Cottage Cheese Bread

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 teaspoons (5 g) active dry yeast 
• 1/3 cup (75 g) lukewarm water
• 1 cup (250 g) egg whites or 7 to 8 egg whites 
• 1 cup (255 g) cottage cheese 
• 4 2/3 cups (582 g) bread flour, plus more for dusting 
• 1 tablespoon (10 g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt

TOOLS USED

• Bread Whisk
• Dough scrapers
• Loaf Pan

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the active dry yeast and lukewarm water and set aside to hydrate. 
   • In a blender or food processor, combine the egg whites and cottage cheese. Blend until smooth.
   • Add the blended mixture to the yeast mixture and whisk to combine. 
2. Whisk the flour with a dry whisk in its container to remove any lumps and aerate the flour. Measure it and add the flour and salt to the wet mixture. Whisk using a Dutch whisk or fork to combine. You will be left with a shaggy, sticky dough. 
3. Dust the work surface with more flour and dump the dough on it. Knead the dough for 5 to 6 minutes, or until it starts looking smooth. You can also knead the dough using a stand mixer, until smooth.
   • Dust your hands with more flour to prevent them from sticking to the dough or oil your hands little bit of oil. Use a bench scraper to help lift the sticky dough from your work surface and continue kneading.
   • Shape the dough into a ball and place it back in the mixing bowl. Cover and proof in a warm spot for 1 hour, until almost doubled in size.
4. Line a 10 x 4-inch (26 x 10 cm) loaf pan with parchment paper (if needed) — a smaller loaf pan such as the standard 9 x 5-inch loaf pan won’t work, the dough will ooze out on the sides. If you don’t have a pan with those exact measurements, no problem! Use a larger one, such as 10 x 4-inch loaf pan, 10 x 5-inch loaf pan, or simply divide the dough in 2 halves and make 2 loaves of bread. Those can be baked in smaller loaf pans.
   • You could also bake the dough directly on a baking sheet, though it won’t be as tall as a sandwich bread, but it will still work.
   • After an hour of proofing, punch down the dough to deflate. Roll it into a log, stitch the ends by pinching them together.
   • Proof the bread in the loaf pan for 20 to 25 minutes, until visibly risen and puffed up.
   • In the meantime, preheat the oven to 400°F. 
   • After proofing the dough, make a slit in the middle using a sharp knife or razor blade. 
5. Bake in the oven for 40 to 45 minutes. The bread will brown on the top pretty quickly — to prevent it from burning, cover the top with a sheet of aluminum foil as soon as it turns crusty and brown. You will be able to tell the bread is done baking when the bread sounds hollow after a gentle tap on the crust. 
   • Cool completely, then slice and serve. I like to slice it, store it in the freezer in a ziplock bag and toast each frozen slice before serving.