Mozzarella Basil Bread

Directions

1. Mix warm water with sugar in a large mixing bowl until the sugar has dissolved. Sprinkle yeast over the surface of the water, and let stand until the yeast begins to form a creamy layer on the water. Stir the yeast into the water. Stir in salt, and 1 cup of bread flour, and beat the flour in to form a loose batter. Stir in 1 more cup of flour, and mix in the mozzarella cheese, milk, and basil. Mix in the remaining 2 cups of flour in 1/2-cup additions.
2. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured work surface, and knead until the dough is thoroughly mixed, but still sticky, 5 to 8 minutes. Add flour into the dough as you knead, if necessary. Form the dough into a ball, and place into an oiled bowl. Turn the dough over in the bowl to oil the surface of the dough, and cover with a cloth. Allow to rise until double, about 1 hour.
3. With your fist, press firmly on the dough to deflate the large bubbles. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured work surface, and knead the dough just long enough to eliminate the remaining bubbles in the dough, about 1 minute. Cut the dough into 2 equal pieces, and form each half into a round ball. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray, and place the balls onto the baking sheet. With a sharp knife, slash an X into the top of each loaf. Cover the loaves with a towel, and let rise until doubled, about 25 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
5. Bake the loaves until browned, about 25 minutes. To serve, cut each loaf into 8 wedges.

Share It

Reviews (35)

Your Rating:

16

CC♥'s2bake

Sep. 12, 2010

"I love herbed breads, so this recipe appealed to me. The mozzarella was just icing on the cake. I followed the recipe except for using 50/50 whole wheat and all purpose, so I added in some vital glute..." See moren. I did not add the salt directly to the yeast proofing solution, as that would have diminished the action of the yeast. Like Pam, I needed to add significantly more flour to obtain a workable dough - 2 cups more, in fact. It almost became too much for my stand mixer to handle kneading. I would have cut the recipe in half had it actually called for closer to that 6 cups of flour rather than just 4. There is a big difference between '4 cups or as needed' and 6 cups. I got two very large round loaves from this recipe. I found the flavor from the basil and cheese subtle, but pleasant, and the texture was beautiful. Thank you for sharing the recipe."

16

Pam-3BoysMama

Sep. 7, 2010

"This bread is absolutely delicious! I used fresh basil (triple the amount) since I have a seemingly endless supply in the garden. I otherwise followed the recipe exactly. I did have to add in at least..." See more an extra cup of flour during kneading. The recipe makes two LARGE loaves. My husband and oldest son loved this one. Thanks for sharing!"

11

COOKIN4MYFAMILY

Nov. 29, 2010

"This made an impressive, large loaf of bread with an excellent texture inside. The mozzarella made the loaf smell wonderful coming out of the oven. I made a half recipe and used almost 3 cups of flo..." See moreur."