April Recipe #1: Super Cheesy Self-Cheesing Grilled Cheese Cheesy Bread 🍞🧀

Check out the stream where I made this recipe!

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⭐ Ingredients
1 regular sized can of beer of your choice
1/2 cup hot water
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsp butter
220g Kraft singles, plastic American cheese
2+3 cups bread flour, divided
2 packets instant yeast
220g swiss cheese, cut into 1/4 chunks

• In a large pan, combine beer, water, sugar, salt, butter, and sliced cheese, and slowly warm and melt on low heat.

• Stir constantly to prevent sticking and clumping (the mixture might curdle a little bit, but it's okay as long as it's cooked on low heat).

• Once everything is combined and melted, set aside to let cool until it's warm to the touch (~30°C or so).

• In a large mixing bowl, add in 2 cups of the divided bread flour, and mix in yeast.

• Combine flour and cheese mixture, using a spatula to mix thoroughly.

  • The batter will be quite wet and loose, which is normal.

• Add in the remaining 3 cups of bread flour, mix and knead until tacky to the touch but not sticking to your fingers.

• Gradually sprinkle in more flour as needed if dough is too wet, or add small amounts of water if dough is too dry.

• Dough should feel soft and supple, and dense and stiff.

• In a large mixing bowl at least twice the size of the dough (can be the same mixing bowl if large enough), lightly grease the bowl, and put the dough inside.

• Cover with kitchen towel or saran wrap, and let proof in a warm place until doubled in size - time depends on temperature of the environment. 1 hr or so is a good starting point.

• To check if fully proofed: size should have doubled, and if you poke into it with your finger, the dough and hole will not collapse.

• Dump dough on work surface, and fully deflate dough.

• Gently stretch it out into a rectangular sheet, and sprinkle in the swiss cheese chunks a little everywhere.

• Roll up dough until it's formed back into a rough ball shape.

• Depending on the size of your baking pan, this can make one big bread or several small ones, so divide accordingly.

• Let dough second-proof in a warm spot for ~45 min until almost doubled in size again.

  • If using a dutch oven to bake, line proofing bowl with parchment paper so dough is easy to remove and transfer. If using bread mold, grease mold, place dough inside and proof inside the tin.

• If using a dutch oven, preheat oven and dutch oven together at 200°C until fully heated through.

• Transfer proofed dough, parchment paper and all into dutch oven, gently score the surface of the dough with a sharp razor so dough has space to expand.

• Put bread in oven, bake until bottom of bread is crusted and knocking on the bottom sounds hollow (tap test).

  • Roughly 30 min, time varies depending on oven. Bread loaf tins need shorter time, check after around 20 min.

• Set aside and let cool completely (hardest part of all of this!) before slicing, or else bread may dry out more quickly.

• Enjoy sliced and toasted, eat fresh for melty cheese.