Pane Bianco
You guys ever take a look at where your life is at and think back to what it was like a year ago? I can’t be the only person who does that, right?
It’s nearing the end of August and more than once I’ve stopped and thought about what was going on in my life a year or so ago. This time last year, life was somewhat hectic as we were just on the cusp of my twin sister’s wedding. She was hella stressed out and me and my older sister (as joint maids of honor) were doing everything that we could to keep her as calm and ‘together’ as possible….which at times seemed like Mission Impossible.
(Sorry Jas. But you know I’m speaking truth.)
Fortunately, everything with the wedding turned out just fine. It was a great day and honestly all of us are kinda amazed that one full year has already went by since it happened. Hectic, stressful situations can seem like a handful when you’re in them and a trick I always try to do for myself to make things easier is to just imagine myself on the other side of them a year in advance, looking back on it and thinking, “Yeah. I guess that wasn’t so bad. It all turned out fine. (and hopefully, even great).”
This is relevant to the here and now because I’ve actually been running around like a chicken without a head for the past few weeks, which is a huge reason why I didn’t get the time to put up a post last week. Last year’s hectic/stressful/big to-do was my twin’s wedding. And this year, it’s the hectic/stressful/big process of a move. A rather big move.
2.361 miles, to be exact.
I’m moving to California, y’all.
I’m moving to California. I’m moving to California. I’m moving to–
Sorry. I keep having to say it to myself more than once because (despite the fact that my flight leaves in less than ten days) it still just does not feel real to me. Excepting the first eight months of my life (when I lived on an Army base in Montana and I really don’t think that counts) I’ve never lived *anywhere* else but the Mitten State. And now, in typical Jess-fashion of extremes, the second place I’m going to live in in my entire life is clear across the country and a polar opposite place/climate/vibe. It’s pretty typical of my life.
Newsflash you guys: moving across the country is a very trying and at times, exhausting undertaking. There’s a LOT of t’s to cross, even more i’s to dot and still more loose ends to tie up. Packing. Shipping boxes of stuff through the US postal service. Packing. Transporting a car. Packing. Pinning down just the right flight to take for traveling with a toddler (which is more complicated than it sounds.)
Oh yeah, and still more packing.
Needless to say in the midst of all the bustle and running around, I’ve needed to find effective means of staying calm, chilling out and avoiding the much less practical alternative of ripping all my hair out. Baking is a practical and effective alternative, I’ve found.
I’m subscribed to King Arthur Flour’s email mailing list and towards the beginning of the month, they announced a series of Baking Challenges that they would do every month and share through a blog post. I knew from the time that I got the email and gave the recipe a look over that I would try it out for myself and I’ve already seen lots of you take up the challenge with outstanding results. Plus, baking is wildly therapeutic to me. It was good to take a time out in between cleaning out an apartment, and packing and shipping boxes to get in the kitchen for a few hours and do some DIY therapy.
Especially if said therapy involves carbs. That, I’m always down for.
I’ll be honest: this isn’t the kind of recipe that I would’ve chosen to make by myself right off rip. I think it’s the first cheese bread I’ve *ever* made before, and the first time I’ve baked with sundried tomatoes, ever for sure.
I made very little modifications to this recipe. It really is just about perfect and easy to follow all on its own. My only change was to add one tablespoon of Italian seasoning to the dough to give it that extra ‘oomf’ of flavor, and the aroma that it creates while baking and even proofing is very reminiscent of an Italian restaurant or pizzeria. The flavors here are outstanding, even better than I’d expected. The basil perfumes throughout the entire loaf, giving it a mild kind of sweetness even though there’s no sugar, while the cheese that pokes through the top of the swirls forms a lovely brown crust on the top of the bread while the cheese tucked on the inside forms these lovely, meltey, ooey gooey pockets of yum. (And this is coming from someone that doesn’t even like cheese that much usually. That’s how good this is.)
So, am I glad that I took the KAF August Baking challenge? You betcha I am.
Happy Fiesta Friday #134. Now let’s all break Pane Biano together and have a great weekend.
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Pane Bianco
Recipe Adapted from King Arthur Flour
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 3 cups King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour*
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1/2 cup lukewarm milk
- 1/3 cup lukewarm water’
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning blend
For the Filling
- 3/4 cup shredded Italian-blend cheese or the cheese of your choice
- 1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes or your own oven-roasted tomatoes
- 3 to 6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
Directions
In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the lukewarm water, then sprinkle the white sugar on top of that. Let it sit for about 10 minutes, until the yeast is proofed and frothy.
In the meanwhile, combine the milk, egg, and olive oil together in the bowl of a standing mixer. Add the yeast mixture, then the flour, Italian seasoning and the salt. Knead using the dough hook attachment until you have a smooth and slightly sticky dough.
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let it rise for 45 to 60 minutes, or until it’s doubled in size.
Meanwhile, thoroughly drain the tomatoes, patting them dry. Use kitchen shears to cut them into smaller bits.
Gently deflate the dough. Flatten and pat it into a 22″ x 8 1/2″ rectangle. Spread with the cheese, tomatoes, garlic, and basil.
Starting with one long edge, roll the dough into a log the long way. Pinch the edges to seal. Place the log seam-side down on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.
Using kitchen shears, start 1/2″ from one end and cut the log lengthwise down the center about 1″ deep, to within 1/2″ of the other end.
Keeping the cut side up, form an “S” shape. Tuck both ends under the center of the “S” to form a “figure 8;” pinch the ends together to seal.
Cover and let rise in a warm place until double, 45 to 60 minutes.
While the loaf is rising, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Uncover the bread, and bake it for 35 to 40 minutes, tenting it with foil after 20 to 25 minutes to prevent over-browning.
