Breadmaker Cheese Bread

Been meaning to make this bread for a while now. I love my Kenwood BM450 breadmaker, and I’ve been trying to push it further and seeing how much versatility I can get from it. I’ve made loaves, pau, and dough for breadrolls, so now I’m going to try making bread loaves with swirly fillings.

First up is this cheese bread, based on the recipe by Sally’s Baking Addiction.

I didn’t bother buying buttermilk given the price and the small amount used, so I made do with a substitute, using readily available ingredients in my pantry. My first attempt making this I used a mix of sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack, which gave the bread nice contrasting flavors, but you keep trying out different cheeses to see what else might work well.

This recipe has been adapted for the breadmaker. Check your own machines for the optimal rising time for your dough to double; for my Kenwood BM450 Dough cycle I’d take it out with 15 to 20 minutes left on the cycle. Be sure to roll the cheese-topped dough tightly for a more intricate swirl pattern in your loaf.

Don’t let the brown crust fool you, the crust may appear hard, but this is a very soft bread, and when combined with the tang of the cheese, freshly toasted for good measure, it’ll be difficult to stop eating it.

Cheese Bread

Ingredients

• 1/2 tablespoon (1 1/2 teaspoons) white vinegar
• 120 grams (1/2 cup) full cream milk
• 1 large egg
• 100 grams unsalted butter, melted
• 375 grams bread flour
• 25 grams granulated sugar
• 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 cups (250 grams) sharp cheddar cheese OR your preferred cheese, shredded
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

Directions

In a 1/2-cup measuring cup, add the white vinegar.

Fill the cup to the brim with the milk. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes. You can transfer this mixture to a different container before resting for easier handling.

In a metric measuring jug or cup, add the milk mixture, and enough water to make 180ml of liquid.

Add the liquid to your bread machine pan, along with the egg and 70 grams melted butter.

Add the flour, sugar, yeast, salt, and 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder.

Transfer the pan to your machine and start the Dough program. The cycle should take about 1 hour 30 minutes.

With a flour-dusted fist, gently punch down the air from the dough.

Transfer the dough to a floured surface.

Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a 9 x 15 inch rectangle.

Spread the cheese on top of the dough, leaving about 1/2-inch space from the edges.

Starting from one long edge, roll the dough tightly into a log. The tighter the log, the more intricate your cheese swirls will be.

Using a sharp knife, cut the log lengthwise into half. Face the cut side up.

Twist the two halves of the log into a braid.

Transfer the braided dough to a lightly greased 9- x 5-inch loaf pan.

Cover and let rest, 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (fan 160 degrees C).

In a small bowl, add the remaining 30 grams melted butter, the dried parsley, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder. Stir to combine.

Brush the herb butter mixture over the loaf.

Bake until golden and, when gently tapped, the top sounds hollow, 45 minutes. The bread may brown too fast. I usually tent the bread with aluminium foil about 25 minutes into the baking time.

Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan on a wire rack.

Remove from the pan and continue cooling on the wire rack until ready to be sliced.