If you are a bread connoisseur like myself, you have most likely enjoyed a nice piece of cheesy garlic bread. You have probably sampled some sort of an herb bread, like maybe a rosemary focaccia or thyme infused Italian bread. You may also have had the recently popular no-knead dutch oven crusty cheese bread. Now while all these breads are tasty, they pale in comparison to this super soft, incredibly flavorful, cheddar and herb bread.
I can’t even describe it. Its quite ridiculously soft and although you can see beautiful little cheese “veining” through the slices, that sharp cheddar flavor somehow works its way through every single crumb. The herbs add a freshness that makes you feel a little better about having that second or third piece. Go ahead… there are herbs in there…
If you have been thinking about making some bread lately and can’t decide which one to bake, let me help you… make this cheddar and herb bread… you’re welcome…
To get started, combine 3 1/2 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of salt and 3 tablespoons of sugar in a large mixing bowl. Next, warm 2/3 cup of water and 2/3 cup of butter milk to about 100 degrees and add 1 packet of instant yeast. Whisk them together until the yeast dissolves.
Pour the yeast mixture and 3 tablespoons of melted butter into the flour mixture and mix until a soft dough forms.
Allow the dough to rest for about 5 minutes and then transfer it onto a floured work surface.
Knead the dough by hand for 3-5 minutes. You are looking for a soft, elastic dough that is slightly tacky, but not sticky. If the dough sticks to your hands while you knead, dust it with more flour and continue. I added about 3 tablespoons before this dough felt right, so keep a little extra near your board while you knead.
Form the dough into a ball by tucking the sides under a few times and then transfer the dough into a large glass bowl that has been oiled with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and rest in a warm place for 60-90 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
My house is a little chilly from the air conditioner running, so I set my timer for 90 minutes thinking it would need the extra time and when I uncovered it, it was nice and plump! Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and gently roll it out into a large rectangle.
Sprinkle about 2 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese and 1/2 cup of finely chopped herbs evenly over the entire surface of the dough. I used a bit of parsley, dill and chives, but you can use whatever you’d like!
Roll the dough up, starting on the short end (photo above), nice and tight. Tuck any cheese or herbs back in that may have escaped in the process and rotate the dough so that it is pointing away from you longwise.
Using a very sharp knife, carefully cut the roll in half longwise.
Gather the two halves together at the top and spread them out near the bottom. Cross the right section over the left and then spread them out again (photo below).
Again, cross the section on the right over the left. Repeat this three times and gather the bottom together neatly.
Can we just to take a moment to look at how beautiful this loaf is? The braid, the colors…
Alright, let’s get back to it. The quicker we work, we quicker we eat…
Transfer the braided loaf into a buttered 9’x5″ loaf pan and cover it loosely with non stick plastic wrap. If you do not have non stick plastic wrap, just give a sheet of plastic wrap a quick spray with some non stick spray and lay it over the pan.
Let the dough rest in the pan for 20-30 minutes. You are looking for it to rise above the sides of the pan a good inch or so. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees during this final rise.
See how tall and puffy the dough became? This is what you are looking for. Remove the plastic wrap and place it onto the middle rack of your oven preheated to 350 degrees. Bake for 40-45 minutes. About half way through the baking time, rotate the pan 180 degrees. This will help even out any hot spots your oven may have.
* If the top of your bread looks like it is really brown and you still have some baking time left, loosely cover the bread with a sheet of aluminum foil for the remaining bake time.
Once your bread is deeply golden brown and reaches an internal temperature of 185-190 degrees, remove it from the oven and place it onto a cooling rack for 5 minutes.
As soon as the bread it out of the oven, brush the top crust with 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Allow the bread to rest in the loaf pan for 5 minutes before transferring the loaf directly onto the cooling rack. Allow the bread to cool for 60 minutes before cutting into it. It is going to be tough, but you can wait. Distract yourself somehow. I usually plan my next loaf of bread while my current loaf is cooling… it works…
Once the 60 minutes of torture has passed, cut yourself a big thick slice. I recommend sitting down prior to tasting it… it is so soft and so cheesy that you may feel a little weak in the knees.
This bread it perfect for toast in the morning with a fried egg on top or as a soft turkey sandwich for lunch or dipped into a bowl of tomato soup for dinner. Be sure to use a really sharp knife on it because it is really soft and squishy and I would hate to put an unnecessary dent in that beautiful loaf.
Enjoy!
Cheddar & Herb Bread
Ingredients
- 4 cups bread flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup buttermilk, warm (between 100-110 degrees)
- 2/3 cup water, warm (between 100-110 degrees)
- 1 packet of instant yeast
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups sharp cheddar, shredded
- 1/2 cup fresh herbs, finely chopped
Instructions
- Combine 3 1/2 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of salt and 3 tablespoons of sugar into a large mixing bowl
- Whisk together 2/3 cup of water, 2/3 cup of buttermilk and 1 packet of instant yeast until the yeast dissolves
- Add the yeast mixture and 3 tablespoons of melted butter into the flour mixture
- Mix until a soft dough forms
- Transfer the dough onto a floured work surface
- Knead the dough for 3-5 minutes. The dough should feel soft and elastic, tacky, but not sticky. If the dough is sticky, add a bit more flour until it no longer feels sticky
- Once you are done kneading, begin tucking the sides of the dough under to form it into a ball
- Place the ball of dough into a large glass bowl that has been greased with 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and allow it to rest for 60-90 minutes in a warm place
- Once the dough has doubled in size, transfer it onto a floured work surface and roll it out into a large rectangle
- Cover the entire surface of the dough with 2 cups of cheddar cheese and 1/2 cup of finely chopped herbs
- Roll the dough tightly, starting on the short end (see photos above)
- Cut the rolled dough in half longwise
- Gather the two halves together at the top and braid the dough three times over (see photos above) and finish the braid by gathering the bottoms together neatly
- Transfer the braided dough into a buttered 9"x5" loaf pan and cover it loosely with non-stick plastic wrap
- Rest for 20-25 minutes or until the dough has puffed up about 1 inch over the sides of the pan
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
- Remove the plastic wrap and place the loaf onto the middle rack in your preheated oven
- Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until the bread is deeply golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 185-190 degrees
- Transfer the loaf (in the pan) onto a cooling rack and brush the crust with 1 tablespoon of melted butter
- After 5 minutes, transfer the loaf out of the pan and directly onto the cooling rack
- Allow the bread to cool for 60 minutes before cutting
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature
