An easy loaf of bread, loaded with yummy ingredients. It’s bread and a sandwich rolled together.
I came across the original recipe in an email from Backwoods Home Magazine and slightly adapted it. Btw, I noticed that Backwoods Magazine has many of its past issues on Kindle Unlimited, meaning they are free to read, going back many years.
Use whatever meat and cheese combination you like. I happened to have uncured thick-cut pepperoni on hand, from a snacking board my son had made last week. It worked well in the bread; it wasn’t a greasy meat.
Charcuterie Bread
Ingredients:
- 1¾ cups warm water, divided (120 to 130°)
- 1 pinch of sugar
- 1 package active dry yeast (2¼ tsp)
- 480 grams all-purpose or bread flour (4 cups)
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp granulated garlic
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup chopped uncured pepperoni or salami
- ½ cup chopped cheese, such as a smoked Gouda
Directions:
Preheat an electric heating pad to medium if you have a colder home.
In a small bowl, proof the yeast with ¼ cup of the water and the sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes on the heating pad, if your kitchen is cold.
In a stand mixer bowl or a large mixing bowl, combine the yeast mixture, remaining water, salt, and 240 grams of the flour, and mix well (use a dough hook if using a mixer; otherwise, use a mixing spoon).
Add garlic, olive oil, and remaining flour. If using a stand mixer, let it go for 6 minutes. If kneading by hand, once you work the flour in, knead for about 8 minutes. If the dough is really wet, add in a bit more flour.
Lightly oil a clean mixing bowl (medium in size). Add the dough, flip to coat. Cover with plastic wrap, parchment paper, or a clean kitchen towel. Put on the heating pad if needed, and let rise for 90 minutes.
Take the bowl off the heating pad and put an 8″ cast iron pan on to warm up (put a paper towel under the pan if it is well used to avoid staining.
Lightly flour a work surface, and knock the dough out. Press it gently to flatten, and sprinkle the meat and cheese on it.
Roll the dough up, flatten again, and roll up again. Knead a few times to distribute the items.
Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the pan.
Shape the dough into a ball and place it in the pan.
Cover and let rise on the heating pad for another 90 minutes.
In the last 15 minutes, preheat the oven to 450°.
Bake the bread for 25 minutes, then check if it’s golden on top; if not, bake for another 5 minutes.
Remove the bread from the oven and place it on a cooling rack. Let bread cool before slicing.
Should you have leftover bread, store it in a cloth or plastic bread bag.
~Sarah