Italian Feather Bread

When you make cheese, there is a lot of left-over whey. I always feel bad if I pour it down the sink. It seems like such a waste. When I got my cheese-making kit from the New England Cheese-Making Co., it came with a recipe book that included recipes to use the left over whey. One that caught my eye was Italian Feather Bread. With a name like that, how could you not try it? We did, and really liked it. Especially when we dipped in in roasted garlic and Italian seasonings in olive oil. It was just like at Italian restaurants that give you their delicious bread to dip in the garlic and olive oil. The only difference is that I used 100% white wheat flour to make it. Here's the recipe:

2 packages yeast
1 T sugar
1 c warm water
1/3 c butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 c hot whey or milk
2 t salt
5 1/2 to 6 c flour
1 lightly beaten egg white
 Cornmeal

Stir the yeast, sugar, and warm water together in a large bowl. Let sit until yeast dissolves and starts to proof.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in the hot whey and let cool to lukewarm. Add salt and combine with yeast mixture.

Stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon (or in a mixer with the dough hook) add the flour 1 cup at a time, until the dough starts coming away from the sides of the bowl. The dough will be sticky.

Turn out the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead until it becomes easy to handle. Knead for 2-4 minutes with well floured hands.

When the dough is soft and smooth, let rest for 5 or 6 minutes. Divide in 2.

Roll each half into a rectangle and roll up starting from the wide end, pinching the seams as you roll.

Grease a large baking sheet and sprinkle cornmeal over the top. Place the loaves on the baking sheet. (If you like those fancy marks on top, cut four slits with a sharp knife) Let them rise in a warm draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about an hour. Brush with beaten egg white and bake at 425 for 30-40 minutes or until the loaves are a golden color and make a hollow sound when you tap with your knuckles. Cool on a rack and serve fresh.

*I don't usually do the egg white on top, although it does make it look nice and shiny on top. I just find that when I brush it on, the bread collapses and it becomes more flat in stead of round. I spray the top with cooking spray instead. Also, since it makes 2 loaves, you make make one for right then and save the other for later. I have frozen one loaf and thawed it when we were ready to eat it and it was still moist and delicious. Or you can share a loaf with your friends. :)