Great for bread baking beginners, this Pane Bianco (Italian for White Bread) is filled with sundried tomatoes, garlic, fresh basil, and mozzarella cheese, that will sure to impress.
At the beginning of August King Arthur Flour launched their monthly bakealong challenge. The idea of the challenge is simple: a new recipe is revealed at the beginning of every month, bakers recreate it at home, and share the photos (process, final product, etc.) using #bakealong.
I was so excited when I learned of the bakealong challenge because:
- I LOVE King Arthur Flour products, their magazine, and the community it fosters
- I’ve been a bit obsessed with bread baking lately, ever since gaining confidence from my sourdough bread
- It’s a great way to try new recipes and learn new skills
Kicking off the first month of the bakealong challenge is Pane Bianco (Italian for White Bread), filled with mozzarella cheese, garlic, sundried tomatoes, and fresh basil. If the margherita pizza reminiscent fillings aren’t enough to entice you, check out the beautiful design.
When I saw the Pane Bianco design, I was so impressed but also a little intimated. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to successfully recreate it, but I channeled Julia Child and decided to be fearless and trek on! What’s the worse that can happen, really?
Believe it or not, I’d consider this Pane Bianco bread recipe to be great for beginners. The dough is sooo easy to work with. It’s not overly sticky, so you don’t have to worry about over-flouring and it’s easy to roll out. Sometimes doughs like to shrink during the rolling process, making it really frustrating to deal with, but with this dough, it was really minimal.
The design is really easy to achieve too. After topping the dough, roll the dough up into a log and pinch the ends and seams together to seal. Then, shape the dough into an S shape and tuck ends under the middle of the S to create an 8 or infinity shape. Finally, with kitchen shears, cut down the center of the dough to expose the filling. So easy!
OK, enough with how easy the dough is to work with. Let’s talk about how it tastes. The bread was so soft and delicious. And the fresh garlic flavor gets infused into the entire loaf! The sundried tomatoes add an acidic element and the basil aroma is hinted ever so slightly such that you know it’s there without being overpowering. To be honest, I didn’t really taste the mozzarella, but the shreds brown up nicely, adding to the aesthetics of the loaf. For next time, I might try a stronger Italian cheese like Asiago. And also for next time, I may try mixing up the fillings altogether. Maybe Mediterranean themed or Mexican themed :D
I shared the entire process on Snapchat (thepkpway) and Instagram Stories. Make sure to follow The PKP Way on both of those channels so you don’t miss when I share next month’s challenge.
Pane Bianco (White Bread) with Sundried Tomatoes, Basil, Mozzarella, and Garlic
Yields 1 loaf
Printer friendly version
Ingredients
3 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
1 egg, room temperature
½ cup warm milk*
⅓ cup warm water*
3 tablespoons olive oil
¾ cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
½ cup oil packed sundried tomatoes, drained
6 cloves garlic, minced
⅓ cup fresh basil, julienned
Directions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine the flour, yeast, salt, egg, milk, water, and olive oil. Mix on low until combined and a soft and smooth dough forms. The dough should only slightly stick to the sides of the bowl.
- Roll the dough into a smooth ball and place in a greased bowl**. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 60 minutes.
- Deflate the dough and roll out into a 22” x 8 ½” rectangle on a lightly floured surface.
- Evenly spread the cheese, tomatoes, garlic, and basil onto the dough, leaving a ½” border without the filling.
- From the long edge, roll the dough into a tight log and seal the edges and seam. Form the log into an S and tuck the ends under the center of the S to form an 8 or infinity shape.
- Transfer the loaf onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Using kitchen shears, cut down the center of the loaf, following the shape of the loaf. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for 60 minutes, or until doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F while the loaf is rising.
- Bake for 35 – 40 minutes until golden, tenting with foil at about 20 minutes to prevent excessive browning of the filling.
- Transfer loaf to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
*Place in a microwave-safe glass and heat for 25 seconds.
**I lightly drizzled the bowl with olive oil.
Storage
Store in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Adapted from King Arthur Flour
Wow, this looks seriously impressive – like something you’d find in a professional bakery! The step-by-step photos are really helpful. And I can only imagine how delicious it must be!
Thank you, sweet Mara :D As a newbie bread baker, this recipe definitely gave me the confidence to keep experimenting :D I’m glad you find the photos helpful and hope you like it when you give it a try!