The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Where cheese meets bread
5 places to try perfect pairings from around the globe.
Combining cheese with bread is like smiling: It seems to be a universal human impulse. Many cultures around the world have developed their own solutions to the cheese-plus-bread equation. And because both cheese and bread have almost endless variations unto themselves, there’s a dizzying array of options out there.
From French gougeres to Georgian khachapuri, Swiss fondue to Brazilian pao de queijo, every cheese-loving culture has developed a favorite. Cheese is sprinkled on top, sandwiched between and even baked directly into breads that are rooted in their own particular traditions and places.
Yet, the best bread and cheese dishes have one more common thread: They must be fresh. Whether it’s a quick bread like a pancake or a multiday process like fermented dough, nothing beats freshly cooked bread transferring its heat to melting cheese.
While different cuisines around the globe certainly make use of unique local ingredients, it can be just as interesting to see how people combine the same ingredients in different ways. You may have your own favorite cheese bread, but there are so many other options to try. When the combination of cheese and bread is so satisfying, there’s hardly any risk in exploration. You can try some of the best examples of this epic combination from cultures all over the world right here in Atlanta.
Gougeres
The French emerged from the Middle Ages as culinary leaders thanks to complex cooking techniques that transformed humble ingredients like flour and butter into gastronomic delights. The classic gougere is a beautiful example: Basic pate a choux, a simple dough made from just water, butter, flour and eggs, is mixed with cheese and baked into little puffs. Fresh gougeres, inflated by steam, are airy and chewy on the inside with a crisp, cheesy exterior. Though gougeres are typically small, the experts at Little Tart Bakeshop make giant versions each