Place all ingredients (except 1 tablespoon of parmesan cheese and egg white) in the pan of the bread machine in the order suggested by the manufacturer. Select dough setting and press start.
Check the dough (don't be afraid to open the lid). It should form a nice elastic
ball. If you think the dough is too moist, add additional flour (a tablespoon at
a time). The same is true if the dough is looking dry and gnarly. Add warm water
(a tablespoon at a time). For some reason that I am not sure why,
sometimes this bread dough seems to need additional four added. Maybe it is
because of the cheese. So, please check your dough.
When dough cycle has finished, remove dough from pan and turn out onto a lightly oiled surface. Form dough into an oval, cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
After resting, turn dough bottom side up and press to flatten. Fold dough into an envelope by folding the top 1/3 of the way to the bottom. Then fold the bottom a 1/3 of the way over the top. Then press dough with the palm of your hand to make an indentation down the center of the dough and fold the top completely to the bottom, sealing the seam with the palm of your hand.
Place on a baking pan dusted with cornmeal or covered with a silpad; cover and place in a warm spot to rise for approximately 20 minutes.
Oven Rising: Sometimes I use my oven for the rising. Turn the oven on for a minute or so, then turn it off again. This will warm the oven and make it a great environment for rising bread. If you can't comfortably press your hand against the inside of the oven door, the oven is too hot. Let it stand open to cool a bit. Sourdough rises more slowly than yeast bread; Always remember, the longer the rise time, the more sourdough flavor.
Cool or Refrigerator Rise: If I don't have the time
to wait for the rise to finish or I know that I will be interrupted before the
completed rise, I do a cool rise. A cool rise is when the dough is place in the
refrigerator and left to rise slowly over night approximately 8 to 12 hours. I
usually do this after the first rise and the dough has been shaped into a loaf.
As this is a longer rise time, it improves the sourdough flavor in your finished
bread.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
After dough has risen, brush the top of the bread with beaten egg white. Gently press 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese onto the top of loaf. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until nicely browned.
(A good check is to use an instant
digital thermometer to test your bread. The temperature should be between 200 and 210 degrees.)
This
is the type of thermometer that I use in my cooking.
I get many readers asking what cooking/meat thermometer that I prefer and use in my cooking
and baking. I, personally, use the
RT600C Thermometer
(show in the photo on the right). To learn more about this inexpensive excellent thermometer and to also purchase one (if you desire), just
click on the underlined: RT600C Thermometer.
