Cheesy, crusty, spongy, soft buns, loaded with jalapeno or herbs; if it looks good, we pick it. Long back, we had borrowed our friend’s bread maker, which we used almost every other day. That was the first time I saw little yeast buddies and the very first time I ate freshly baked homemade bread.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 3/4 (180 grams) cup warm water
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon yeast
- 3 1/4 cups (290 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 3/4 cup (180 grams) ricotta cheese
- 12 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Directions
- 1In a cup, pour water with sugar and yeast. Give it a mix, cover and let it rest for 5 minutes to activate.
- 2Add flour, salt, cheese, oil and chopped sage leaves in a bowl. Give it a mix. Make a well in the center and pour the activated yeast. Using a rubber spatula, give a mix to form rough dough.
- 3Now, if you are using a stand mixer, attach the dough hook and knead at speed 2 for 12 minutes. If you’re kneading by hand, scrape the dough in a lightly floured counter top or wooden board and knead until it’s smooth and elastic. It should take about 15 minutes.
- 4Once the dough is ready, make a rough round ball of the dough and place it on a bowl that’s lightly brushed with oil. Cover it with clear wrap/kitchen towel and keep it in a warm place. Give it a couple of hours to rise and double in size.
- 5Once done, scrap the dough from the bowl to a wooden board or kitchen counter. Using a knife or a bench scraper, divide the dough in half. Gently flatten one part of the dough into 8-inch square. Make a light dent across the square and gently fold the dough over itself, pressing lightly on the edges. Lift it and place it on the loaf pan, seam side down. Repeat the same with the second half of the dough.
- 6Cover the loaf pans with clear wrap/kitchen towel and let it rise once again for an hour.
- 7Bake in a pre-heated oven at 190 degrees C for 40 to 45 minutes. It will get a beautiful brown crust and when you knock in the center, it should feel hollow. Remove bread from the loaf pan and put in on a wire rack to cool down. Give it about an hour before you slice the bread.
