Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese [freshly grated from block has best flavor punch]
- 1 1/2 TB sugar
- 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup warm milk
- 1 egg
- Dash of black pepper *optional*
COOK'S NOTE*
I used a full 8 oz block, which, grated makes more that the 8 oz/ 2 cup bag of shredded cheese. I grated half on the standard size grate, then about 1 cup worth on the widest grate, THEN still had about 1.5 inches of the block left that I saved for on top. So it ended up being 2 cups of cheese IN the bread and about 1/2 cup on top.
Directions
- In a large mixing bowl, place warm milk [not hotter than you can touch with your finger] sugar, yeast Let sit 5-10 minutes, then add egg, salt, and half of flour; beat on low speed until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough, add in grated cheese. Combine with hands until well incorporated. [stick quite sticky]
- Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 5-7 minutes. [ *I held out for about 4 and it turned out perfect!]
- Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down. Place in a greased 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pan or form into oval loaf and place on parchment paper lined, or well greased baking pan. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 [mine took about 20 and though not quite doubled, it puffs up as soon as it hits the heat in the oven, so don't overly sweat this last rise reaching actual Double size if you find yourself running short on time like I was.] minutes. Bake at 375 degrees F for 18-23 minutes for the open loaf as pictured, or, if in loaf pan closer to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Remove from pan to cool on wire rack
