In case you were curious or you like to bake

Pane Bianco

3 cups bread dough

2 teaspoons yeast

½ half teaspoon sugar

1 ¼ teaspoons salt

1 large egg

½ cup lukewarm milk

1/3^rd cup lukewarm water

3 tablespoons olive oil

¾ cup shredded Italian blend cheese (I added a cup)

½ cup oil-packed sundried tomatoes well drained and chopped (or cut with scissors)

3 to 6 cloves garlic peeled and minced (if you like garlic I don’t can no longer eat it so I use garlic salt before I roll it up)

1/3^rd cup chopped fresh basil

mix yeast sugar and milk and water in the bowl of your stand mixer let it proof for ten minutes

add the oil and egg and mix

add the flour and knead the dough for ten minutes with the dough hook of the mixer until dough is very soft you can do this by hand and sometimes I do if I want to beat something up

turn the dough into a buttered bowl butter the top of the dough and let it rise in a draft free spot for one hour or until the dough has doubled in size

gently deflate the dough then flatten and pat it into a 22” long and 8 ½“ wide or so rectangle I used my extra large Silapt and it was the perfect length for this dough and it makes clean up a snap I also use a large ruler for this part but I get funny that way in the kitchen

spread the cheese on the dough then the tomatoes then the basil don’t make it too heavy with toppings or the bread will break this can be kind of tricky so if you aren’t used to stuffed breads go cautiously the first time!

roll the dough up like you would roll cinnamon rolls

pinch the long seam shut

transfer the dough seam side down to a lightly greased sheet pan (I greased my regulation size Silpat for this but greased it first)

starting ½ inch in from one end of the log use kitchen shears to cut the log lengthwise down the center 1 inch deep and ½ inch from the other end

Still keeping the cut side up form the dough into an S shape

Tuck both ends under the center of the S to form a figure 8

Pinch the ends together to seal

Cover the loaf and let it rise in a draft free place until double 45 to 60 minutes

bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes after 20 minutes tent the dough then finish baking (my oven runs hot so I first baked it at 370 then lowered to 360 for second 20 minutes) be very careful when you lift it off the baking sheet onto the cooling rack it is wobbly in the middle until it cools

this bread looks beautiful and it seems tricky but it actually is very easy and tasty especially the next day yum