Lard Bread

Many times, when I get an inkling for something I’d like to cook but am new to cooking that specific dish, or using that specific ingredient, I simply turn to Google and search “meat in bread recipes” for instance. This will typically either provide me with enough inspiration and confidence to just start exploring in my kitchen- the only parameters being what else is in my fridge- or provide me with at least one recipe that looks exciting enough to try.

This is how I came to try my hand at baking my first lard bread last weekend. This particular adventure began with a need to clean out my fridge. Over the years, I have gotten a lot more disciplined with, and conscious of, what food I purchase and in what quantities in a sincere attempt to decrease/eliminate food waste in our household. However, every now and again I still over-purchase (especially for our family of 2 adults and one puppy). Seeing food go bad in my fridge breaks my heart and makes me really disappointed in myself.

As I looked in my fridge on Sunday, I realized (with the help of my partner expressing his frustration over fridge clutter) that our meat and cheese drawer was borderline overflowing. We had recently taken a few days vacation in New Orleans and came back with the spoils of having visited Cochon Butcher (if you haven’t been, that establishment alone is worth a trip to NOLA!). Unfortunately for our fridge drawer, these mouth watering cuts of meat only added to an assortment of other cured meats and cheeses that we were still working our way through.

Looking in my fridge, I knew that if something was not made with these ingredients soon, they would go bad and end up in our composter. Usually when we have too many meats and cheeses- good meats and cheeses are very hard for us to resist- either myself or my partner will make a big pasta or rice dish with whatever will go bad first. But for some reason, on this day, I wanted to try my hand at something different.

Back when I lived in Brooklyn, I taught yoga at a small studio in Carroll Gardens. it was about a block away from the famous Mazzola Bakery, and many days I would stop in the bakery after teaching and buy myself a treat. One of the things Mazzola is most famous for is their Lard Bread. Even thinking about it now makes me salivate and fill me with nostalgia.

I began to wonder if searching for lard bread recipes on Google would yield anything inspiring, or at least yield something that would not require buying more items and adding more clutter to our fridge. The recipe I found that got me the most excited was from rookiewithacookie.com. Izza, the author of the recipe, has created a mouth watering twist on lard bread that is basically bread stuffed with cheese and sloppy Joe meat. This recipe seemed easy enough to try, however using the sloppy Joe portion of the recipe wouldn’t help me clear out my fridge. Instead, I substituted the sloppy Joe portion of Izza’s recipe for what I had available to me. I also twisted my bread instead of the braiding technique Izza used. Below is my resulting recipe:

Dough Ingredients (taken straight from rookiewithacookie.com):

• 2 cups All-purpose flour (1 additional cup may be needed to get the necessary dough consistency)

• 3/4 tsp salt

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 1/2 tsp yeast mixed in 1/2 cup lukewarm water and 1 tsp sugar to "proof" it

• 1/2 cup milk

• 1 egg beaten lightly

Meat and Cheese Filling:

• Roughly 12 oz cured spicy Italian sausage or Spanish chorizo

• Roughly 12 oz proscuitto

• Roughly 5 oz shredded mozzarella cheese

Finishing Touches:

• 1/2 cup milk

• 1-2 tbsp butter

Instructions

• Proof yeast by mixing the yeast in 1/2 cup lukewarm water and a tsp of sugar. Wait 5 mins and only use if the mixture is foamy or frothy. If it is not, that means the yeast has expired and if used, your bread will not rise.

• In a bowl mix flour and salt. Then add the wet ingredients: olive oil, proofed yeast, milk and egg. Knead by hand for about 15 mins or approximately 6-7 mins in a standing mixer until the dough becomes really soft and pliable and does not stick. If sticky, you can add more flour. *To note, I needed almost a full additional cup of flour in order to get dough to the necessary consistency.

• Let the dough rise in a bowl (lightly greased with olive oil) for an hour or so until doubled (or even tripled) in size. *To note, I covered my bowl with a clean damp kitchen towel like I do for sourdough bread and challah bread recipes.

• While the dough is rising, shred the prosciutto and dice the sausage. Mix both meats in a sauté pan and heat on medium low until the prosciutto and sausage get slightly crispy, roughly 5-10 min. Your meats are already cooked, but heating them will release some of the oils and add a lovely crispy char to some of the pieces.

• Drain the oil from the meats into a small bowl and set aside.

• Once, the dough has risen, punch it down and roll it into a thick log. Transfer to a baking sheet lightly greased with olive oil, or lined with a silicon baking mat. Cut the log into 4 equal sections and roll each section out into equally long logs roughly 1/2 inch thick.

• Preheat your oven to 425F.

• Flatten each log so they are wide and thin. Brush the oil from the meat on each flattened piece, and then add the meat and cheese to your liking down the center of each flattened piece. Take the outer edges of one piece and fold them in on each other pinching them to ensure they stay securely fastened. Repeat as you move your way from the top to the bottom of one piece and then repeat on each of the three remaining pieces. Once you have finished this process, you will have 4 logs that are each filled with meat and cheese.

• Lay all four logs next to each other towards the left side of the baking sheet. Place the top of the log second from the left over the top of the log all the way to the left. Place the top of the third to the left over the top of the 2 other logs and then repeat with the top of the log furthest from the left. Once you’ve finished this step, all 4 logs should be attached only at the very top.

• Take the log all the way on the left and bring it all the way to the right. Repeat with the next log on the left, bringing it all the way to the right and then the next and the next. Repeat until the 4 logs are fully twisted and all that is left is the very bottom of all 4 logs. Take the bottom of all 4 logs and attach them to each other much like you did with the tops. Make sure none of the meat and cheese filling is exposed.

• If there is any meat oil left, add the “finishing touches” milk to this bowl and mix. Brush all exposed parts of the bread with the milk oil.

• Bake at 425F for 20-25 min. The top will be a lovely golden brown.

• Once the bread has baked, melt 1-2 tbsp of butter and brush all exposed parts of the bread with the butter. This will add a shine to the bread and also makes the bread a bit soft. Let the bread rest for 5-10 mins, then slice up and ENJOY!

Notes:

• When baking your loaf, do not use parchment paper. Grease you baking sheet or use silicon baking mats (I recommend the latter as they are reusable, better for the environment than foil and makes for easier cleanup!)

• If wrapped in plastic wrap, your loaf should last about 5 days.

• You may freeze your loaf if you so choose as well!