Rustic Garlic Cheddar Cheese Bread

This Rustic Garlic Cheddar Cheese Bread Recipe is an easy rustic bread recipe that can be made into a circle loaf, bread pan loaf or rolls.  It’s made with simple ingredients and is a delicious bread recipe.

Prep Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes

Equipment

Dutch Oven

Silicone Spatula

Parchment Paper

Ingredients:

1 ½ cup warm water around 110 degrees F

1 tbsp sugar

1 ½ tbsp active dry yeast

1 cup milk around 110 degrees F

2 large eggs

1 ½ tbsp Salt

6-6 ½ cups All-Purpose Flour

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 tbsp minced garlic or 1 tbsp of garlic powder (NOT garlic salt)

Instructions:

In a stand mixer, add the warm water (approx 110 degrees), yeast and sugar.  Stir until all the yeast has dissolved and let sit for about 5 minutes, or until it starts to get bubbly.

Add the warm milk, eggs, salt and 2 cups of flour to the yeast mixture, then mix with a bread hook attachment on low for 1 minute.  Add the remaining 4 – 4 ½ cups of flour slowly, adding about ½ cup of flour at a time until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.

When the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl, stop adding flour and continue to mix on low for about 2 minutes.  Add the shredded cheese and mix on low until it’s fully incorporated.  If it starts sticking again, add a little more flour.

Add dough to a grease bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled, or about 30-45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F 20 minutes before you are ready to bake your loaves.

Garlic Cheddar Bread Tips

You can use any type of cheddar cheese that you’d like for this Rustic Garlic Cheddar Cheese Bread.  We’ll often use a fiesta or Mexican blend, but you can also choose from sharp cheddar, white cheddar, smoked cheddar or whatever you happened to have on hand. 

You can shape this into 2 round loaves, bake in 2 loaf pans or even make small individual rolls.  However, if you want to shape it is up to you!  Just remember that the smaller the bread, the quicker it will bake.

For an even more savory treat, try adding 2 tablespoons of dice chiles or jalapenos

Make this garlic cheddar dough into breadsticks or bread twists. Brush garlic butter on before baking. 

LETTING THE DOUGH RISE

Once the dough is mixed, just cover it with a kitchen towel and let it rise in a warm spot for 1 hour.  It should double in size at least.

If your house is cold, you can turn your oven on for a few seconds, turning it off, and placing the bowl in the warm oven with the door closed to trap the heat in. Or I recommend placing the bowl on top of a heating pad setting it to low.

If you’re using your oven to cook something (or in the next step when you need to preheat your Dutch oven), you can leave the bowl on top of the stove- the vented heat at the top will help it rise well.

You can also get some really hot water in a mug or glass measuring cup, stick it in the microwave, and place the bowl next to it. Shut the door to the microwave- this will trap the warmth and steam inside.

If your house is warm, you can just leave it out.

After the dough has risen for at least 1 hour, you can bake it immediately. But if you like, you can stick it in your refrigerator for up to 3 days until you’re ready to bake it!

Once the dough has doubled in size, divide in two equal pieces and shape into round loaves by gently rolling and tucking the edges under.  Loosely cover the shaped dough balls with a kitchen towel and let the loaves rise again until double, or about 30 minutes.

FORMING THE LOAF

First, sprinkle a little flour on your surface.  Then, use a silicone spatula to scrape the dough in a pile onto the floured area. Try to be gentle. The more you handle the dough, the more gasses escape, and the fewer fluffy holes there will be in the loaf.

Knead and form the dough into a round or oval loaf  shape, scooping up the dough from the bottom of the pile and placing it on top. You may also want to make it circular or oval shaped, depending on what shape your Dutch oven is.

Finally, grab the corners of the parchment paper closest to you and use them to gently flip the loaf onto the center of the parchment paper. If it is little misshapen, use a circular motion to smooth and pull the dough until it takes the shape of a round loaf.

GETTING READY TO BAKE

After the dough has doubled in size, score the top of the garlic cheddar cheese loaves with a knife or scoring tool. Add one of the loaves into a dutch oven with the parchment paper and cover.

Bake in a preheated 375 degree F oven for 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Bake with the top on for the first 20 minutes, then remove the top and bake for the remainder 10-20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and transfer the first loaf to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before slicing and serving. Bake the second loaf for tomorrow or share with friends or other family members.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

If you’ve tried this recipe, please rate it and leave a comment on this post. I love hearing feedback from you  as it helps me and other readers too! If you love Pinterest,  feel free to leave a comment there too.  Also, if you like to share, use the hashtag #lefleuracresfarm on Instagram and tag me @lefleuracresfarm so I can find you and give your post some love. Thank you!!

Happy baking!

Shamonn


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