Where was I? Ah, yes...

....my birthday. I was given three excellent books: G.K. Chesterton's autobiography, a collection of Dorothy Sayers' letters, and a Scrabble book (you know, how to be a Scrabble genius). I was also treated to dinner twice, which was lovely. I got to eat Greek food and watch Equilibrium with Kelly. It was a good birthday.

In other news, I got a new cookbook about a month ago-- a bread recipes of the world cookbook. It is very awesome. I've made croissants (badly), pretzels (today, actually), Georgian Khachapuri (yummy cheese-filled bread), pane al cioccolato (chocolate!), petit pains au lait (ugly but tasty), and Syrian onion bread. My mother has made onion-cheese loaf, which is one of our favourites so far. And I've been eating lots of bread. I decided that I had to taste them to make sure that they weren't bad. I promise I don't eat very much. Except the chocolate bread. It was quite good. And it didn't have any sweetener, so I managed to avoid that, at least.

Here's my personal favourite so far:
Georgian Khachapuri

2 cups white flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 oz. fresh yeast (=1 1/2 T. active dry yeast)
2/3 cup lukewarm milk
2 T. butter, softened

For the filling:
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
8 oz. Muenster or Taleggio cheese, cut into small cubes
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 T. butter, softened
salt and pepper

For the glaze:
1 egg yolk
1 T. water

Proof the yeast in the lukewarm milk for 10 minutes (mix and let it get bubbly before adding to the flour).
Lightly grease a Yorkshire pudding (or popover) pan with four 4-inch holes. (I use a muffin tin and make 8-10 buns, or individual pie pans and make 6 buns.) Sift the flour and salt into a medium bowl. Add the yeast mixture to the flour and mix into a dough--it will be dry. Knead in the butter, then knead on a lightlly floured surface until the dough is smooth and elastic (8-10 minutes). Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a wet dish towel, and let rise in a warm place for 1-1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in bulk.

Mix the cheeses, egg, and butter together for the filling. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 2-3 minutes. Divide into 4 equal pieces and roll each into an 8-inch circle. (You'll just have to wing it with smaller sized buns. I rolled mine very thinly so that all of the cheese would fit.)

Place one dough circle in one hole of the popover pan and fill with a quarter of the cheese filling (or a sixth, or a tenth, etc.). Gather the overhanging dough into the center and twist to form a topknot. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. Cover with a wet dish towel and let rise in a warm place for 20-30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350*. Mix the egg yolk and water, and brush over the dough. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until light golden. Cool for 2-3 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a wire rack. Serve warm.

Enjoy!