Cheddar Cheese Bread

The Sand Wich is There


Creeping like a cat chasing a dust bunny, the odor of baking bread slips up on me and then pounces. Wrapping my senses in paws at once softly padded and clawed, the tantalizing scent wrenches me from my chair to go take a peek in the oven where a loaf has risen in the initial burst of heat and now begins to darken towards perfection. Is there anything so wondrous as baking bread?

Slashfood has declared Thursday, September 21, 2006 to be Sandwich Day. I've no idea why, Lord Montagu's birthday isn’t until November 3. But whatever the reason, if it's a sandwich event I’m on it, and sandwiches begin with bread. I've said it before (and will no doubt say it again):

The most important ingredient in a sandwich is the bread. Consequently, whenever I set out to make a serious sandwich (as opposed to something made for convenience's sake) I begin with the bread and, as often as not, bake it myself.

I have a half dozen or so bread cookbooks and one of my favorites is Rose Levy Beranbaum's The Bread Bible. It has the best collection of recipes of any of my bread books as well as good discussions on the art and science of baking bread. If you want to start baking bread it's an excellent choice, and if you're already a baker and don't have it the recipes alone make it worthwhile. This time I decided to make her Cheddar Loaf.

I'd already decided I wanted to make a roast pork sandwich and so last night I seasoned a pork tenderloin with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, then browned it in a skillet before roasting it in a 400F oven. When the roast's internal temperature hit 145F I pulled it out and let it rest, resulting in a slightly pink and juicy interior.

As you can see in the photo, I grilled the sandwich. I began by lightly buttering each slice of bread, then I spread a bit of Dijon mustard on one slice, which went butter-side down in my cast iron skillet. Next I layered on thinly-sliced pork, red onions, a couple of thin slices of apple, and lastly the remaining slice of bread -- no need for additional cheese.

In fact, biting into the sandwich the first flavor that hits you is the taste of toasted cheese, followed quickly by the unctuous meatiness of the pork. The onion offers piquancy that's further refined by the mustard. And then you notice the sweet apple. This, my friends, is a sandwich.

Cheddar Loaf
(adapted from The Bread Bible) Makes 1 loaf.

Sponge:
1 c + 3 tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour (6 oz)
3/4 c + 2 tbsp water at room temperature (7 fluid ounces)
1 tbsp honey
3/8 tsp instant yeast
Dough:
1 c + 2 tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour (5.7 oz)
2 tbsp nonfat dry milk
3/8 tsp instant yeast
1 3/4 c grated sharp cheddar cheese (4 oz)
2 tbsp unsalted butter -- softened
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/8 tsp salt

Sponge:
In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the flour, yeast, honey, and water. Whisk until very smooth -- about 2 minutes -- and the consistency of a heavy batter. Cover with plastic and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour and no more than 24 hours.

Dough:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, dry milk, and yeast. Sprinkle over the sponge to cover completely, then cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to sit for another 1 to 4 hours. The sponge will bubble through in several places during this time, it's supposed to.

Add the butter, mustard, cheese, and pepper and using the dough hook, mix together at low speed until a rough dough forms. Scrape down the sides, recover, and let it sit for 20 minutes.

Sprinkle the salt on the dough and then knead at medium speed for 7 to 10 minutes. The dough will stick to the bottom of the bowl but should not feel sticky to your finger. If the dough isn't stiff, knead in a bit more flour, if it's not at all sticky, spritz it with a bit of water.

Lightly coat a large bowl with cooking spray and scrape the dough into it. Lightly spray the top of the dough with cooking spray, cover with plastic, and allow to rise until doubled in height -- 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently press into a rectangle, being careful to preserve as many bubbles as possible. Fold edges of dough into the center to create a small bundle, then return to the bowl, seam-side down and spray the top. Cover with plastic and allow to double in height again, 1 to 2 hours. (Note: it will rise higher this time because you've preserved the air that was already in it.)

Again, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a loaf (Beranbaum provides illustrated directions for this as well as instructions for making any of her breads by hand) and place in a lightly oiled 9" x 5" loaf pan. The dough should be around an inch from the top of the pan. Cover loosely with oiled plastic wrap and allow to rise until the dough is about a half inch above the top of the pan.

Place a rack at the lowest level of the oven with either a baking stone or a baking sheet. Place another small baking sheet or cast iron skillet on the floor of the oven. Heat the oven to 350F at least 30 minutes in advance to minimize cold spots.

Gently place the loaf on the stone or baking sheet and toss half a dozen ice cubes into the pan on the bottom of the oven. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until loaf is a medium brown (an instant read thermometer inserted into the center should read about 211F). Halfway through the baking, rotate the loaf so the back faces the front to promote even baking.

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