1/2 c Milk, scalded & cooled to 2 tb Coarsely ground black pepper
115 degrees 1/2 c Snipped fresh chives
2 pk Active dry yeast 4 c UP TO …
1 tb Sugar 4 1/2 c Unbleached flour
6 tb Unsalted butter, room temp 1 Egg (optional)
2 c Ricotta cheese 2 ts Water (optional)
2 Eggs Coarsely ground black pepper
2 ts Salt (optional)
Pour the milk into a large bowl and stir in the yeast and sugar. Let
stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Beat the butter, ricotta, eggs,
and salt into the yeast mixture with a whisk; then whisk in the
pepper and chives. Stir in enough of the flour, 1 cup at a time, to
make a soft dough. Knead on a floured surface 5 to 10 minutes. Plae
the dough in a buttered large bowl and turn to coat with butter.
Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let rise in a warm spot until
doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Punch the dough down and let it
rise again for about 1 hour. Butter a 12 x 4″ loaf pan. Punch the
dough down, shape it into a large loaf, and place in the loaf pan.
Cover and let rise for 45 minutes Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If
desired, beat the egg and 2 t water in a small bowl, brush the top of
the loaf with the egg wash, and sprinkle with black pepper. Bake
until loaf is nicely browned, about 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in the pan
10 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. From The
Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook by Julee Russe & Sheila Lukins.
Yields
1 large loaf
