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.
From
Yields
1 Loaf