Parmesan Pepper Wreath
I have been hanging on to the Fleischmann's Yeast Best-Ever Breads cooking magazine for 20 years. Every time I get the urge to bake bread, which is often, I find myself pulling this beauty back off the shelf and ignoring the fancier, artisan baking books I have. This booklet is consistently reliable and easy to use. Here is one of my favorite recipes, slightly adapted by me.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup warm water
- 2 packages Fleischmann's dry yeast (I used Rapid Rise)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3-4 cups all purpose flour, or as much as you need (you'll see)
- 1 egg
- 1 cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmiggiano Reggiano cheese
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 egg white, lightly beaten
Directions
In a large bowl, add water then yeast and stir until dissolved. Add the sugar, pepper, salt and 1 cup of the flour. Stir until combined and then add the egg and cheese and another 2 cups of flour and mix with a wooden spoon until it comes together as a dough ball. Turn out onto the counter and knead by hand, adding more flour as needed, for 5 minutes or until a smooth ball has developed.
Place dough in a large, clean bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Turn the ball around so the oil covers it completely. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and stick in the corner of your kitchen counter, away from any cold air or drafts. Leave for 45 mins or until doubled in size.
Turn out dough onto counter once again and punch out the air. Cut the ball into three even pieces and roll into long snakes, about 2 1/2 feet each. Braid the pieces together, then pinch the two ends together and form a wreath shape with the dough. Place on parchment lined baking sheet and cover once again with the towel and let rise another 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Brush the wreath with egg white and bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool on a baking sheet.
