72-hour Cheesy Garlic Loaf

This flavorful, buttery, cheesy garlic bread is one deliciously layered twisted loaf made from 72-hour cold-risen dough. It sounds like a lot of time for rising, but I promise it is well worth the wait. The method itself doesn't require a lot of effort; all you need is a bit of patience as the dough sits and works its magic in the fridge. When yeast ferments for as long as 72 hours, it imparts an immense flavor to the dough which becomes one tasty bread when baked.

Inspired by pizzeria dough, typically risen between 3-5 days, and garlic knots, this cheesy parmesan and asiago garlic loaf is one bread recipe you will want to make at home. Again and again, despite the wait!

Ingredients

For the dough, you will need:

1 packet or 2-1/4 tsp active dry yeast

1 tsp sugar

1/4 c + 3/4 c warm water

2-1/4 c all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp oil -- I prefer canola oil as I find it yields a softer dough than olive oil typically used for pizza dough

For the filling, you will need:

4 tbsp + 2 tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 tbsp pressed or minced garlic (4 cloves)

1 tbsp chopped chives

1 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley

1 cup grated parmesan (3 oz)

1 cup grated asiago (3 oz)

Dough

First, to mix and knead the dough:

1. Mix yeast and sugar into 1/4 cup warm water.

2. Let the yeast prove that it's active. After 10 minutes, it should be bubbly and frothy.

3. Combine flour, salt, remaining 3/4 cup warm water, oil, and yeast.

4. You can knead by hand or with a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment.

5. Knead or mix with the stand mixer until the dough is smooth.

6. The dough is done kneading when it springs back when pressed with your fingers.

7. Place the dough in a well oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap.

72-hour Cold-rise

This is where patience pays off. Simply place the covered bowl of dough in the fridge and forget about it for 3 days. Try not to open the plastic wrap or move the bowl. We don't want to disturb the yeast as it works it magic.

If you cannot wait 3 days, wait 24 hours at the minimum.

Cheesy Garlic Butter

When the dough is ready, remove it from the fridge to sit at room temperature.

Now while the dough sits at room temperature, it's time to make a delicious, buttery, cheesy, garlicky filling:

1. In a small saucier over low-medium heat, combine 4 tbsp of unsalted butter and pressed/minced garlic.

2. Melt the butter and allow the garlic to slowly infuse the butter over low heat for up to 5 minutes. The heat must be low to ensure the garlic will not get scorched.

3. Remove the saucier from the heat. Add the remaining 2 tbsp of butter at this stage so that the temperature of the butter is slightly cooler to avoid melting the cheese.

4. Add the cheese, chives, and parsley.

5. Mix well until combined.

Roll & Fill & Roll

When the dough has come to room temperature, it's time to roll and fill it.

1. Turn the dough over on a floured surface. You will notice that the dough will have indentations of your fingers, which means it is absolutely ready for shaping and baking.

2. Roll the dough between 1/8"-1/4" thickness.

3. You will want to roll the dough into a rectangle with the width slightly longer than the loaf pan you are using, about 1" longer on either side. I used a 12" x 4-1/2" narrow loaf pan, so my dough was rolled out to be about 14" x 18".

4. Place the filling on the dough.

5. Spread the filling evenly leaving about a 1/2" margin around the edges.

6. Roll the dough widthwise to form a log.

7. Make sure that the rolled edge of the log is on the bottom.