Herbed potato-cheese bread - country cooking

12 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
1 cup Plus 1 T milk
4½ To 5 C unsifted all-purpose flour
2 packs Active dry yeast
1 tablespoon Sugar
1 cup Mashed potatoes
½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 teaspoon Salt
1 pounds String cheese (if unavailable, use mozzarella cheese)
1 tablespoon Fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon Chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 large Egg
1 teaspoon Poppy seeds

Directions

1. In small saucepan, heat 1 C milk just until bubbles appear around sides of pan. Remove from heat; transfer to large mixing bowl and cool to 110F to 115F. Add 1 C flour, the yeast, and sugar; stir until completely blended. Set aside 20 minutes-mixture will become foamy and rise.

2. Add 3 C flour, the potatoes, butter, and salt to yeast mixture.

With wooden spoon, stir until a manageable dough forms. Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead, adding remaining flour if necessary, until smooth and elastic-12 to 14 minutes. (Dough should be moist but not sticky.)

3. Wash, dry, and oil the mixing bowl. Place dough in oiled bowl, turning the dough to bring oiled side up. Cover with clean cloth; set aside in warm place and let dough rise until double in size-about 1 flour.

4. On floured surface, roll dough into 18-inch round. Unravel string cheese and pull thick strands apart to create thinner strands. (If using mozzarella cheese, cut into ¼-inch cubes.) Combine cheese with thyme and rosemary; mound cheese-and-herb mixture in center of dough round, leaving about a 6 inch border of dough. Gently pull up edge of dough and bring to center, allowing dough to fold in a spiral fashion, covering cheese-and-herb mixture. Pinch ends of dough at center to close bread and create a "topknot." Transfer dough to large greased baking sheet. Cover with clean cloth and let dough rise 45 minutes.

5. Heat oven to 350'F. In small bowl, beat together egg and remaining 1 T milk. Brush top of dough with egg mixture and sprinkle with poppy seeds. Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until bread is golden brown and center is firm. Cool bread 20 minutes on wire rack before slicing.

Serve warm.

Country Cooking/Summer/94 Scanned & fixed by Di and Gary

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