Stromboli

I borrowed (permanently) the Cooking Club of America's The Art of Bread from my mother. It has a number of good recipes, and yesterday I baked the stromboli with my son. At 20 months, he's quite the helper. And by that, I mean he eats the bread dough, eats the cheese, eats the meet and smashes the dough the wrong way with the rolling pin. I maintain that making homemade bread is not difficult ... unless you have younguns in the house.

Tastes quite delicious. The original recipe calls for 7 oz. smoked mozzarella and 7 oz. mozzarella cut into cubes, but I used 8 slices of Spanish salami and 8 oz. shredded Cheddar cheese. Here's my version:

Stromboli
1 cup warm water
2 tsp. dry yeast
3 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. olive oil
Filling
8 oz. shredded Cheddar
8 slices Spanish salami
2 garlic cloves, minced
Topping
3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 tsp. coarse salt
1 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. rosemary

Add the yeast to the water in a measuring cup. Stir to dissolve, and let stand 5 minutes. Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add water, and mix until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms. (You will likely need to add up to 1/4 cup additional water, but only add about 1 Tbsp. at a time.) Knead dough until it is smooth, silky and elastic. Place dough in a clean, oiled bowl, and cover with a dish towel. Let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Punch down dough, and chafe for 5 minutes. (Chafing is gently pushing downward on the ball of dough while rotating it in your hands--essentially smoothing it into a ball continuously.) Cover with a dish towel, and let rest 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Roll dough into a 14 x 8 inch rectangle, cover with a dish towel and let rest 10 minutes. Spread the filling ingredients evenly on the dough. Roll up, jelly-roll style), starting on a long side. Place loaf on a Silipat-lined baking sheet. Brush with 1 Tbsp. olive oil, and sprinkle with seasonings.

Bake one hour, until golden. Brush with remaining olive oil. Serve warm for best flavor. Store leftovers in the refrigerator. Makes 1 large loaf.