Provencal Cheese And Herb Bread

Total Time: 2 hrs 35 mins Preparation Time: 2 hrs Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients

• 1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 1/4 cups warm water, divided
• 2 teaspoons sugar, divided
• 3 1/4-4 cups flour, divided
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded, divided
• 1 egg, beaten with
• 1 tablespoon water

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• 2 sprinkle yeast over 1/4 cup of the warm water (105 degrees) in a glass measuring cup; stir in 1 teaspoon of sugar. let stand for 10 minutes; mixture will be foamy.
• 3 in a large bowl, stir together 3 1/4 cup flour, salt, rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano, sage, pepper and remaining 1 teaspoon sugar.
• 4 pour yeast mixture into flour mixture. add remaining 1 cup warm water and the olive oil, stir to form a ball. mix in 3/4 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese.
• 5 turn onto a well-floured surface. knead for 10 minutes, adding additional flour as needed until dough is smooth and elastic.
• 6 grease large bowl with a little additional olive oil. place dough in bowl and turn to coat. cover with plastic wrap. let rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours, until doubled in size. punch dough down.
• 7 roll out dough into a 20 x 8-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. roll up from a short side. fold ends under loaf and place seam side down in a greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 5/8 - inch loaf pan. loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for an additional hour.
• 8 brush top of loaf with the egg wash. sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese. bake for 35 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped. remove from pan to rack. cool.