Grilled Cheese
“If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.”
– Carl Sagan
If you intend on making the best grilled cheese you can at home, I suppose you should bake your bread from scratch. I would HIGHLY recommend fresh-baked bread to anyone but doing so simply for grilled cheese is too much work. But! If you’re like me that “logical statement” isn’t going to stop you. So this is how you make a great grilled cheese including fresh-baked bread. I’ve also included a few of my favorite options for some grown-up grilled cheese.
Full Measure Grilled Cheese
Credits: New York Times (Bread)
Time: 4 Hours 15 Minutes
Servings: Two Loaves (Approx. 30 grilled cheeses worth)
Ingredients
2 ¼ teaspoons (1 package/7g) instant yeast
1 ½ cups (355ml) lukewarm milk
⅓ cup (67g) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon(15g) kosher salt
3 tablespoons (43g) butter, melted
2 eggs
5-6 cups (625g-750 grams g) all-purpose flour
Equipment Needed:
Stand Mixer
2 Loaf Pans
Method
Bread
In the bowl of a stand mixer add milk, sugar, yeast, salt, eggs and butter
Mix on medium to combine
Add 5 cups (625g) all purpose flour and mix for 2 minutes
Dough should be slightly tacky but stiff, if not add flour 1 Tbsp at a time
Knead for 10 minutes
Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic
Rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size
Remove from bowl and place on a lightly floured work surface
Knead for 3 mins and return to bowl and cover with plastic
Rise for 30 minutes
Press dough down to degas
Divide in half and shape loaves by starting with a rectangle and rolling up and sealing seam on bottom side
Place in a greased loaf pan, brush tops with melted butter and cover in plastic
Rise for 45 minutes
Bake loaves for 10 minutes in a preheated 400°F (205°C) oven
Lower temperature to 350°F (180°C) and bake for 20-30 more minutes
Internal temp will reach 200°F (95°C) and will sound hollow when tapped
Remove from pan and cool completely on rack before slicing
Grilled Cheese
Slice two pieces of bread from the cooled loaf
Spread unsalted butter or mayonnaise on the outside of each slice
Place one piece, butter/mayo side down, into a nonstick pan over medium heat
Add cheese options and grill for 3 minutes or until golden (see below)
Place second slice over the sandwich and flip to un-grilled side
Cook for another 3 minutes or until golden
Slice grilled cheese into triangles (impressive) and serve
Shredded cheddar + gouda
Shredded cheddar + cream cheese + pickled jalepeños
Gouda + brie
Inside out grilled cheese - Using 4 Tbsp of shredded parmesan create two thin layers in a nonstick pan and place bread on top of each layer, add shredded cheddar and grill for 3 min, close sandwich and serve
