After many weeks the search was over, I'd found what I hoped would be my winner -- the Stud Muffin.
The Stud Muffin was exactly what I was looking for . . . something different . . . a little provocative . . . but with all the delicious ingredients of a top-notch candidate.
But if that wasn't enough, there was a bonus, the Stud Muffin had an Italian background. Torta di Pasqua { Easter cake} is actually a bread that is filled with cheese and meats.
Stud Muffin in a Soufflé Dish Cooling
This was the inspiration I needed.
I was so excited I couldn't wait for the charity bread baking contest to begin.
The judges, participants, and audience were going to be awed by the three-cheese bread that looked like a gigantic muffin.
The rules of the contest stated that I had to make two loaves.
I started to plan --the entire recipe would take three days to make.
The first day is the sponge starter.
The next day consists of making the dough and letting it rise in a dough-rising container or bowl that is greased with cooking spray or oil. The dough rises in the refrigerator where it will ripen overnight.
This dough requires a long slow rise, but the actual hands-on work is quite minimal.
On baking day, I shape the dough and push it into an oiled soufflé dish, give the top a quick oil spritz and then cover it with a piece of wax paper and put the dough in a warm place to rise. Our warm place is on top of the stove with the vent hood's lights on.
The bread has to almost triple in size before it can be studded with the little cubes of Gruyére. First, the top of the stud muffin gets an egg wash bath, being careful not to get egg on the inside of the dish -- the egg may prevent the dough from rising properly.
I use a chopstick to make little holes in the dough and prod the cheese cubes into the holes. As the bread bakes some of the little cubes melt into the dough and some of them form delicious brown crusty bits on top that are delicious. When the Stud Muffin is finished baking it needs to cool for 30 minutes on a wire rack, then the finished loaf is carefully removed from the mold. I place the loaf on its side on top of a soft pillow that I covered with plastic wrap and a clean dishcloth. This prevents the fragile sides from collapsing.
The round loaf needs turning several times to speed the cooling process. It takes about an hour to cool completely.
I've been making this recipe for quite a few years now and The Stud Muffin always inspires culinary appreciation and pleasure.
The bread is delicious when it's still warm. It will stay moist and soft for 2 days and it's great lightly toasted or heated for a few minutes in the oven to remelt the cheese.
Was my Stud Muffin a winner? 😉
YES!!!! First Place!!
The Stud Muffin - A First Place Winner
Ingredients
Dough Starter
- 1 cup plus 1 ½ Tablespoons 156 grams unbleached all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon 2.4 grams instant yeast
- ¾ cup 177 grams water, at room temperature (70 to 90 F.)*
Dough
- 2 ounces 56 grams Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 2 ounces 56 grams Romano or Pecorino
- 2 cups plus a scant ½ cup 343 grams unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoon 4 grams instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon 6.6 grams kosher salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon 2.5 grams black pepper
- 4 Tablespoons 56 grams unsalted butter, softened
- ½ liquid cup 118 grams water, room temperature *
- 1 large egg room temperature
- ½ cup plus 2 Tablespoons divided (70 grams) imported Gruyére cheese, cut into ¼ inch dice
Glaze
- lightly beaten egg
Instructions
Make the sponge
- In a mixer bowl , place the flour, yeast, and water. Whisk until very smooth, to incorporate air, about 2 minutes. The sponge will be the consistency of a thick batter. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Cover it tightly with plastic wrap and allow it to ferment for 1 hour at room temperature, then refrigerate overnight.
Make the dough
- Grate the Parmesan and Romano or Pecorino cheeses with a hand grater. Set aside.
- In a measuring cup with a spout, whisk together the water and egg.
- In a medium bowl, whisk all but a scant ½ cup of the flour, the yeast, salt, and black pepper. Sprinkle the mixture over the sponge.
- Add the softened butter and mix with the dough hook on low speed while gradually adding the water/egg mixture until the flour is moistened, about 1 minute. Add the Parmesan and Romano/or Pecorino cheese, raise the speed to medium and knead the dough for 5 minutes or until elastic and bouncy. The dough should be slightly sticky. If it does not pull away from the bowl, beat in some or all of the remaining flour by the tablespoon. The dough should feel slightly sticky.
- Empty the dough onto a lightly floured counter and flatten it into a rectangle. Press ½ cup of the Gruyére into the dough, roll it up, and knead it to incorporate evenly.
- Place the dough in a 2-quart dough-rising container or bowl, lightly greased with cooking spray or oil. Push down the dough and lightly spray oil the top. Cover the container with a lid or plastic wrap -- I use a shower cap. With a piece of tape, mark the side of the container at approximately where double the height of the dough would be. refrigerate the dough. Allow it to chill for at least 8 hours or up to 2 days to firm and ripen (develop flavor). Pat it down two or three times after the first hour or two , until it stops rising. Once the dough is cold, it will stop rising.
- Following day turn the dough out onto a counter and knead it lightly. Round it into a ball and push it down into the oil sprayed soufflé dish. Spray the dough top and cover it lightly with a piece of wax paper and let it rise in a warm area ( 80 to 85 F) until it almost triples, about 3 to 4 hours. The center should be at least ½ inch, preferably 1 inch, above the top of the dish.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F 45 minutes before baking. Have an oven shelf at the lowest level and place a baking stone or baking sheet lined with foil on it before preheating.
- Glaze, stud, and bake the bread. Brush the surface of the dough with the lightly beaten egg, being careful not to brush it on the insides of the dish , which would impede rising. Gently insert the remaining 2 Tablespoons Gruyère cubes into the dough using a chopstick; first gently twist it into the dough to make a shallow hole, then use the chopstick to push in a cheese cube; it should be visible. Don't by shy with the cheese -- I do use more than the 2 Tablespoons -- we really like cheese.
- Place the dish on the hot stone or hot baking sheet. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the bread is golden and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean (an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center will read about 190 F.
- Remove the pan from the oven and set it on a wire rack for 30 minutes. With the tip of a sharp knife, loosen the sides of the bread where the cheese may have crusted and unmold the bread onto its side onto a soft pillow (covered with a piece of plastic wrap and then a clean dish towel towel) on the counter to finish cooling. This will prevent the soft fragile sides from collapsing; turn the loaf a few times to speed cooling, but always leave it on its side. It will take about 1 hour to cool completely.
- The bread stays moist and soft for 2 days but is really good lightly toasted or heated for 3 to 4 minutes in a 400 F oven to remelt the cheese.
Notes
- * I use bottled water when I bake -- it is just a personal preference. I don't want any chemicals to affect the taste.
- Adapted from "The Bread Bible" by Rose Levy Beranbaum
- The times may vary for you depending on how long you let your bread rest and rise. The time the dough spends in the refrigerator and on the counter will depend upon you.
Nutrition
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