3 Bacon strips; chop coarse
1 Onion; peeled, halved
-sliced 1/8″ thick
8 Garlic Cloves; chopped
1/3 c Pecans; toasted, chopped
1 ts Salt
1 ts Black pepper; ground coarse
2 tb Rosemary; chopped
2 tb Cumin seed whole
4 c Bread Flour
2 1/4 ts Active Dry Yeast
1 Egg; lightly beaten
1/2 c Swiss Cheese; grated
3/4 c Water; at 120 degrees
1 tb Cornmeal
-GLAZE-
1 Egg; beaten with 1 tsp of
-water
In a large frying pan or skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon,
onion and garlic until lightly browned and the bacon is crispy. Sir
in the pecans, salt, pepper, rosemary and cumin seed. Set aside to
cool. In a KitchenAid mixer or by hand: Combine 3 cups of the bread
flour and the sauteed onion mixture. Add the yeast, egg and the swiss
cheese and combine thoroughly. Add the water slowly until the mixture
begins to pull together and forms a ball. If the dough is sticky, add
the remaining flour 1/4 cup at a time. Knead until the dough cleans
the sides of the bowl, then knead for approximately 4 minutes longer
if using a KitchenAid, and 8 to 19 minutes if you are doing it by
hand. The dough should be smooth and elastic and bounce back when
pressed with your finger. Place the dough into a lightly oiled
freezer type plastic bag and put in a warm place to double in volume,
about 1 hour. Remove the dough from the bag and punch down. Either
shape the dough into a round, or use a large bread pan. To do the
round, place the dough on a lightly greased baking sheet that has
been dusted with the cornmeal. To bake it in the pan, coat the inside
with release spray and put the bread into a large 5 3/4″ X 9″ X 2
1/2″ bread pan and push the dough down into the pan making the top
level. Make 3 or 4 decorative slashes into the top of the bread and
brush with the egg glaze. Allow to rise again, in a warm draft free
area until doubled, about 45 minutes. Place the dough into a
preheated 375 degree oven and cook for 35-40 minutes or until the
bread is golden and the bottom sounds hollow when taped with your
finger (or the dough registers 190 degrees on an instant read
thermometer). Place the bread directly on a wire rack to cool. This
bread freezes well for 2-3 months if tightly wrapped. To serve,
defrost overnight in the foil. To rewarm, place the thawed bread,
still wrapped in the foil in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. If
reheated in this manner, the bread will retain it’s freshly baked
qualities.
Yields
1 Loaf