The Paris Cookbook: Pain au Parmesan

When you have spent more than twenty years living in Paris, you get to know the city. Patricia Wells knows Paris. And, more, Patricia Wells knows Paris food.

In this cookbook, Wells shares recipes of top chefs and little bistros as well as market sellers and home cooks.

Of course, I had to try out a few of the recipes. My favorites were the breads, especially Brioche and Parmesan Bread. 

The Parmesan Bread recipe is simple. You don't have to know much about kneading to make this bread. 

PARMESAN BREAD

1 teaspoon dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1 1/3 cups lukewarm water

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons fine sea salt

3 3/4 cups bread flour

3 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. In the bowl of a mixer, combine yeast, sugar, and lukewarm water. Stir to blend. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Then stir in the oil and sea salt.

2. Add the 3 3/4 cups flour and the cheese all at once and mix at medium speed until the flour has been absorbed and the dough forms a ball. Continue to mix until the dough is soft and satiny, 4-5 minutes. If necessary, add a little more flour to keep the dough from sticking. Transfer the dough to a clean, floured work surface and knead by hand for one minute.

3. Place the dough in a bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise until doubled in bulk, about an hour. Punch the dough down and place it into a bread pan. Cover it with a clean cloth and let it rise until doubled in bulk, about an hour.

4. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

5. With the tips of a pair of scissors, snip the top of the dough all over, about 15 times, to allow it to expand evenly during baking. Place the bread pan on the bottom shelf of the oven. Bake until firm and golden brown, about 35-40 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Note: I did a few things differently. I used shaved Parmesan cheese rather than grated cheese. I used 5 ounces instead of 3 ounces. I didn't snip the top of the dough and I didn't bake it in a bread pan; instead, I baked it in my cast iron pot (lined with parchment paper) for 30 minutes with the lid on and for five more minutes with the lid off.

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