Cheese, Scallion and Tomato Bread

Some of my most pleasant childhood memories involve the scent of bread. My mother studied bread making shortly after her       marriage to my father. Although she was never a stay-at-home mom (she was a teacher and worked full time for as long as I can remember) she always baked for us whenever she had time. She generally baked during the weekends and it was so nice to smell the sweet cinnamon, sugary scents that drifted from the kitchen and filled the house.

As a child I’d always been more interested in eating bread than cooking it. Over the years I developed a love for baking as a hobby. These days I’m finding bread making a particularly soothing and relaxing aspect of baking. I love mixing and kneading the dough especially later in the evening when everyone is asleep and the kitchen is quiet. I can feel the stresses of the day start to fade away and I lose myself in the rhythm of kneading.

This recipe is particularly good to prepare in the evening so you can bake it first thing in the morning. It’s lovely to have for breakfast, fresh and warm from the oven. I got the bread dough recipe from an absolutelyfantastic site but changed the filling as well as fermentation and proving time to suit my preferences. The link above is a fantastic site written by a culinary arts graduate, so if you ever want to learn how to make bread that site is a terrific resource!

Ingredients

Dough

3/4 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup liquid honey
1 large egg (beaten)
4 cups self raising flour
4 tsp instant dried yeast
1 1/4 tsp salt

Filling

1 cup grated fresh parmesan cheese
1 cup grated light cheddar cheese
2/3 cup chopped scallions
2/3 cup finely chopped sundried tomatoes

Cooking Instructions

1. Heat water, milk and butter in saucepan until butter has melted. Do not bring to a boil.
2. Pour mixture into a mixing bowl and allow to cool to lukewarm.
3. Add the honey and 1 1/2 cups of flour, mix until smooth.
4. Add in the lightly beaten egg and yeast, mix until smooth.
5. Allow to sit uncovered for about 15 minutes.
6. Mix salt and one cup of flour.
7. Pour mixture out onto a floured surface and slowly add the remaining flour just until the dough does not stick to the counter.
8. Knead for about 8-10 minutes.
9. Place the dough in a slightly oiled bowl. Spray the top with oil.
10. Cover with a plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place and allow to rise for 3 hours.
11. After dough has risen, transfer onto a floured surface.
12. Punch down and roll out into a rectangle measuring about 12×24.
13. Sprinkle the cheddar and parmesan cheese, chopped tomatoes and scallion onto the dough.
14. Roll the dough so that it resembles a jelly roll.
15. Slice the dough into about 20 pieces
16. Place the dough onto a sheet tray covered with baking paper.
17. Cover with a plastic wrap and let it rise for about 3-4 hours.
18. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
19. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes.
20. Cool for about 5 minutes before removing the bread from the tray

Serve warm

Piaya

Piaya is a Filipinio delicacy origating from the Negros provinces of the Philippines. It is a flat, unleavened bread which is traditionally filled with muscavado (raw) sugar. It’s one of the most popular products of the Negros region which is actually the sugar capital of the country.

The piaya bread is round, flaky and light. Great to eat as an afternoon snack (termed “merienda”), dessert or for breakfast with a hot cup of coffee.
Brown sugar can be substituted for muscavodo although the texture of the filling will turn out differently. I tend to use brown sugar as I have not been able to find muscavado in my region yet. I have to admit I like the “brown sugar piaya“almost as much as the traditional kind. But then again, I like most sweet things 🙂

Ingredients

Pastry
4 cups plain flour
18 Tbs oil
2/3 cup caster sugar

Filling 
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups plain flour
9 Tbs water
9 Tbs oil

Cooking Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, caster sugar and oil. Mix well until it forms a dough.
2. Divide the dough into 30 portions and set aside. Ensure you allow the dough to rest for at least 20 mins.
3. In another bowl, mix the brown sugar and water. Add the flour and oil and mix until the mixture forms a dough. Divide the dough into 30 portions and set aside.
4. Using a rolling pin, flatten out one portion of the pastry dough. Fill the pastry with the sugar dough and seal the edges. Roll out and flatten.
5. Continue with the remaining pastry dough and filling until you have 30 completed portions.
6. Preheat a heavy non stick pan on medium heat.
7. Place the piaya on the pan and cook until golden.