bread bowls." To prepare the bread bowls for
filling, let them cool completely, then slice the top off
each loaf. Pull out as much of the center as you can, taking
care not to pierce the crust. Don't throw this bread away!
It makes wonderful bread crumbs or croutons, or crumble it
atop scalloped potatoes. Place the bread bowls onto a
lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Prepare the
filling as follows.
1/4 cup (1/2 stick, 2 ounces) butter
5 tablespoons (1 1/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached
All-Purpose Flour
1 cup (8 ounces) milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
5 large eggs, separated
1 cup (4 ounces) grated cheddar cheese
1 log (4 to 5 ounces) crumbled goat cheese
1 cup (6 ounces) chopped ham
1/4 cup (1/2 ounce) chives or sliced scallions
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) blanched asparagus cut into 1/2-inch
pieces OR one 10-ounce package frozen spinach, thawed and
squeezed dry OR 1 pound fresh spinach, steamed, chopped, and
well-drained
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat, then
add the flour. Whisk well, and continue to cook until the
flour and butter are light brown. Add about 1/4 cup of the
milk, whisking until smooth. Continue to add the milk a bit
at a time, whisking as you go, until it's all been added.
Stir the sauce over medium heat until it thickens; it will
seem quite pasty. Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in
the salt, pepper, and dry mustard powder. Cool the mixture
slightly (enough that you can dip a finger in it
comfortably), then whisk in the egg yolks. Stir in the
cheeses, ham, chives or scallions, and asparagus or spinach.
Place the egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of an
electric mixer, and beat until foamy. Gradually increase the
speed of the mixer to high, and beat until the whites are
shiny and will hold a soft peak. Take care not to over-beat
-- the peaks should be soft enough to flop over. Fold about
one-third of the whites at a time into the ham mixture,
stirring well after each addition.
Spoon about 3/4 cup of filling into each bread bowl, filling
them to the top. Any leftover filling may be baked in a
greased and floured custard cup or small souffle dish. Bake
the filled bowls in a preheated 425°F for 25 to 30 minutes,
or until the center of the filling has risen and the top is
golden brown. A skewer inserted into the center should come
out clean (unless you hit a bit of cheese). Serve
immediately, with a green salad. Note: The soufflˇs will
settle after sitting awhile; this is natural. Any leftovers
can be refrigerated, then wrapped in aluminum foil and
reheated till hot, about 15 to 20 minutes in a preheated
350°F oven. Yield: 6 filled bread bowls.
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