Cheese bread using stiff levain recipe
Cheese bread
1 lb. 10.2 oz. bread flour
15.7 oz. water
1.6 oz. Olive Oil
.5 oz. Salt
10.5 oz. Levain
Cheese (Parmesan or cheddar) – 6.4 oz. (1.2 grated (do not use the parmesan in the can, ½ cubed)
Combine bread flour, water, olive oil, salt, and levain in mixing bowl, you can mix this by hand or with a mixer with a dough hook.
By hand – dip hand in water and start incorporating ingredients, once a loose dough has developed, lift dough from right to center and rotate the bowl 90 degrees. And continue for 1 minute. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes. Wet hand again, and repeat this three times total. Add the cheese, and repeat this step one more time.
With a mixer: mix on stir or 2nd speed for 3 minutes. If the dough is sticking to the side of the bowl, scrape down the sides. Then mix on 4th or 6th speed for 3 minutes to develop the gluten. Add the cheese, change speed back to stir or 2nd, mix until incorporated.
Place in a large bowl sprayed with pan spray or lightly coated in oil. Tightly plastic wrap the top, and place in a warm area. If you have a space heater, I suggest placing it near that. Total time is 2 ½ hours. After 50 minutes fold the dough. Then after 50 more minutes, fold the dough again. Let the dough rest for 40 minutes after the last fold. Be sure to replace plastic wrap after each fold.
Folding the dough – oil hand, fold right side of the dough to the center, top to the center, left to the center and bottom to the center. Turn dough over completely.
Divide the dough in half (1# 14 oz.) and shape into a round loaf. Do this by folding the right side to middle, top, left and bottom to the middle. Flip the dough over and roll the dough between your two hands until your dough has formed a ball.
Place on a tray and spray with spray and lay plastic wrap over the top and let rest for 1 more hour. Remove plastic wrap. Dust with Flour.
Place Dutch oven in your oven and heat to 500 degrees.
Remove the lid of the Dutch oven put bread inside. Put lid back on, and lower temp to 450 degrees, bake for 30 minutes. Lower temperature to 420 degrees and check bread.
Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes. Do not burn. Remove the Dutch oven, remove bread from Dutch oven using potholders, let the bread rest table top for 1 hour.