Cottage Cheese Bread

SCRAPS #46: a high-protein alternative to you favorite sandwich bread

Cottage cheese is having a moment right now, so I figured it would be the perfect time to share my cottage cheese bread — a tender, delicious sandwich bread with a little extra protein. Depending on the cottage cheese and bread flour you’re using, each slice could contain up to 15+ g of protein. I’m not the biggest protein girlie, hence why I try to sneak protein in foods I eat all the time, i.e. bread, and that’s how this recipe came about.

The process is just as simple and basic as making any homemade bread, the only difference is the wet ingredients will contain water, yeast, blended cottage cheese and egg whites. The bread ends up being super tender and moist, similar to a brioche or milk bread, but a little more firm and crusty.

It’ll stay soft and moist for days at room temperature, stored in a ziplock bag. I prefer slicing it right after cooling, freeze it in a ziplock bag, then toast before each serving. It makes a terrific French toast as well.

Hope you enjoy!

Best,

Carolina

RECIPE

Makes 10 to 12 servings | Prep Time: 40 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes

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 

INSTRUCTIONS

Step 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. 

Step 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. 

Step 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.

Step 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. 

Step 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.