Brooklyn Italian Lard Bread Food

PROSCIUTTO BREAD (AKA LARD BREAD)

Steps:

• Put the bread flour, sugar, pepper, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Sift them together.
• Add the salt and stir with a whisk. Pour in the water. Mix in a stand mixer on low just until the ingredients are combined. Turn the stand mixer up to medium and mix for about six minutes.
• While that's mixing, slice your prosciutto. Add in the sliced prosciutto and mix on low until the prosciutto is combined into the dough, about five minutes.
• Shape the dough into a ball. Cover it with a tea towel and let it sit for 20 minutes.
• Roll the dough into an 18-inch log. Twist the bread and combine the edges to form a ring. Cover the ring with a tea towel and let it sit for an hour.
• Pre-heat the oven to 450 F. Leave a pizza stone and a cake pan in the oven while the oven is preheating. Let the oven sit at temperature for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Using a pastry brush, brush the dough with 1 teaspoon of melted butter. Transfer it to the pizza stone. Fill the cake pan with 1 cup of water and close the oven door.
• Bake for 18 minutes.
• Rotate the pizza stone 180-degrees and brush with another 1 teaspoon of melted butter. Bake 5 minutes.
• Lower the temperature to 400 F. Bake for 11 to 12 minutes.
• Turn off the oven and prop the door open. Let the bread sit in the oven for 5 minutes.
• Remove the prosciutto bread from the oven and brush it with the remaining 1 teaspoon of melted butter.

PROSCIUTTO BREAD (AKA LARD BREAD) RECIPE - (3.8/5)

Steps:

• Step 1: Mix flour, malt powder and yeast in a stand mixer. Combine salt with flour mixture in the mixer bowl - this is done separately from the first mixing so the salt doesn't retard the action of the yeast. Step 2: Add water to mixing bowl and mix into flour with dough hook on low to moisten. Knead for seven minutes on medium speed. Mix in prosciutto on low speed. Dough should be slightly tacky but not sticky. If dough is too sticky knead in more flour a little at a time. If the dough is too dry, spray with a bit of water and knead. Step 3: Shape dough into a ball and place on a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle dough with flour, cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes. Step 4: Roll dough into an 18" cylinder and form into a ring. Ensure the ends stick together and place on parchment paper on a large cookie sheet. Spray dough with cooking spray and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm draft-free place until doubled for about 1 hour. I usually heat my oven to the lowest setting and then shut it off before placing dough into it to allow it to rise. Also, I like to let the last rise happen overnight but I didn't have time for that this time. Step 5: Use a pizza stone or baking sheet on a low shelf of the oven and place a baking sheet on the lowest shelf of the oven (or on the bottom of the oven if your heating element isn't on the bottom of the oven). Preheat oven to 450 degrees for at least 10 minutes. Step 6: Transfer bread to pizza stone or baking sheet in the preheated oven and brush with about 1/3 of melted butter. Add about half to a dozen ice cubes into the baking sheet on lowest shelf of the oven. Step 7: Bake 15 minutes. Remove parchment paper and turn bread front to back to allow for even baking. Brush bread with about another 1/3 of melted butter. Add another dozen ice cubes. Bake another 5 minutes. Reduce temperature to 400 degrees. Bake another 10 to 15 minutes. Step 8: Turn off oven and leave bread in the oven with door propped open for another 5 minutes. Step 9: Remove bread from oven and brush with the remaining butter. Allow to cool but if you aren't having company or bringing this bread to a function, this bread tastes delicious slightly warm and crispy. Use this bread to make Saveur's stuffing.