La Lama Mountain Ovens
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The best of the recipes, techniques, and methods practiced by our large extended Italian-American family - with emphasis on the legacy handed down to us by the original immigrants.

This is a cookbook-in-process project. If you try any of these recipes please let us know how they turn out, whether or not you had any difficulties, and any clarifying improvements you might recommend to make them foolproof. We will of course acknowledge genuine "test-kitchen" assistance.

Family Secrets #3

Cheese Bread

By Ray Zara, La Lama Mountain Ovens

The grape arbor we had in our back yard was elevated about 8 feet and covered approximately a 20x20 foot area. Six vines intertwined to form a shaded area where I spent a lot of time with my father relaxing and cooling off after working in the garden for 2 or 3 hours. I can still remember him sitting with that old sweat stained fedora hat, telling me to go to the wine cellar and draw a pitcher of wine, then asking mom to bring out the chilled grapes and the cheese bread. His favorite grapes to eat were a deep purple Concord type that he had picked and washed in the morning. On these hot summer days our mid-afternoon snack was chilled grapes, a thick slice of cheese bread and a glass of home-made dry red wine. Life was good.

Pietro (Pete) Zara
(1895-1972)
and son Raymond
Picture: 1941

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Papa's Cheese Bread

One of the variables in this recipe is the quality and type of the cheese that will be used. At the number 1 position would be Reggiano Parmigiano. However any good quality Parmesan, Romano, Pecorino Romano, or any hard aged cheese that you might use freshly grated on a nice dish of pasta will work. Pre-grated cheeses that you might find in the supermarket in cardboard dispensers and glass shaker bottles will not work.

Total ingredients:

• 6 large eggs - well beaten and at room temperature
• 1 cup milk - scalded
• 6 oz. Crisco melted and cooled to room temperature
• 8 oz. Freshly grated hard aged cheese
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 5 cups flour
• 1 pkg. Instant dry yeast

Step One: the Sponge

In a bowl place 11/4 cups of the flour, 1 Pkg. of Instant dry yeast and 1 cup of scalded milk, now at room temperature. Mix well, cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 1 hr.

Step Two: Mixing and Kneading

In your mixer bowl measure 3 cups flour, (you should have 3/4 cup now in reserve), add the eggs, Crisco, cheese, salt and the sponge. Mix well and turn out on a well floured board. Knead by hand adding flour as necessary to achieve a smooth supple dough that is just dry enough not to stick to the kneading surface.

Step Three: Scaling and Proofing

Divide the dough in half and place in two lightly greased standard loaf pans (9x5x21/2), cover with a clean kitchen towel and let raise for three hours, or until the proofed dough reaches the top of the pan. Bake in a 300 degree oven for 50 minutes. The yield is two loaves. If you would like to freeze one loaf, make sure it is double wrapped with plastic wrap and defrosted with the wrap on. This bread freezes very nicely.

You will undoubtedly notice a couple of things that are different about this bread. First of all there is no sugar in the recipe and secondly there is no "first" rise. You will also notice that the two pans when first filled with the un-proofed dough will look very skimpy. Not to worry. By using the sponge method the yeast will get into high gear feeding from the milk and flour for the 1 hour wait, therefore the lack of sugar will not inhibit the growth of the yeast structures. The elimination of the first rise, or fermentation stage, and going straight to proof further enhances the development of the yeast with no effect on the texture of the finished product.

Altitude adjustments: At 8,000 feet we reduce the proofing time to slightly over 2 hours, increase the oven temperature by 25 degrees, and shorten the cooking time by 5-10 minutes. Altitude adjustment should begin at 2,500 feet at one-third the amount shown here, two-thirds at 5,000 feet, and the full amount at 7,500 feet. Scale similarly every 2,500 feet if you're really in the clouds.