Active Time

　　25 min

　　Total Time

　　4 1D2 hr

　　Torta salata

　　Great on its own or as part of a meal, this tender bread is wonderfully rich, particularly when served warm.

　　

Ingredients

Makes 12 to 16 servings

　　7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened slightly, plus additional for greasing pans

　　1 cup warm water (105-115°F)

　　1 (1/4-oz) package active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)

　　1/2 teaspoon sugar

　　4 cups all-purpose flour

　　2 oz finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1 cup)

　　1 teaspoon salt

　　3 large eggs

　　3 1/2 ounce Emmental cheese, cut into 1/4-inch dice (2/3 cup)

　　3 1/2 ounce Italian Fontina, cut into 1/4-inch dice (2/3 cup)

　　3 1/2 ounce sliced imported mortadella (preferably from Bologna), cut into 1/4-inch pieces (3/4 cup)

　　3 1/2 ounce sliced prosciutto cotto or baked ham, cut into 1/4-inch pieces (3/4 cup)

　　2 (8-inch) round cake pans (about 2 inches deep) or 1 (12-inch) round cake pan

　　

Step 1

Butter cake pans, then line bottoms with a round of parchment or wax paper, and butter paper.

　　

Step 2

Stir together water, yeast, and sugar in a small bowl and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn't foam, start over with new yeast.)

　　

Step 3

Blend flour, parmesan, softened butter, salt, eggs, and yeast mixture in a food processor until combined well.

　　

Step 4

Transfer mixture to a large bowl and stir in remaining ingredients with a wooden spoon until evenly distributed. Divide dough between pans, spreading evenly, then enclose each pan in a large (1-gallon) heavy-duty sealable plastic bag and seal bags. Let stand at warm room temperature until dough has risen to about 1/2 inch from rim, about 1 1/2 hours.

　　

Step 5

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.

　　

Step 6

Remove pans from bags, then bake bread until tops are golden and bread begins to pull away from side of pans, 30 to 45 minutes.

　　

Step 7

Transfer tortas in pans to racks to cool to warm, 1 to 2 hours. Run a thin knife around edge of each pan and invert rack over pan, then invert bread onto rack. Remove paper and use same method to invert bread onto a platter. Cut into wedges.

　　Cooks' notes:

　　· If you have a proof setting on your oven, set it to 110°F and let dough rise in pans (but not in plastic bags) in oven 1 hour. Gently remove pans from oven and wrap in kitchen towels while heating oven to 350°F. Return pans, uncovered, to oven, and bake as in recipe above.

　　· Bread can be baked 1 day ahead and kept, covered with a kitchen towel, at room temperature. Reheat, wrapped in foil, in a 350°F oven until warmed through, 15 to 20 minutes.