Volcano Cheese Bread

I love melty, gooey cheese and warm, fragrant bread, and to find both in a recipe is a bread-baker's (and glutton's) dream. This recipe is an adaptation of one from the King Arthur Flour website and will not disappoint.

Volcano Cheese Bread
Starter
1-1/4 cups unbleached flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
1/2 cup cool water

Dough
All of the Starter
1-1/4 cups lukewarm water
1 teaspoon salt
3-1/4 cups unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast

Filling
2-1/2 cups grated cheese (I used fresh mozzarella, havarti, parmesan, and sharp Cheddar)

Directions
Starter:
In a medium-sized bowl, mix Starter ingredients together till well-combined. Make sure all ingredients are well-mixed; batter will be stiff. Cover and let rest overnight at room temperature. After the overnight resting, it will look similar to this:


Bread Dough:
Combine risen starter with Dough ingredients. Knead (using your favorite method--I used my KitchenAid dough hook) until smooth dough is formed. Put dough in lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or till nearly doubled.

Gently press on dough with your fist to deflate it, then press it into a 9" x 12" shape. Mist with water; sprinkle with grated cheese. Starting with long side, roll carefully into a log and seal seam by pinching. Place seam-side down on lightly oiled or floured surface. Cover and let rise for 1 to 1-1/2 hours, or until puffed but not necessarily doubled.

Preheat oven to 425°F. Cut dough crosswise into 2 halves or four pieces, depending on the size of loaf you prefer. Place cut side up on lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, using one sheet for two halves or two sheets for four pieces. Gently spread apart to expose cheese.


Mist with warm water and bake immediately, 20 minutes for smaller loaves or 35 minutes for larger loaves, or until the cheese is melted and loaves are deep golden brown. Remove from the oven, cool on a rack until you can’t stand it anymore, then tear off pieces with your fingers and enjoy bites of savory fondue-like cheese encased in a tender and tangy bread.