Rosemary Cheddar Bread

Good news - you don’t need to culture your own sourdough starter to make a delicious bread. Throughout quarantine, I’ve experimented with the basic recipe below to make cinnamon raisin bread, nut bread and more. Let me know what you create with this recipe!

Equipment

  • KitchenAid stand mixer with dough hook attachment 

  • Small loaf pans (in guest wing kitchenette cabinet) 

  • Large plastic mixing bowl 

  • Silicone baking mat

  • Dough cutter

  • Cutting board and chef’s knife

  • Cheese grater 

Ingredients 

  • 1 packet active dry yeast

  • 1 tbsp sugar

  • 1 cup warm water (hot from the tap but no hotter)

  • 2 1⁄2 cups bread flour or AP flour 

  • 1 tsp salt

  • 3 tbsp fresh chopped rosemary from the garden 

  • 2 tbsp butter

  • A block of medium to sharp cheddar cheese, half sliced and half grated

  • Cooking spray

Method 

  • Combine a packet of active dry yeast, a tablespoon of sugar and a cup of warm water (hot from the tap but no hotter) in the bowl of your KitchenAid stand mixer

  • Let stand for 10 minutes while the yeast wakes up and bubbles

  • Mix in 1 tbsp butter, salt, and 2 cups of the flour

  • Add one tbsp of the fresh chopped rosemary

  • Knead in stand mixer for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic

  • Add more flour if necessary

  • Oil a large plastic mixing bowl, put dough in it and cover with a towel

  • Let dough rise in a warm place for one hour until doubled

  • Punch down dough and divide in four equal pieces on baking mat

  • Let dough rest about 5 minutes

  • Spray the loaf pans with cooking spray

  • Put one of the dough pieces in each loaf pan and use your fingers to make sure it covers the bottom of the pan evenly

  • Add cheddar cheese slices equally across the two loaf pans to cover most of the dough but not the outer edges 

  • Sprinkle 1 tbsp of rosemary over each

  • Top the cheese slices with the other two dough pieces, using your fingers to make sure each entirely covers the cheese and dough

  • Let loaves rise again in the pans until doubled, about 45 minutes

  • While they rise, preheat oven to 375°F.

  • Top each loaf with equal amounts of the grated cheese, then rosemary, then sprinkle with Kosher salt

  • Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned.

  • Carefully remove from oven and allow to cool for five minutes - left in the pan, the loaf will burn

  • Turn loaf out onto the baking mat or a cookie rack and allow to cool entirely.

Brian Snyder