Ingredients
- 5 g active dry yeast
- 75 ml lukewarm water
- 3 eggs
- 255 g cottage cheese
- 582 g flour, plus more for dusting
- ½ tbsp salt
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the 5g active dry yeast and 75ml lukewarm water and set aside. Look for signs of life (foam, bubbles, yeasty smell), you can add a bit of sugar to increase activity.
- Blend the 3 eggs and 255g cottage cheese until smooth in a blender or food processor. Add the blended mixture to the yeast mixture and whisk to combine.
- Add 582g of flour, along with ½ tbsp salt, to the wet ingredients. Stir to combine into a shaggy, sticky dough.
- Dust a work surface with flour and dump the dough on it. Dust your hands with flour to prevent them from sticking to the dough (or oil your hands with a little bit of oil). Knead the dough, using a bench scraper to help lift the sticky dough from your work surface as needed, for 5 to 6 minutes, or until it starts looking smooth. You can also knead the dough until smooth using a stand mixer.
- Shape the dough into a ball and place it back in the mixing bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour, or until almost doubled in size.
- Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
- After the dough has doubled in size, punch it down to deflate it. Roll it into a log, then pinch the dough along the seam together. Place in the prepared pan, seam side down. Let it dough sit in the loaf pan for 20 to 25 minutes, or until visibly risen and puffed up.
- Heat the oven to 200 degress.
- After the dough’s second rise, make a slit along the middle using a sharp knife or razor blade.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until it sounds hollow after a gentle tap on the crust. The top of the bread will brown pretty quickly. To prevent it from burning, cover loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil as soon as it turns crusty and brown.
- Cool completely, then slice and serve. (Slices can be stored in the freezer in a ziplock bag, then toasted before serving.)