Croque Monsieur AKA French Grilled Cheese

Croque Monsieur AKA French Grilled Cheese

Bread

Ingredients
720g bread flour
500ml milk
10g sugar
50g unsalted butter (room temperature)
13g salt
50g fresh yeast

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 225C/440F
2. Warm the milk to 38C/99F in a pot set to low heat.
3. Add the yeast to a stand mixer. Pour in the milk and start the stand mixer slowly, so the yeast dissolves in the milk.
4. Into another bowl, add flour, salt, and sugar and stir it.
5. Pour it into the stand mixer in batches while it’s set to slow speed.
6. Turn off the stand mixer and add your butter. Start your mixer again slowly until the butter is well combined with the dough.
7. Raise the speed to medium and let it run for 8-10 minutes.
8. Put on a plastic lid or a damp kitchen towel and let it rise for 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
9. Remove the dough from the mixer bowl and stretch and fold it as I show in the video, then shape it into a loaf and put it in a loaf pan with the lid on. Let it rest for another 20 minutes.
10. Put it in the lower part of the oven (with the lid kept on) and bake it for 30-45 minutes or until the inner temperature of the loaf reaches 97C/206F.
11. Cover the loaf with kitchen towels and let it rest on a grid for 2-3 hours before you slice it.


Cheese sauce

Ingredients
20g unsalted butter
16g all-purpose flour
300ml milk
110g Gruyere cheese
Salt
White pepper
Nutmeg


Instructions
1. Melt the butter in a pot set to medium heat.
2. When the butter has melted completely, add the flour and stir. Let it simmer for 2-3 minutes while stirring.
3. Add a third of the milk and stir vigorously until the sauce is thick and smooth without any lumps.
4. Pour in the rest of the milk and continue to stir until the sauce starts to simmer. It will get thicker as soon as it starts to simmer.
5. Add white pepper and nutmeg and lower the heat.
6. Add the cheese in batches and stir until all cheese is melted.
7. Salt to taste.


Croque Monsieur

Ingredients
2 slices of your bread
Unsalted room-temperature butter
Cheese sauce
Emmentaler cheese
Smoked ham

Instructions
1. Turn on the oven—broiler or grill function.
2. Spread an even layer of butter on both of your bread slices.
3. Place the first bread slice in a cold pan with the butter side down.
4. Spread a thin layer of Dijon mustard on the other side of the bread. Follow up with 3-6 slices of ham and 3-6 slices of Emmentaler cheese.
5. Put your other slice of bread on top with butter side up. Set the pan to medium heat.
6. When the bottom of the bread is golden brown (5-7 minutes), flip your sandwich and turn off the heat.
7. Spread a generous layer of cheese sauce on top of the sandwich, and last, 3-6 slices of Emmentaler cheese.
8. Place your pan in the oven for 6-10 minutes or until the cheese has melted and received a lovely color.
9. Remove it from the oven. Cut it diagonally and serve it directly.