Ingredients:
Starter
2 cups warm water
1/2 packet instant yeast, about 1 teaspoon
2 cups all-purpose or bread flour
Dough
2 1/2 cups all-purpose or bread flour
7 ounces Cheddar, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 teaspoon salt
cornmeal for dusting
Directions:
Day 1
1. In the morning, put the water in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the water. Stir in 2 cups of flour and mix until evenly combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap adn let the mixture ferment at room temperature until the evening, at least 8 hours or as long as a week.
2. In the evening, mix in 2 1/2 cups of additional flour and knead the bread for 5 minutes. Allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes.
3. Add the cubed Cheedar and the salt to the dough and knead for an additional 2 minutes until the Cheddar and salt are encorporated evenly.
4. Leave the dough in the bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Place the bowl in the refrigerator and allow the dough to rise overnight.
Day 2
1. In the morning, remove the dough from the refrigerator as soon as you wake up and allow it to warm slightly.
2. Befor eyou start the rest of your day, punch the dough down and form it into a round loaf.
3. Sprinkle a baking sheet or baking stone generously with cornmeal. Place the loaf on the sheet or stone, sprinkle the loaf with cornmeal, and cover it loosely with plastic wrap. Place the whole baking sheet or stone in the refrigerator and allow the loaf to rise until the evening, at least 6 hours but not more than 10.
4. In the evening, remove the baking sheet or stone from the refrigerator to warm the loaf to room temperature. Heat your oven to 375 degrees. When the oven is thoroughly heated (after about 15 minutes), place the sheet or stone in the oven and bake for one hour. The loaf should be nicely browned and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
Yield: 1 large loaf
Note: This method will give you warm bread for dinner. If you want steaming Cheddar bread for Breakfast, simply start in the evening and follow the same procedure, so that the dough rises first in the morning and then in the night.
This method spans the course of two days and gives the bread a fabulous texture and slightly soured, more developed flavor. If you want the process to be faster, use a whole packet of yeast, and rise the bread for one hour at each rising time.
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