COLD CUT BREAD

To have warm freshly bread for afternoon snack or dinner is comforting. Now, imagine to serve a bread recently removed from oven, light, airy, very soft, with a delicious filling. It's better, right?! This is totally possible even for those who had never read about bakery. It's just follow the recipe to the letter and it can't go wrong.

400g flour

2 tbsp sugar

1 shallow tbsp instant yeast

1 egg

200ml lukewarm buttermilk

30g butter in room temperature

1/2 tbsp salt

About 100g flour

Filling

2 tomatoes

200g ground ham

200g grated mozzarella

Oregano

Egg wash

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp butter

Oregano

Directions

In a bowl of mixer, mix flour, sugar and yeast (don't add the salt to not damage the proof). Add the egg and buttermilk and beat with the hook at low speed for 8 minutes, if necessary add a little more flour to not stick on the bowl. Add the butter and knead for more 10 minutes until make a elastic and smooth dough.

Cover with a plastic and let to proof for about 1h30.

Reserve 50g flour and fold in the 1/2 tbsp salt. Knead again with the hook for 10 minutes, adding the flour and salt, if necessary add a little more flour. Do not make a thick dough, it's must to be very soft and easy to stick on hands.

In a non-flour surface knead the dough. Divide the dough into two or three pieces. Roll out each piece with a rolling pin, spread the filling and roll again making the bread. Place each bread in a greased bread pan. Make deep cuts with a knife, brush with the egg wash, sprinkle oregano and let proof again for about 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350˚F and bake the bread for about 40 minutes until is golden brown. Remove from pan and let cool over a dishcloth, inverting to cool uniformly. Store in a airtigh container or a plastic bag.

Filling

Chop the tomatoes into small cubes and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Set aside for 10 minutes to loose water. Mix the ham, cheese, tomato without water and oregano.

Egg wash

Melt the butter and let cool. Add the egg yolk and beat with a fork.

Cook's tip: You can make the recipe without a mixer, kneading the dough with the hands.

You can mold the bread and cut into slices, making individuals rolls.

Use pepperoni instead the ham.

Yield: 3 smalls breads.