pull-apart bread

I've mentioned before that I've never successfully followed a recipe precisely and therefore baking isn't my forte.  So the fact that I'm able to produce a loaf of bread from my kitchen is actually an anomaly, which also means that this is a fail-proof recipe. Inspired by a few different things, pull-apart bread is something I've wanted to make for quite some time.  The bread recipe is pretty simple -- I modified Mario Batali's basic bread recipe -- and as for the filling, you can swap it out for anything your heart desires.  If you have more of a sweet tooth, try a chocolate or fruit filling, but if you're like me and crave something savory, try this cheesy filling.  It's a great addition to that upcoming Thanksgiving meal and can substitute the traditional homemade biscuits. Tip:  If you're looking for something in biscuit form, try cutting the dough into smaller squares and fill the layers into a muffin tin to make pull-apart biscuits.

-- Cheddar and Chives Pull-Apart Bread Makes 1 loaf

½ cup warm water 2 teaspoons dry yeast 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon sugar 2 cups of (organic) high-gluten bread flour 2 cup of all-purpose flour, a little extra to flour the work surface 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 cups of grated low-fat cheddar cheese 1 cup of grated parmesan cheese 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted 2 tablespoons of fresh chives, finely chopped 4 cloves roasted garlic, finely chopped* 2-3 sprigs of thyme, stems removed ¼ teaspoon salt Freshly ground pepper, to taste

*Coat garlic with either butter or olive oil and wrapping it in tin foil, then place it in oven at 350 for 5-10 minutes.

Using the paddle mixer on low (speed 2), mix together water, yeast, salt, pepper, and sugar until dry ingredients are dissolved. Let stand for 3 minutes. Add in bread flour and mix until the wet and dry ingredients are combined and the mixture no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. Switch mixing paddle to dough hook, mixing on low and adding all-purpose flour -3 2 tablespoons at a time. Mix until dough can easily be formed into a ball. If dough is dry, add any additional warm water when needed, only 1 teaspoon at a time.

** As an alternative to a standalone mixer, add bread and all-purpose flour and 1 tablespoon of olive oil to yeast mixture, and mix using hands until you can knead dough without it sticking to fingers. Add additional water when needed.

Grease a large bowl with 1 teaspoon olive oil, place dough inside the bowl, seal with plastic wrap and cover with warm dish/ cheese cloth. Let sit for 1 ½ - 2 hours, or until dough has risen twice in size.

Once dough has risen, flour the work space and roll out dough to 12 x 24 rectangle, incorporating half of the cheddar cheese into the dough. Coat dough with melted butter, and sprinkle with herbs, and cheese. Then, using a pizza cutter, divide dough into even squares (about 12). There will be uneven leftover edges, that you can use in the loaf so don’t throw them out. Stack square one on top of the other, incorporating leftover edges throughout the stack.

Transfer the stack into the loaf pan by turning it on its side and using a spatula to lift it into the pan. Any extra cheese filling that falls out during this process can be just placed on top of the loaf. Pour last tablespoon of butter over the loaf, cover it with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for another 1 hour. In the meantime, pre-heat oven to 350.

Place loaf in oven and bake for 35 - 40 minutes. Let cool then serve and enjoy!