beer batter gruyere pull apart bread

A few weeks back, I stumbled upon Smitten Kitchen's awesome post on this ingenious pull apart bread. Doesn't it just look amazing? And with my affinity for anything bread, I couldn't help but drool a little bit. Since I had a leftover block of Gruyere from the petit croque monsieurs, it felt like a sign to break out the yeast and beer. Luckily for me, the Cook's Illustrated Cookbook that V. sent me (plenty of thanks again), had a beer batter cheese bread that called for Gruyere and a lighter beer (which I prefer to drink and also just so happened to have sitting in the fridge). I must say that was another sign, don't you agree? Naturally, I went on my merry way to blend two recipes to make something all my own.

I loved Smitten Kitchen's idea of incorporating the flavors of a Welsh rarebit, which I never heard of until flipping through the pages of the Martha Stewart Hor's D'oeuvres book. Though it would have been nice to do the same, I decided that the assertive mustard and spice flavors would overpower my much milder Gruyere, not to mention the lighter Heineken. So I opted to use less Dijon that still offered a slight kick and amped up the amount of freshly ground black pepper.

The results? A kitchen filled with the savory aroma of a soft cheesy bread that pulls apart with ease. It reminisced of a larger, more palate intriguing, bread stick. As for my constant taste tester, Mom thought it reminded her of a bread she grew up eating as a child, finding the distinctively light yet unique flavor familiar. I instantly laughed, since this was a beer batter cheese bread that I'm almost certain you wouldn't find in Asia decades ago. It was probably the rye and wheat flours she recognized. The loaf was divided into a section for my brother and the rest went with me for snacking purposes on my trip to San Francisco.


Devil's Teeth Baking Company's cafe latte and donut muffin, Tea Way's boba milk green tea, Devil's Teeth's apple pie, Philz Coffee's tantalizing turkish, Devil's Teeth's beignets, and Saigon Sandwich's roast chicken banh mi


Speaking of SF, I couldn't resist sharing some of the delicious food that came my way all in one day. A very big thank you and hug to S., who spent the day taking me around the city and eating along the way.

Beer Batter Gruyere Pull Apart Bread adapted from Smitten Kitchen & Cook's Illustrated

Bread
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup plus 1/2 cup light beer
3 cups AP flour, divided
2/3 cup rye flour, divided
2 tbsp sugar
2 1/4 tsp yeast
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs, room temperature

Filling
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded Gruyere

In a small saucepan, melt butter for bread with 1/4 cup of beer, until the butter is just melted. Remove from heat and add remaining 1/2 cup of beer. Set aside to cool to between 110 and 116 degrees.

In bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, stir 2 cups of AP flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. With mixer on low, pour in beer-butter mixture, mixing until the flour is moistened. Add eggs, one at a time, until combined. Add 1/2 cup of AP flour and 1/3 cup of rye flour, mixing until combined. Slowly add the remaining rye flour until dough starts to pull away from sides of bowl. Add in remaining AP flour if necessary. Switch to dough hook and knead on low for 3 to 5 minutes.

Oil a large bowl and transfer dough into it. Turn dough over to completely oil the dough to prevent drying. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set aside to double, about an hour.

Back in the same small saucepan, melt 2 tbsp butter. Remove from heat and whisk in mustard. Set aside. In a medium bowl, combine Gruyere with salt and pepper. Keep in fridge until ready to use.

Grease a loaf pan lightly with butter.

Turn out dough onto a well floured surface, and roll out into a 20x12 inch rectangle. Brush the mustard-butter mixture across the dough, all the way to the edges. Cut the dough into 5 strips, each 4x12 inches. Sprinkle 1/5th of the cheese mixture evenly on top of the first strip. Place another strip on top and cover with another 1/5th of the cheese mixture. Make sure to press lightly down after each strip to ensure good adhesion. Repeat until all the strips and cheese are used.

Cut the stack into 6 or 7 segments 2 inch segments. Arrange stacks of dough down the length of the loaf pan. I placed the non-cheesed side of the first segment facing out toward the pan, preventing the cheese from potentially sticking to the pan. Continue stacking the segments, finishing with the last segment non-cheesed side facing out as well. Loosely cover with plastic wrap for second rise, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350. Bake loaf for about 35 minutes, until puffed and browned. Transfer to wire rack and cool for 5 minutes before flipping out to serve.