Pane Bianco With Red Pepper and Garlic

Pane Bianco with Red Peppers, Garlic, and Basil is a real showstopper of a loaf. If you want to impress but not stress, make this bread ASAP!

In case you're wondering what the translation for Pane Bianco is, I did Google translate to find out...and guess what? It means "White Bread"! LOL, I thought it would be something a bit more exotic but, oh well, at least it looks exotic!!!

The original recipe comes from the King Arthur Flour website and was the winning recipe for their first-ever National Festival of Breads.  Now that's MY kind of festival!!!

PANE BIANCO FILLED WITH RED PEPPER, BASIL, AND GARLIC 
Makes 2 loaves.

(I adapted this slightly from the original winning recipe)
½ cup warm water (plus more warm water if needed)
1 cup of warm milk
4 teaspoons of instant yeast
¼ cup sugar
⅓ cup olive oil
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons salt
6 cups all-purpose flour
1 jar (8 ounces) of roasted red peppers, drained and dried on paper towels.
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese
⅔ cup chopped fresh basil

-In a large bowl, add the yeast to the warm water and milk.
-Stir to dissolve the yeast completely.
-Whisk in the sugar, olive oil, and eggs.
-In a stand mixer, add the flour and salt.
-Using the dough hook, knead in the yeast mixture until it's completely blended and the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl.
-Continue kneading for about 5-7 minutes (adding a tablespoon of warm water at a time if the dough is too stiff and it seems like the mixer is straining too much). The dough should form a smooth ball.
-Place the dough in a greased bowl and spray the top with olive oil.
-Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow it to rise in a warm, draft-free place for about an hour.
-Once risen, punch the dough down and divide it into two pieces. Cover and set aside.
-Meanwhile, chop the drained and dried red peppers and chop the basil.
-Working with one piece of dough at a time, using a rolling pin roll the dough into roughly a 22" x 8" rectangle.
-Sprinkle on half of the red peppers, half of the basil, half of the garlic, and half of the Parmesan cheese.
-Starting with the long edge, roll the dough the long way into a log, making sure to roll firmly but not too tight.
-Place the log, and seam side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
-Using kitchen shears, cut the log lengthwise down the center about 1" deep and leave ½" borders on each end.
-Keeping the cut side up, form a modified "S" shape, and tuck the ends under, pinching to seal.
-Continue the same procedure with the second piece of dough and the remaining, garlic, pepper, basil, and cheese.
-Cover the loaves and allow them to rise in a warm place until doubled in size (approximately 1 hour).
-Once risen, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake them for 40 minutes.
-Remove the loaves from the oven and cover them both loosely with foil so they don't burn and return them to the oven for an additional 15-20 minutes until cooked through and they sound hollow when tapped.
-Allow the loaves to cool thoroughly on baking racks and slice to serve.

YUM!!!