Gruyere Stuffed Pumpernickel #TwelveLoaves

This is the bread that almost wasn’t. I had it all planned out, a day off from work would be the perfect time to continue my breaducation and bake a cheese filled loaf for September #TwelveLoaves. Then the rains came. And oh my, did they ever! I thought for sure it would be a colossal failure.

But I don’t give up that easily. I had the air going to keep the house dry and made sure to set aside some extra flour…which it turned out I needed! Ah ha! My breaducation is working!

In retrospect, I’m thinking cutting back on some of the liquid may have also helped but no matter. We have bread! And my husband just went crazy over it.

I had the idea to make beer cheese bread, you know with cheddar, but there seems to be such a proliferation across the interwebs that I just didn’t want to do the same old thing. Instead, I made pumpernickel bread and filled it with shredded Gruyere.

I started out with a recipe for Dark Pumpernickel Rye from Red Star Yeast (who’s yeast I’ve been using throughout my breaducation) and tweaked it just a bit, using a nice dark chocolaty beer in place of the coffee. I also cut the salt some because the cheese is salty and I didn’t want to overdo it. I made the large size loaf (they provide three sizes) because I wanted to have two loaves, one filled and one not. The latter has been frozen for consumption at a not so later date.

This particular beer by the way holds a special place in my heart; almost 10 years ago (next month actually) when my husband and I were on our honeymoon we ordered Young’s Double Chocolate Stout to go with our meal. Neither of us had ever had a chocolate beer before so we thought we’d give it a shot. Yum. So began a new affection for dark beer…but that’s a different post.

It made logical sense to me that since pumpernickel uses cocoa powder to provide the dark color, this beer would be the perfect choice. It turned out great. The texture is absolutely perfect, perfect, perfect! I’m a happy camper.

I added caraway seeds to both breads because I happen to like them. Omit them if you don’t, no biggie. Oh and I used potato starch because my cornstarch was miserably out of date. It works just the same.

Interested in baking along? Here’s all you have to do:

Please make sure that your bread is inspired by this month’s theme, cheese; this is obligatory if you would like your link to be included!

Have your #TwelveLoaves bread that you baked during September 2012 and posted on your blog by September 30, 2012.

When you post your #TwelveLoaves bread on your blog, make sure that you mention the #TwelveLoaves challenge in your post and include links to this month’s leaders: Cake Duchess, Creative Culinary and Lifesafeast.

Don’t forget to link your post to the linky tool at the bottom of Lora’s blog. It must be a bread baked to the #TwelveLoaves theme.

And if you’re on twitter, follow @TwelveLoaves

Gruyere Stuffed Pumpernickel Bread
Recipe slightly modified from Red Star Yeast Dark Pumpernickel Rye

Ingredients
2 2/3 cups bread flour
1 1/3 cup medium rye flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 cup plus 1 tablespoons chocolate beer, at room temperature
3 tablespoons safflower or canola oil
2 tablespoons molasses
1 cup shredded gruyere cheese

Optional
1/2 teaspoon potato starch or cornstarch
1/4 cup water
3/4 teaspoon caraway seeds

Instructions
1. Combine 2 cups of the bread flour, the cocoa, sugar, salt, onion powder and yeast in the bowl of your stand mixer. Set aside the other 2/3 cup bread flour and rye flour.
2. Combine the beer, oil, and molasses and heat to between 120 and 130° F.
3. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry and mix with the paddle attachment on medium speed for four minutes.
Gradually add the rye flour and enough of the reserved bread flour to form a firm but not dry dough. Switch to the dough hook and knead for five to seven minutes or until smooth and elastic. It should not be overly sticky.
4. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turning to make sure it has a coating of oil. Lightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise for about an hour.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and punch it down to remove the air. Split the dough in half, setting one portion back in the bowl, covered.
5. Gently roll out the dough so it’s about 10 inches long by 6 inches wide.
6. Sprinkle the cheese onto the bread and fold one long end over the dough. Fold the other long end over, then each of the short ends meeting in the middle. Pinch it closed and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
Form the other loaf the same way or simply make it round as I did and place on the same cookie sheet, leaving a distance between the two loaves.
7. Cover the loaves and allow to rise in a warm place about 45 minutes. The dough is ready when touching it leaves a light indentation.
8. Bake in a preheated 400° F oven for 30-35 minutes.

Optional: Combine the water and potato/corn-starch in a small pot and heat to boiling. After 30 minutes has passed, lightly brush the loaves with the glaze, sprinkle the caraway seeds on top and bake an additional five minutes.

The bread is done when it sounds hollow when rapped on the bottom.

Transfer the loaves to a wire rack and make sure you let them cool completely before slicing.

Enjoy!

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