Cheese bread is a very tasty and versatile bread that can be enjoyed with virtually anything. My particular favorite would be with tomato soup, or as a sandwich with pastrami and english mustard.

Ingredients

  • 1 pack of active dry yeast. (Roughly 1 tbsp)
  • 1-3/4 cups warm water
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 cups white flour
  • 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
  • Sesame Seeds/Poppy Seeds/Cornmeal (For the French loaf)
First, you'll need to dissolve the yeast. To do this, put the yeast in a large bowl and pour 1/2 cup of warm water over it. It should take around a minute to dissolve properly, but just stir it lightly to make sure.

Mix the remaining water (1-1/4 cups ) with 2 teaspoons of salt and pour it over the yeast. Stir in the flour a cup at a time. When the dough becomes hard to stir, turn it out onto a floured work surface.

The dough will need tome to rest, so while you are waiting, clean out the bowl you were using, because you'll need it later.

After letting it settle for a little bit, scrape up the dough and knead it for around 10 minutes. You can add more white flour if you need to, just as long as the dough ends up smooth with a lot of elasticty.

Next, you'll want that bowl you cleaned. Grease it lightly with soft butter, marge or vegetable oil and put the dough in it. Turn it so that the fat/oil coats it lightly. Cover this with cling film and let it rise until almost tripled in size. This will take around 2 to 3 hours, so go make yourself a coffee, or something. (DON'T PUT IT IN THE FRIDGE! Put it in the airing cupboard, or another warm place.)

After the dough has finished rising, punch it down in the bowl and turn it out onto a floured surface. Spread it out and sprinkle the cheese all over. Roll the dough up and knead it so that the cheese is merged evenly with the dough.

Next, you'll want to grease your loaf pan. Take about two-thirds of the dough and form a loaf and place it in the greased pan. Roll the remaining dough into a 10 to 12 inch long loaf and place on a baking sheet. (You can sprinkle the sheet with sesame seeds, cornmeal, or poppy seeds if you want.) Cover each loaf with a kitchen towel and let it rise again until doubled in size. This will take another 45 minutes or so. (Yes, there's a lot of waiting involved. I know. ;) )

After around 30 minutes of waiting make sure to preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

After the full waiting period is over, place the two loaves in the oven. Remove the French loaf (The long one on the baking sheet) after 18 to 20 minutes. (Or when the top is golden brown.) Turn down the heat to 350 degrees and let the pan loaf bake for another 10 minutes.

After it has finished, leave to cool on a wire rack and use it however you like.

Here are some suggestions:

Sandwiches

Pastrami and mustard
Chicken salad with mayo
Beef and mustard
Beef and horseradish sauce
Cheese and onion
Tuna and sweetcorn
Egg-mayo
Mixed bean and salmon with chilli sauce

Dip into soup

French onion
Creamy tomato
Tomato, rice and sweetcorn
Minestrone
Potato and leek
Butternut Squash
Watercress

Toast/Toasted Sandwiches

Extra Cheesey toast (Chuck vintage cheddar on top and grill)
Cheese and baked bean toastie (Mature cheddar and a can of baked beans)
Ham and cheese toastie
Tuna and sweetcorn cheese melt (Cheese, tuna, sweetcorn and a touch of mayo grilled)

Dipping

Garlic sauce
Salsa
Mayo
Cheese sauce
Thousand island

In Salads

Toast it and cut into small chunks. Toss into a nice leafy salad. (Goes VERY well with chicken.)




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