Remove the bread from the oven, and transfer it to a rack to cool. Enjoy warm or at room temperature. Store, well-wrapped, at room temperature for a couple of days; freeze for longer storage.
Beautiufl Jess, I had wanted to take the challenge but swore off bread :o( Looks so good you made it just perfectly.
Thanks Suzanne;it’s a pretty tough recipe to mess up, so even when I was in a hurry and semi-distracted with my move, it still came out great lol 😉
This is gorgeous!!
Thank you Archana 😀
Oh my goodness, what an exciting move for you Jess! I agree 100% percent with you on the stress of moving though, it’s a lot to handle. The mitten state will miss you but safe travels! I look forward to more posts when you’re set up in your new kitchen 🙂
Thanks Heather! Move takes place in 9 days (yikes lol) and I hope to be able to get settled in asap to get cooking for the blog again 😉
Wow! Is it a year ago already???
And wow again, a big move! Sounds exciting 😉
And your bread looks FABULOUS!!!
Ikr? I was just talking to my sister about that the other day and she can’t believe the time went by so fast either lol Thank you Elaine; it tastes fabulous too. those folks at King Arthur Flour are onto something with this bread baking thing, I think lol 😉
Ha ha! I think I maybe they are 😉
That looks amazing. I feel like I can already smell it baking.
Congratulations on the big move! As someone who has shipped their life across an ocean – but with a husband and four kids to help with the transition – I know that mixture of being excited and daunted and also majorly stressed trying to sort everything out. I guarantee your packing skills are going to be incredible at the end of this process.
Oh my goodnesss; moving across the country is daunting enough I canNOT imagine moving across the ocean. Nope lol And YES. I feel like my packing skills are unsurpassed at this point. Thank you Laura 🙂
howdy, your bread l@@ks amazing wants me to dive right on threw my monitor for a huge thick slice….
P.S. enjoy your move
Please don’t throw yourself on your monitor, I don’t think that’ll end well lol Thank you John; I appreciate the compliment and the well wishes 😀
I keep reminding myself that I need to do this challenge before the month is up. I swear I’ll try and get around to it this weekend. It looks so good!
Yes, please do go for it Colleen; your tastebuds and loved ones will be VERY grateful that you took the plunge. Thank you 😉
Oh my gosh, Jess! This looks so pretty! I can’t wait to give it a try! And moving across the country must be exciting, scary, and stressful. Where in California are you moving to?
Thank you Andrea! I’ll be living in San Jose for the time being. I feel kinda nervous but also excited as I’ve heard nothing but great things about the area.
Oh! You’ll be moving near me! I live in San Francisco most of the week and in San Jose during the weekends. Let me know if you need recommendations or anything =)
Oh wow! What a welcome coincidence: thank you, we’ll definitely have to connect once I get out there 🙂
Sending another message – good job! The bread is fun to make and very tasty too. I’m glad you joined KAF’s challenge.
Thank you! I’m very glad I decided to take it up too. Have a great rest of your weekend 😉
This bread looks wonderful! That’s exciting that you are moving to California, too! Hope everything with your move goes well!
Thanks Nancy, with 8 days left, I’m in the home stretch and I’ve got my fingers crossed I can just finish up without incident lol
Jess, this is beautiful! Almost too beautiful to eat…..almost 😉 What a great recipe! Hope you are well. I can definitely relate with the chaos that is moving, and moving far away at that. When I turned 18 I decided to move from my small little town in Massachusetts all the way down to big bad Miami. It is a whirlwind of craziness but you’ve got this! Just look at it as a new adventure, a new chapter in your life. I hope everything goes smoothly and definitely update us when you are settled in Cali!
That must have been quite a transition Amber; I’ve visited Miami once and I really liked it. Thank you 😀
This looks amazing! I bet it tasted even better… =)
Hope the move goes well! X
Thanks Kay, its a VERY flavorful bread. I hope the move goes well too lol 😉
Looks Amazing! Just amazing.
Thank you so very much 🙂
Reblogged this on Chef Ceaser.
WOW, Jess! This looks amazing!
Thanks Debbie; it tastes amazing and it was fun to try out along with so many other people for the KAF bake-a-long 😉
Good luck, Jess!! You’ll love California! I used to live there. What’s not to love, weather is great, people are nice, and the food? Fuhgeddaboudit! And now I’m confusing it with NY, lol. But seriously, I’m excited for you! And your bread is just to die for. To DIE FOR!! 😄😄
Thanks Angie! I’m excited to get out there and see what all the fuss is about–and yes, you already KNOW I’m pumped about the food scene out there 😉
Wow, Jess, congrats on your bold move. Hey, you can always come back or it can turn out to be the best decision you ever made. This bread looks absolutely delicious. I didn’t do that challenge, but will look at them in the future.
Hi Julie, thank you; everyone I know who’s been to this area says that once I get there I’ll never WANT to go back, so I guess we’ll see 😉
Wow, so glad your loaf got an honorable mention Jess. It looks amazing! I had made something like this a while back, but I cheated and bought the dough 🙂 Love the colors they form and that shape oh so challenging! Good luck with the move, California is just beautiful, I know you’ll love it there. Kudos to you taking on challenges and cooking when you have so much else on your plate.
Thank you Loretta! This was a real stress reliever for me and the recipe is pretty straight forward and easy to execute, so it didn’t even feel like a ‘challenge’ at all lol
Drooling Jess! Perfection and a whole gorgeous meal in a bun. Good luck with the move to California.
Thanks Johanne!
I absolutely love this, Jess! I have added it to my list of “must try” recipes! I do intend to make it! 😀
Yes, please do try it Julianna; It’s long gone and I’m still thinking about how great this bread was. Thank you 😀
this looks good. x
Its every bit as delicious as it looks. Thanks 🙂