This is a great cheddar bread. This recipe includes sharp cheddar and parmesan. There is a limit to how much cheese you can add to bread dough before you weigh it down. When there is too much cheese, it takes much longer to rise. It can still make a fine bread but it takes patience. (There is a point where the cheese will just overcome the ability of the yeast.) This bread will still rise quickly.
The recipe calls for dill weed. Feel free to substitute basil or the herb of your choice. The two tablespoons dill weed in this recipe results in a mildly dilly bread. If you want more dill flavor, try three or even four tablespoons of dill.
The white pepper adds just a little bite that accents the cheese. Freshly ground black pepper also works. Dry mustard or paprika is sometimes added for the same purpose.
You may need to adjust the moisture used in this bread. It’s easy to add a little more flour; a little more difficult to dribble in a bit of water. Because it is easier to add flour than water, start your dough a bit on the wet side and add flour as needed.
Ingredients
2 cups fine ground whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 seven-gram packet of instant yeast
2 cups warm whole milk, 110 degrees (see note)
3 to 3 1/2 cups white bread flour
2 tablespoons dill weed
1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 tablespoon salt
Baker’s Notes: This is best made with high-heat dry milk. (The high heat dry milk will produce a dough with a better gluten structure.) Use 1 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water along with 1/3 cup dry milk. Increase the melted butter to two tablespoons.
This can also be made with skim milk. If using skim milk, increase the butter to two tablespoons. If using low fat milk, increase the butter to 1 1/2 tablespoons.
Directions
1. Place the whole wheat bread flour, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of your stand-type mixer. Add the warm milk and beat with a dough hook until it is partially mixed. The purpose of this mixing is to hydrate the yeast.
2. Add most of the bread flour to the bowl. Add the dill, the cheese, melted butter, white pepper, and salt. Knead with the dough hook at medium speed for four minutes, adding flour to reach the right consistency. A softer dough rises more quickly than does a firm dough so do not add too much flour.
3. Set the dough in a greased bowl, turn once, and cover. Set the bowl in a warm place and allow it to double in size.
4. Grease two large loaf pans. Form two loaves, cover them, and let them rise until doubled and puffy.
5. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until done. The internal temperature should be 190 to 200 degrees. The lactose in the cheese will caramelize and make a very bronze crust, a darker crust than most breads. 6. Remove the bread from the pans and let the bread cool on a wire rack
