![Ricotta Whey Bread Lydia Guerrini Masterchef Cheezapalooza]( "Ricotta Whey Bread Lydia Guerrini Masterchef 2012")
The finished product. 18cm of Ricotta Whey Bread. Ever seen any loaf of bread so tall…?!
![Ricotta Whey Bread Lydia Guerrini Absolutely Georgeous]( "Ricotta Whey Bread Lydia Guerrini Absolutely Georgeous")
Look how high this loaf is! Ready to be baked in the hot hot oven!
Seriously. Those that know me know I don’t like wasting food. Not even the rejected parts of food. I waste NOTHING. So, when I recently got into the world of cheese, and started making my own ricotta…I had all this whey that went done the sink. Once. Until I looked up what people do with whey. I mean….surely 100 years ago, it wasn’t tossed down the sink, right? So when I found a few recipes for pancakes, I figured…why couldn’t I just use this in my bread…?! So I tweaked my basic quick and easy bread recipe, to make this one.
Bread, sweet bread. I love you.
I used all of the dough to make this High-as-Pie beauty…but the dough can be split into two loaves or even bread rolls if you lke. Just adjust the cooking time. Within the next few days, I’ll be posting my own experiences making *Ricotta* as part of the Cheesapalooza Challenge I’m involved in. Enjoy the bread that gives life.
Absolutely Georgeous Ricotta Whey Bread
3 cups warm ricotta whey
1 packet of yeast
1/4 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon best quality sea salt
7 cups Plain Flour (All-purpose flour for the U.S food bloggers!)
Ok, in your kitchenaid bowl (or mixer bowl), add your warm whey and sprinkle the yeast on top. Give it a gentle stir, smudging out any lumps until it goes creamy and smooth. Sprinkle your sugar on top. Sugar is food for yeast and it loves it! Let it sit for at least 5 minutes in a warm area- or at least until it is bubbly and you can see that the yeast is activated.
Attach your bowl to the mixer, and on low speed, slowly incorporate the first 3 cups of flour. Slowly add the remaining flour. The amount of flour is approximate–it will depend on the weather and temperature. When the dough is smooth and elastic continue kneading for 8-10 minutes until the gluten has developed and the dough has that perfect shiny-smooth-delicious-sheen-I’m-ready-to-grow look about it. Sprinkle flour on top and rub some oil underneath. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let it work its magic in a warm part of the room, until the dough has doubled in size (could take an hour or more, depending on the weather!)
Return the dough to the mixer and knead it for another minute. You basically need to expell the air bubbles in the dough to allow it grow again. Let the dough rise again for another hour or more. (Sometimes fo rme this takes up to 3 hours each time so be patient!)
Collect the dough and split it into 2 loaves, smaller dinner rolls, or a big whopping beauty like I do. I picked up that tin in a second hand store- I had never seen anything like it so how could I refuse adding it to my bread tin collection?! I usually sprinly polenta (corn meal) on the base of my loaf tin, or just oil the base and flour the tops of the loaves. I find it gives a glamourous crust which we all love!
Let the loaf/loaves rise for about an hour until they are magnificent and beautiful. Cut 2-3 shallow slits on the top of the loaf. Bake for 25 minutes in a preheated 180-degree oven, or less for dinner rolls.
Enjoy your bread. It’s made with food love- on so many levels!
Enjoy my food love, Lydia xxx
