Pane Bianco - Cosy Comfort Food: How to Make Easy and Delicious Stuffed Bread at Home

When it’s cold and wet outside, there's nothing like the warmth of a cosy kitchen to brighten your mood. Rather than facing the dreariness of the day, I’m staying in to create something special—Pane Bianco. This is not just any bread; it’s the ultimate comfort food, perfect for a miserable day and it the perfect distraction to avoid the dreaded housework!

Treat your your taste buds to light, fluffy bread enriched with egg and milk. The filling is worth the wait—rich, melty cheese blends seamlessly with sun-dried tomatoes and fresh basil, creating a flavour explosion in every bite. I'm feeling my day brighten already!

As a bonus, the deceptively easy shaping of this bread, will have everybody convinced that you've been slaving away on this bread all day, instead of sat here drinking coffee, telling people about this amazing loaf. So, repeat after me, "I will not let the shaping of this bread intimidate me, if Jo can do it, so can I ... I roll the dough, the dough does not roll me!" ... Although, on saying that if you make enough, it would probably add rolls, but lets not think about that!! For today, were just rolling the dough out into a rectangle, sprinkling over the the fillings, rolling the dough into a long sausage, splitting the dough down the middle with a knife, but not slicing all the way through or all the way to the ends; shaping into an S shape, then pulling those curves into a figure of 8 shape. See, we got this, easy!

Your Pane Bianco Step By Step Shaping Guide?

Step 1

On a lightly floured surface roll out dough into a large rectangle. Scatter over cheese, chopped sun dried tomatoes and torn basil leaves

Step 2

Starting from the long edge, roll the dough into a long sausage

Step 3

You now need to split the rolled dough shape down the middle, lengthways with a knife, but not slicing all the way through or all the way to the ends.

Step 4

Shape your cut roll into an S shape

Step 5

Then pull those curves into a figure of 8 shape.

The Recipe

Ingredients

• Bread Dough

  3 cups strong bread flour

  2 teaspoons instant yeast

  1 1/4 teaspoons salt

  1 large egg

  1/2 cup lukewarm milk

  1/3 cup lukewarm water

  3 tablespoons olive oil

  
  

  Filling Ingredients

  3/4 cup Grated cheese (I used a ready grated bag of 4 mixed cheeses)

  1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes

  1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

  
  

  Method

  
  

  To make the dough: Combine all of the dough ingredients in a bowl and mix and knead for 8 to 10 minutes to make a smooth, very soft dough.

  
  

  Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let it rise until it's doubled in size, about 45 to 60 minutes.

  
  

  Meanwhile, thoroughly drain the tomatoes and chop them into smaller bits. Tear the basil.

  
  

  Gently deflate the dough. Flatten and pat it into a 22" x 8 1/2" rectangle. Spread with the cheese, tomatoes and basil.

  
  

  Starting with one long edge, roll the dough into a log the long way. Pinch the edges to seal. Place the log seam-side down on a lightly greased parchment-lined baking sheet.

  
  

  Using kitchen scissors or a sharp knife, start 1/2" from one end and cut the log lengthwise down the centre about 1" deep, to within 1/2" of the other end. Use caution so that you don't cut all the way through to the bottom of the log.

  
  

  Keeping the cut side up, form an "S" shape. Tuck both ends under the center of the "S" to form a "figure 8" and pinch the ends together to seal.

  
  

  Cover and let rise in a warm place until double, 45 to 60 minutes.

  
  

  While the loaf is rising, preheat the oven to 350°F.

  
  

  Uncover the bread, and bake it for 35 to 40 minutes, tenting it with foil after the first 20 to 25 minutes to prevent over-browning.

  
  

  Remove the bread from the oven, and transfer it to a rack to cool. Enjoy warm or at room temperature. Store, well-wrapped, at room temperature for a couple of days; freeze for longer storage.