As you might have already noticed I like cheese. Mustaleima ("Black Label") Emmental is one of my absolute favorites. Mustaleima is a strong cheese, matured for a minimum of 9 months. It has a sharp, nutty flavour and fat content from 30 to 32 %. 

Couple of weeks ago I saw a ready-to-use Mustaleima cheese soup carton at the local grocery store, when I was queuing at the cash register. The queue was long and I had time to think about new bread recipes. I have never used a soup as a base for a bread dough. Why? That's a good question! There are almost endless possibilities. I was ready to try.

My first experiment was a success. The family loved the bread. Mustaleima Soup Bread was delicious, but there was one surprise. The taste most resembles an onion bread in flavor! 

2 breads 

1 carton (5 dl or 2 cups, US) Valio Viola Mustaleima cheese soup 

2,5 dl (1 cup, US) water 

25 g fresh yeast 

0,75 tsp salt 

about 16 dl (1000 g) wheat flour 

Combine the soup and water. Add yeast and salt into the lukewarm liquid. Gradually mix in the wheat flour and knead the dough about 10 minutes. 

Cover and leave to rise at room temperature for about 1 hour.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it. Divide the dough into two equal pieces and shape them into two round loaves. Line two trays with parchment papers, place the breads on them, cover and leave the first bread to rise at room temperature for 30–40 minutes. Put the second one in the fridge. 

Put a baking tray into the oven and preheat it to 275°C. 

Fifteen minutes before you'll put the first bread into the oven, take the second one out of the fridge.

Slide the first bread onto the hot baking tray with parchment paper. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 200°C and cook for a further 15 minutes. Bake the second loaf in the same way.

Cover and let cool on a wire rack.