Ingredients

• 8 oz Bacon cut into 1/2-inch pieces (like Applegate Uncured Sunday Bacon)
• 1 cup Warm Milk 110°F
• 1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
• 2-1/4 tsp Active Dry Yeast one 7g packet
• 3 Eggs
• Bacon Drippings plus enough Olive Oil to equal 1/4 cup (or all olive oil or melted butter)
• 4 - 5 cups Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour
• 2 tsp Salt
• 4 oz Shredded Cheddar Cheese about 1 cup
• 4 oz Shredded Gruyere Cheese about 1 cup
• 1/2 cup Butter soft
• 1 Tbsp Minced Garlic

Instructions

1. Cook cut bacon over medium heat until lightly browned and just beginning to crisp, about 7 – 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon pieces to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Reserve bacon drippings.
2. Combine milk and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle yeast over the warm milk mixture and let sit for about 5 minutes to activate the yeast. Add the eggs and the reserved bacon drippings, plus enough olive oil to equal 1/4 cup, to the milk mixture and gently mix. Add 4 cups of flour and the salt and mix until a shaggy dough forms. If the dough is very sticky, add additional flour, 1/4 cup at a time. Continue to knead the dough until a firm and elastic, about 10 – 12 minutes.
3. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat all sides of the dough with oil. Cover and place in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. While the dough rises, combine soft butter with the minced garlic and set aside. Lightly butter or oil a large baking pan (like an 8 – 9-inch round cake pan).
4. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 12x24-inch rectangle, a little more than 1/8-inch thick. Spread the entire surface with a light layer of the garlic and butter mixture then sprinkle bacon and cheeses evenly across the entire surface of the dough. Cut the dough into four 24x3-inch strips then cut each strip into 4-inch portions. Fold each portion in half, bringing the short ends together, and place each piece, folded side down, into the prepared baking pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place until puffy, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F.
5. Melted butter or grease may leak during baking so place a baking sheet lined with foil under the pans, or a baking sheet filled with a small amount of water on the bottom rack of the oven. Cover the bread with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake for 10 – 15 minutes longer, until golden brown and an internal temperature of 190° - 210° has been reached.
6. Let cool in the pan for about 5 minutes then unmold and serve warm or at room temperature.