Milk Bread Stuffed with Beef Roast

I am emotionally and physically exhausted, having worked straight through the break.  Um, what break?  Oh, yeah -- two days we spent on the road going to and from our parents.  Yes, that... sigh...  There are so many things pulling from every direction and that's what really, really drives me crazy.  While I don't mind multitasking and usually do that well, there is a point when it becomes too much to handle, just too much...  I can work on several projects at once but hate it when those projects are in constant motion, outside of my control.  I like to plan at least a little bit ahead but have not been able to for the last two years or so.  Several times this weekend I felt like just shutting down my computer and running away, somewhere, anywhere...  But the responsible me can't...  Two more urgent deadlines to meet... One is personally important and has been neglected for far too long...  The second one is, honestly, stupid; just another data collection stampede... but it's the kind you better meet if you want nice annual evaluations...

So, needless to say, I did not have much time to cook...  Last night, though, I needed to clear my head.  I think best in the kitchen, when I can relax, make something yummy, and actually think about what I have done and can do.  The result of last night's kitchen getaway was this yummy stuffed bread.  S. tasted a slice, fresh out of the oven, and declared he can eat this bread for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Good, I said, because we have two large loaves and I have two deadlines to meet tomorrow!  We enjoyed this bread for dinner, with a salad.  This morning, I heated a couple of slices in the microwave for a few seconds.  It did not get soggy at all and tasted great.  I think I will freeze some slices in individual baggies to grab for a quick breakfast on busy mornings.

The idea came from this Chicken Bread recipe.  I love beautiful step-by-step directions of braiding the loaf.  But I decided to use this recipe for the Braided Milk Loaf because it looked so fluffy and yummy.  I had some leftover beef roast for the filling.  I just added cheese and Italian Herb spices.  And sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Milk Bread Stuffed with Beef Roast

Ingredients:
4 cups all purpose flour (King Arthur's)
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp melted butter
2 tsp dry yeast
egg wash (1 egg lightly beaten with 1 tbsp water), for brushing
Sesame seeds for sprinkling

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients, except egg wash and sesame seeds, of course, to the bread machine bucket.  My bread machine actually warms the ingredients and adds yeast later, so I have to add dry ingredients first.  Be sure to read the instructions for your machine because their suggested order will make a huge difference -- trust me! :)
2. When the dough is ready, divide into 2 or 3 portions, depending on the size of loaves you want.  I made two large loaves.
3. Use the photos below or the link above to create your loaves.  Note:  I used photos from the link posted above so many thanks to the original author!  For the filling, I cubed beef roast, mixed it with some shredded mozzarella, and sprinkled with Italian Herb spice mix.  Chicken or just cheese would work great, too.  Not sure about vegetables -- they may get soggy...  But we can always experiment! 
4. Note:  Another foodie made baby loaves (see photo below), very cute and easy to serve!
5. Let loaves rise on the baking sheet for at least an hour, or until doubled, in a slightly warm draft-free area.  I usually let bread rise in the microwave oven, after heating a cup of water.  Of course, in this case, the baking sheet is too large, so I turned the oven on Warm setting for just a few minutes, just to get the heat going, then turned it off and slid the baking sheet in, closing the door again.
6. Remove the baking sheet from the oven.
7. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
8. Brush loaves with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds (or any seeds or herbs, really; rosemary would be awesome, I think).
9. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until baked through (ovens are different so use your prior experience and check if bread is done).  You may have to cover bread with foil if it starts browning too quickly, to prevent burning.
10. Brush with butter, if you like (I skipped because bread was already very soft).
11. To reheat, microwave for a few seconds or toast in the oven (not regular toaster because meat will fall out) for a few minutes.