Cheddar Cheese Bread : IHCC

This week, over at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), the theme is "Soups and Sides", where we are currently cooking from Rick Bayless's recipes. I was looking for a recipe for sides and found this at Frontera's Test Kitchen - Sides. This recipe was adapted from Carol Field's "The Italian Baker". Frontera's Test Kitchen version of this bread has some serrano chillies added in, but since I am serving this for my family, I left that out. The Test Kitchen recommends this bread to be served with tomato soup.

A lovely bread!

I used my bread machine to do the kneading, chose the cycle, Basic Dough. I find that the dough was rather wet, so I added in about 1/3 cup of bread flour. After the cycle has  completed, take out the dough and proceed as above, divide into half, shape them, cover with a kitchen towel and left to rise for about 1 -1/2 hours.

The dough is brushed over with some egg yolk wash, slashed over the top with 3 slashes, and bake in the oven for about 25 minutes until brown and golden.

 The lovely brown and golden loaves. They smell incredibly nice while baking, from the cheddar cheese! 

 When I bake this again, I would make one half with serrano chiles added in, for myself. This would make a great sandwich bread!

 This is a lovely bread, it has a soft crust and soft interior.  

We had slices of this bread toasted as a side with some homemade tomato soup.

To see what the others are making, head on over to IHCC. If you are interested to join in, read all about this cooking club over at IHCC.

I'm sharing this with :
Bake Your Own Bread (BYOB), hosted by Girlichef

Full Plate Thursday hosted by Miz Helen's Country Cottage

Recipe Box hosted by Bizzy Bakes


Cheddar Cheese Bread with Serrano Chiles
(source from : Frontera, Recipe from the Test Kitchen-Sides, Rick Bayless)
Ingredients
1 package dry active yeast (2-1/4 tsp)
1 cup warm water (between 105 to 115 degrees)
1/4 teaspoon sugar
2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk for the egg wash
3 tablespoons olive oil (divided use)
3-3/4 cups all purpose flour plus extra bench flour (I use bread flour, plus an additional 1/3 cup as the dough was wet and sticky)
2 teaspoons salt (I use 1 tsp)
1-1/2 cups (5 ounces) shredded sharp cheese (I use 1 cup)
2 to 3 serrano chiles, stemmed and finely diced (I omitted this)

Directions :
Place the yeast in a small bowl, then add the warm water and sugar. Stir untill all the yeast has dissolved. Let sit for 10 minutes until the yeast becomes creamy. Pour into the bowl of your mixer with the dough hook attached. Mix in the 2 eggs and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Stop the mixer and scoop in the flour, salt, shredded cheese and serranos. Start the mixer slowly to incorporate the flour, then raise the speed to medium low and knead the dough for 3 to 4 minutes or until all the ingredients are evenly mixed and the bread has pulled away from the sides of the bowl.

Sprinkle your work surface with flour. Scrape the dough onto the surface and finish kneading until its smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a lightly oil bowl (the remaining 1 tablespoon), cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 2 hours.

Turn the dough out onto the floured work surface. Cut the dough in half and shape each piece into a loaf. Fold the edges under the bottom to create a smooth top and sides. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper and repeat with the other half. Cover with a towel and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Preheat your oven about 30 minutes into the second rise to 425 degrees. Just before baking, beat the remaining egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of water and brush this egg wash over the tops and sides of each loaf. Slash each loaf on the top with 3 parallel cuts using either a very sharp knife, a razor or a bread lame. This allows the steam to escape.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on a rack.