Parmesan Bread

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.

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.

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.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

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.