Pull Apart Cheese Bread

Golden Cheese Bread

Just want I need to go with a steaming bowl of soup....or anything else I can think of right now!!!  When is hot home made yeast bread not good I ask you.  Put on top of the wonderful smell of bread baking CHEESE!!!  I ask you.....My whole house swoons as it sits here on this lovely wooded hill.  Giving rise envy to the leafy smells of fall.

Boy am I windy today.

Well anyway.  As it happens I have received an order I had placed with King Arther Flour that included Vermont cheese powder.  When I came across a King Arthur recipe for Golden Cheese Bread,  I was inspired.

As anyone who knows me will tell you I am quite specific about ingredients and what I like to use for what.  I have ordered from King Arthur for many many years and have never been disappointed.  I have never taken anything from any vendor or supplier.   I just prefer and use these products.

I did quite a bit of adapting to their recipe which can probably be found on their website.  Here is my version:

1 C. lukewarm water
4 T. soft butter
1 1/2 C. King Arthur all purpose flour
1 T. gluten
1 1/2 C. King Arthur Bread Flour
1 T. sugar
1/4 C. powdered milk
1/3 C. Vermont cheese powder,  optional but good
1 1/4 t. salt
3/4 t. onion powder
1 scant T. instant yeast

Filling and topping:
1 1/3 C. shredded cheese of your choice, I used sharp cheddar and brick
2-3 T. melted butter

Combine all of the dough ingredients in the bowl of your mixer and process with the dough hook kneading to make a soft, smooth dough.   Fill a large 8-10 C. heavy glass or pottery bowl with very hot water and let it sit a minute or two to heat it through.  Dump the water, dry the bowl quickly and butter it well.  Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to grease the top into the warm bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and a clean towel and set it aside to rise for 1 1/2 -2 hours.  It should be very puffy but not necessarily doubled.

Gently deflate the dough, and divide it into chestnut size pieces (about 1").  Don't be too fussy here, the pieces don't have to be exactly the same size, nor do they need to be rolled into balls.  Dividing   the dough in half, then each piece into half again, etc. works well.  You want to end up with 64 pieces of dough, more or less.

Lightly butter a 9 x5" loaf pan and line it with foil.  Grease the foil well.

Place 16 pieces of dough in the bottom of the pan and sprinkle with 1/3 C. of the shredded cheese
then drizzle with butter.

Make another layer with 16 pieces of dough, sprinkle with 1/3 C. of cheese and drizzle with butter.

Repeat with the remaining dough making 2 more layers.  Brush the top layer with butter but do NOT
sprinkle with cheese.

Cover the pan and let it rise for 60 minutes.  Towards the end of the rising time preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

When the dough has risen till it is slightly crowned over the top of the pan bake for 20 minutes.  Tent it lightly with foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes.  An instant read thermometer should read 190 degrees when inserted into the center of the bread.

Cream of Mushroom Soup & Cheese Bread

Remove the bread from the oven and immediately loosen the edges with a table knife.  Wait 2 minutes and turn it out of the pan onto a baking sheet and carefully turn it right side up.  Sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese and return it to the oven for about 2 minutes for the cheese to soften and start to melt.  Remove from the oven and serve warm......Oh yes.