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+ servings

Italian Parmesan Bread Recipe

David Murphy
Prep Time 3 hours
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Serving Size 2

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons instant yeast

Instructions

  • Pre-Heat oven to 400.
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the dough ingredients, mixing till the dough begins to come away from the sides of the bowl.
  • Knead the dough with an electric mixer for 2 minutes; allow it to rest for 15 minutes, then continue kneading it for an additional 5 to 7 minutes, or until it's smooth. Add additional water or flour if needed - the dough should be somewhat sticky. If you're kneading by hand, transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface; knead it for 3 minutes; allow it to rest for 15 minutes, then continue kneading till smooth, an additional 8 to 10 minutes. I love to knead the dough by hand. There's just something therapeutic about it.
  • Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and set it aside to rise for 1 hour; it should just about double in bulk.
  • Punch the dough down and cut in half to make to shape into 2 small loaves. Allow an additional 45 minutes to rise.
  • Take just a little olive oil and lightly grease the outside.
  • Place parmesan cheese on a small plate, and spread it around. One loaf at a time, roll the whole top and sides of the loaves in the cheese.
  • Place on a pizza stone (I do like to warm the stone up a little bit by placing it in the oven for a few minutes.
  • With a sharp knife, make a few diagonal slits into the bread (approximately 1/2" deep).
  • Bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until top of bread is a beautiful light golden brown color.