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Bread Machine Basil Ricotta Bread with Parmesan Topping

Bread Machine Basil Ricotta Bread with Parmesan Topping

The Estate Bakery

Bread Machine Basil Ricotta Bread with Parmesan Topping

The Strategy:

This recipe entirely subverts the notion that bread machines produce boring, utilitarian loaves. By aggressively enriching the dough with heavy half-and-half and a massive tub of whole milk ricotta cheese, the resulting bread is staggeringly tender and deeply rich. Turning the piping-hot loaf out of the machine and violently drowning it in an intensely fragrant slurry of sharp Parmesan, bright basil, and heavy olive oil instantly elevates a simple automated bake into a fiercely luxurious estate centerpiece.

Makes: 1 loaf of yummy bread | Total Time: just 15 minutes to prep, plus the bread cycle

Ingredients

3 cups bread flour
6 tablespoons half-and-half
1 (15-ounce) tub ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg, beaten
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 ½ teaspoons yeast (use bread machine yeast here)

For topping:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, finely grated
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

Ingredients arranged: a massive mound of white bread flour, a huge tub of stark white ricotta cheese, a small pitcher of half-and-half, vibrant yellow butter, raw eggs, coarse kosher salt, piles of sharp grated Parmesan, bunches of bright green fresh basil, and rich olive oil surrounding a metal bread machine bucket on a marble prep board.

Instructions

Place the flour, half-and-half, ricotta cheese, butter, egg, and granulated sugar into the bucket of a bread machine. Place the yeast in the yeast compartment. Set the machine on the setting for a baked loaf.
Combine the olive oil, Parmesan cheese, and basil in a small bowl.
Turn out the baked loaf onto a serving platter. Brush the top and the sides of the warm loaf with the olive oil mixture.

Thing to Note:

This is the absolute perfect bread machine recipe. If you have one … use it here. If you don’t, you can make this recipe the “old-fashioned” way by substituting bread machine yeast with instant rise yeast and mixing all the ingredients together in the bowl of an electric mixer. Knead with a dough hook and then let rise until doubled in volume, about an hour. Form into a loaf and then rise until doubled again, about another 45 minutes. Bake at 475° until golden on the top, about 40 to 45 minutes.

A cook's hand using a thick pastry brush to slather a bubbling, intensely fragrant slurry of bright green chopped basil, grated Parmesan, and olive oil entirely over the steaming golden-brown crust of a freshly baked, square bread machine loaf.

The full recipe lives in the Vault

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The Heart of the Table

Slamming a massive, intensely aromatic, perfectly square bread machine loaf directly onto a scarred wooden board instantly demands attention. The sharp, aggressive scent of toasted Parmesan, bright green basil, and warm yeast hitting the air forces the table to enthusiastically lean in, eagerly tearing into the wildly soft, ricotta-enriched crumb with their bare hands.

8 guests gathered tightly around a sun-drenched patio table, laughing loudly, tearing massive chunks of golden, herb-crusted bread with their hands, and drinking fiercely chilled Pinot Grigio in glasses on a Palm Beach Estate patio. A massive steaming loaf of basil ricotta bread anchors the lively coastal afternoon party.

Neighborly Grace

THE PRESENTATION: Do not let this loaf cool quietly on a rack. While the bread is still screaming hot from the machine, aggressively brush the entire surface with the thick Parmesan and basil olive oil slurry. Present the massive, violently aromatic loaf completely whole on a rustic board, allowing the herb oil to soak deeply into the golden crust.
THE POUR: The deeply rich ricotta crumb and the sharp Parmesan crust demand a wildly crisp, fiercely aromatic white wine. A heavily chilled, aggressively dry Pinot Grigio or a razor-sharp, violently cold Sauvignon Blanc perfectly slices through the rich cheese while elevating the bright basil notes.
THE VIBE: Deeply luxurious, effortless afternoon gatherings. This is the wildly impressive project you execute with zero effort on a breezy coastal Saturday afternoon, served directly out of the machine to the patio table, demanding an atmosphere of loud, incredibly relaxed, and fiercely unpretentious indulgence.

Chef’s Recommendations

The Bowl It Goes With: Heirloom Tomato Soup
The Dinner It Sits Beside: Chicken Lasagna with Broccoli Rabe with Sautéed Mushrooms
Bread for the Braise: Braised Chicken Thighs
The Glass Alongside: Blood Orange Mule

The Estate Table

Build tonight’s menu around this dish.

✦ Set the Table

Bread Machine Basil Ricotta Bread with Parmesan Topping

Bread Machine Basil Ricotta Bread with Parmesan Topping

The full recipe lives in the Vault

The Heart of the Table

Neighborly Grace

✨ The Gilded Swaps