Cheese! Who doesn’t love cheese? But a bread packed with cheese tends to collapse and become heavy because of the density of the cheese. It took me numerous attempts to develop this light-as-a-feather, moist, cheese-packed bread. And my efforts have been well-received; visitors to the Virginia Renaissance Faire, where I have a baked goods stand, have made it clear that this is one of their favorite yeast breads.
The Inside Scoop
When both volumetric and weight measures are provided, the volumetric measures should be considered approximations. The standard measure for a cup of bread flour is 120 grams. By volume, this measure will be less than 1 cup.
I make this bread using a stand mixer. This recipe can be made by hand, by mixing the ingredients with a spoon in a large bowl and kneading for 10 minutes, but it is a very wet dough and kneading by hand will be frustrating, at best.
When placing dry ingredients into the bowl of your stand mixer, be sure that the salt and yeast are on opposite sides of the bowl and do not touch until you are ready to mix everything together. Salt will kill yeast; this will prevent the dough from rising.
Whisk the water and egg together before adding to the batter. Make a well in the flour mix and add the wet ingredients. This increases the likelihood that there will be no dry flour left on the bottom of the bowl.
Mix the dough on the lowest setting of the stand mixer for 8 minutes, to allow the gluten structure to form. A healthy gluten structure is essential for yeast breads, as this is what enables bread to maintain its shape after rising.
After 8 minutes, add the cheese and mix for 1 more minute. The cheese will break the gluten structure slightly, but the extra kneading (bread is normally kneaded for 5 minutes when using a stand mixer) helps maintain the gluten structure.
Bread dough needs to undergo fermentation- this is what occurs when the yeast cells consume sugars and release the gases that cause the bread to rise. One option is to place the kneaded bread into an oiled bowl, cover with oiled plastic wrap and place in a warm, not hot, spot, such as the warming tray of the oven. Then let the dough rise until it has double in size- this takes guesswork. I prefer to place my dough into a smooth bottomed, oiled, lidded plastic container. This enables me to actually measure when the dough has doubled in size, by placing a mark (I use a mark on masking tape) on the outside of the plastic container. This fermentation process takes approximately 2 hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
Once dough has doubled in size, gently punch dough down and place into desired baking containers that have been greased or sprayed with a non-stick cooking spray. This will make enough dough for a 2 1/2 quart round casserole or a 5″ x 9″ loaf pan. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap that has been greased or oiled so it doesn’t stick to the dough.
Place container with bread dough in a warm spot, such as the proofing tray of an oven, and let proof until light and almost doubled in size. One can also use the inside of the oven, by heating the oven to only 90 degrees, then turning off the oven. Insert the bowl or tin, being careful that the plastic wrap does not touch the oven racks. Risen dough should rise no more than 1″ above the edge of the pan. Proofing will take 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the temperature of the proofing environment. (A warm, not hot, environment proofs faster; a cool environment proofs slower.)
Important: Do not let dough rise more than double the original size. Bread dough will continue to rise while baking; if the gluten in the dough is stretched too much before baking (i.e., dough is more than doubled), the gluten strands will collapse during baking as the dough attempts to rise even more, and the bread will collapse.
Bake bread until it sounds hollow when thumped and a metal tester comes out clean. I prefer to use an instant read thermometer and bake until the bread is approximately 210 degrees.
Normally, baked yeast bread should be removed from the pan as soon as it comes out of the oven. However, this bread retains its shape best if allowed to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then removed and placed on a cooling rack.
A light-as-a-feather, moist, cheese-packed bread with an amazing aroma. Combine sugar, bread flour and milk powder in bowl of a stand mixer. Mix. Place yeast on one side of flour and salt on other side of flour mixture. Make a well in the center of the flour. Combine water and beaten egg. Pour into well in flour. With a dough hook, mix on lowest speed for 8 minutes. Dough will be wet, but will thicken as it rises. Add grated cheddar cheese and mix for one additional minute so cheese is distributed throughout. Place dough in greased or oiled plastic container with a lid; snap lid on top. Or place in an oiled bowl and cover with greased plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm, not hot, location until almost doubled in size; approximately 2 hours. After fermentation, grease or oil a 2 1/2 quart casserole or a 9" x 5" loaf pan. Punch dough down slightly. Place in prepared pan; cover with greased plastic wrap, let rise again until almost doubled in size. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Once oven is hot, insert bread. Reduce heat to 400 degrees. Bake for approximately 20 minutes. Check for doneness with a metal cake tester or use an instant read thermometer. When thermometer reads 210 degrees, remove from oven. Let sit in pan for 5-10 minutes then remove from pan and place on cooling rake. Let cool completely. Enjoy!Perfect Cheese Bread
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