Parmesan Bread

Preparation

1. Dissolve yeast in water in a large bowl. Stir in nonfat dry milk, 1 cup Parmesan, whole egg, oil, sugar, salt, cayenne and 3 cups of the flour. Beat well with a wooden spoon. Gradually stir in enough of the remaining flour until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.
2. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until the dough is smooth, elastic and only slightly sticky, about 5 minutes, adding additional flour as necessary. (Alternatively, the dough can be mixed and kneaded in a stand-up electric mixer fitted with a dough hook.) Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 1/2 hours.
3. Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a floured work surface; divide it in half and shape each half into a ball. Place balls on an oiled baking sheet, cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, 30 to 40 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F.
5. Brush the risen loaves with egg white. With a sharp knife, make three 1/2-inch-deep slashes in each loaf. Sprinkle loaves with the remaining 1 tablespoon Parmesan. Bake until the loaves sound hollow when tapped on the bottom, 25 to 35 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Nutrition