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It is a slow & pleasurable art, that of bread making. The kneading of the dough, that assume a life all it’s own, is a task of patient reverence. Few things have the ability to comfort like butter melting into warm bread, filling the whole house with such a splendid aroma that it takes us back to a simpler day. It’s as close to heaven as one can get on earth.

Begin early in the day.

Tangy Asiago Rosemary Bread with Roasted Garlic

SERVES 10-12 | MAKES 2 ROUNds

• 2 packages of dry yeast

• 5-6 cups bread flour (I use locally milled whenever possible or King Author)

• 2 heads of garlic

• 1 cup of freshly grated Asiago cheese

• 1 Tbsp. finely minced, fresh rosemary

• 1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. salt

• 2 tbsp. olive oil (for oiling bowl)

• 1 tbsp. fine cornmeal (optional)

1.) Poolish (see notes below). In a medium size bowl, sprinkle 1 tsp. dry yeast over 1 cup of cool water. Let it stand for 5 minutes to get creamy. Stir in 1 cup flour until smooth. Let it stand in a warm place (80F) cover tightly with plastic wrap then cover with a tea towel until bubbly & doubled in size, 2-2 1/2 hours.

2.) Meanwhile, roast the garlic. preheat oven to 375f. Cut off very top portion of garlic bulbs using a sharp knife, exposing the cloves. Drizzle with a little olive oil & roast directly on the oven rack until very soft & caramelized. Let them cool, then squeeze out cloves. Set aside.

3.) In a bowl, add remaining yeast to 1 1/2 cups cool water & let it stand for 5 minutes. Stir in poolish, garlic, cheese, rosemary & salt then stir in 3 cup of flour. Beat with a spoon until stretchy & shiny, about 5 minutes. Add 1 additional cup of flour stir until well combined. Scrape dough out onto a floured surface (or mix in a Kitchenaid using a dough hook) and knead until smooth & elastic, about 15-20 minutes adding as little flour as possible to prevent sticking. Shape into a smooth ball.

4.) Place dough in an oiled bowl, turning the dough to coat, smooth side up. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, cover with a tea towel & allow dough to rise in a warm place (80f) until doubled in size, about 1 1/2-2 hours.

5.) Punch down dough with a floured fist & knead a few times in the bowl to release excess air. Turn smooth side up, cover & allow for a second rising (you may skip this step if time does not permit but it does give a deeper complexity to the bread) about 1 hour.

6.) Scrape out dough onto floured surface & shape into 2 smooth balls. Sprinkle the loafs generously with bread flour then make 3 slashes in the tops using a shape knife (or whatever design you wish) & place on a sheet pan prepared with a little olive oil or non-stick spray, sprinkle dust with cornmeal if desired. Cover with a tea towel & keep in a warm, draft free place. Heat oven to 400f. Place bread in hot over & mist down the walls of the oven vigorously with water using a spray bottle (avoid hitting the oven light) & quickly shut the door. In 5 minutes mist again. Bake until deep brown. Bread should have a hollow sound when tapped, about 35-40 minutes.

Poolish; usually consisting of water, flour & yeast, is classified as a wet sponge. A pre-ferment. Using a poolish gives you a greater depth of flavor & maturity in a shorter period of time. I often do my poolish the day before & refrigerate it instead of leaving it in a warm place. This gets one step out of the way & the cold fermentation, in my opinion yields a tangier sponge as the process is slower & gentler. You can actually make it up to 2 days in advance.