Name: Cheesy Garlic Salt Bread
Cook time: P0Y0M0DT1H0M0.000S
Total time: P0Y0M0DT5H0M0.000S
Yield: 12 breads
Ingredients: 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast; 1 cup cold whole milk; 2 1/2 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting (see Cook’s Note); 3/4 cup cake flour; 2 tablespoons granulated sugar; 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature; Nonstick cooking spray, for the bowl; Flaky sea salt; 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature; 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan; 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley; 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt; 1 teaspoon granulated garlic; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 6 string cheese pieces, unwrapped

Directions

Special equipment:

a spray bottle for water

For the salt bread dough: Heat 1/2 cup cold water in a small saucepan over low heat to 100 to 110 degrees F, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk the yeast into the warm water and let sit until it starts to foam, 6 to 7 minutes.
Pour the yeast mixture and milk into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Add the bread flour, cake flour, sugar and kosher salt and knead on medium-low speed until a shaggy dough forms and the flour is hydrated, about 3 minutes. Remove the hook, leaving the dough in the bowl, cover the bowl with a baking sheet and let rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.
Re-attach the hook and knead the dough on medium speed until smooth, about 5 minutes. Knead in the butter until the dough is smooth, elastic and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, 2 to 3 more minutes. Shape into a ball. Spray a medium bowl with nonstick spray and add the dough. Cover and let rise in a warm area until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours. Reserve the stand mixer bowl for the cheesy garlic butter.
For the cheesy garlic butter: Line a large plate with parchment and set aside. Beat the butter, Parmesan, parsley, kosher salt, granulated garlic and fresh garlic in the reserved stand mixer bowl with the paddle attachment, stopping occasionally and scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl, until smooth and evenly mixed. Transfer the garlic butter to a sheet of parchment, cover with another piece of parchment about the same size and shape into a flat 4 1/2-by-4-inch rectangle, about 3/4 inch thick. Refrigerate until solid, about 30 minutes.
Position the garlic butter with a longer side facing you and cut in half horizontally across the 4-inch side. Cut 3/4-inch-thick sticks vertically; you should have 12 sticks that are 2 inches long and 3/4 inch thick. Place on the prepared plate, leaving a small space between each. Cut each string cheese in half crosswise. Arrange on the same plate with space between each. Freeze the entire plate uncovered until needed.
Portion the proofed dough into 12 equal pieces, each about 2 1/4 ounces (65 grams). Working with 1 piece at a time, press the dough on a lightly floured work surface into a 5-by-2-inch rectangle with a long side facing you. Pinch the opposite edges along the longer sides together to form a rough cylinder. Gently roll 1 end to elongate slightly to about 6 inches and tapering to look like a carrot. Place seam-side down on an unlined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, leaving about 1/2 inch of space between each piece. Cover with a flipped-over baking sheet and let rest at room temperature until the dough relaxes, about 15 minutes.
Working with 1 “carrot” dough piece at a time, firmly press the dough into a triangle on a lightly floured surface with the tapered end facing away from you. Lightly dust a rolling pin with bread flour and gently roll the side closer to you into a 2-inch base. With one hand on the tapered end, roll the dough away from you into about a 20-inch-long triangle, with the 2-inch short base.
Place 1 butter piece and 1 string cheese piece side-by-side at the base of the dough horizontally and fold the top edge of the dough over the butter and cheese to cover. With one hand on the base of the triangle and the other on the tapered end, start to roll the dough towards the tapered end, making sure to keep the dough centered to form a shape like a croissant. Every so often, lift the roll slightly and pull back gently without tearing to create light tension. The butter and cheese stick don’t need to be completely sealed, but they should not stick out. Transfer to an unlined baking sheet, leaving 4 to 5 inches between them. Repeat the same process with the remaining dough, butter and cheese, using a second unlined baking sheet and placing 6 rolls on each baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm area until the dough is doubled in size and looks airy and puffy, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. When you gently shake the baking sheets, the rolls should jiggle like marshmallows.
About 30 minutes before baking, position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F.
Lightly spray the proofed dough with water and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Spray the dough again about 10 times until moistened. Place the baking sheets in the oven and quickly spray the oven walls about 15 times with water. Close the door immediately and bake for 3 minutes.
Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees F and continue to bake until the breads are starting to brown, about 12 minutes. Quickly rotate the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back and continue to bake until evenly browned, 8 to 10 minutes more.
Remove the baking sheets to a cooling rack. Using a pastry brush, brush the leaked butter on top of the breads. Let the breads cool on the baking sheets until the sheets are cool enough to handle, about 5 minutes. Run a thin fish spatula underneath each bread to release, then use tongs to transfer the breads to the wire rack to keep the bottoms crunchy. The breads are best enjoyed warm. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days, if they last that long.

Cook’s Note

When measuring flour, we spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off excess. (Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour, resulting in dry baked goods.) We recommend salted butter with a higher salt content, such as Kerrygold. Reheating Instructions: In an air fryer: Air fry at 350 degrees F until the bread is warm and the outside is crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. In a toaster oven: Bake at 350 degrees until the bread is warm and the outside is crisp, 4 to 5 minutes.