Herb cheese bread recipe

As promised, here is the recipe for the cheese bread - with step-by-step pictures! I adapted the recipe from this website - my version is a bit simpler (and has dill, which makes everything yummier). When I first returned to baking a few months ago, I was quite nervous about the details and time commitment of making yeast-based breads. However, I've learned that they can be quite simple and  are definitely worth the time. Also, yeast can survive quite a range of warm water, so don't worry too much about that - just don't kill it with boiling hot water (my tip: it should feel warm, but shouldn't be painful to stick your finger in).

Unfortunately my herbs are not in useable shape right now - the rosemary, thyme, and sage all need to grow back from being used several weeks ago (and haven't had the chance due to all the rain), while the basil plants aren't large enough to cut leaves yet. I don't have any dried sage, but if I did, I would've thrown some in as well. I encourage you to experiment with different herbs (and cheeses).

Without further ado, here we go!

You will need:
1 package active yeast (not instant. if you don't have packages - I buy yeast in larger containers, 1 package = 2 and 1/4 teaspoons)
1/4 c + 1 cup warm water (I have a candy thermometer, so I always make sure that it's between 100-120F or 40-48C. If you don't have a thermometer, see above comments)
1 tsp + 1 tsp sugar (what do I mean when I write this? I mean you will be using them at different times, so they should be separated)
3 and 1/4 c flour, plus extra for the surface while kneading and rolling out
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Cooking spray (or a bit more olive oil)
Herbs - I use heaping amounts of the following (remember these are all dried. 1 teaspoon dried is approximately 1 tablespoon fresh)
1 teaspoon dill
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon rosemary
1/2 teaspoon thyme

All the ingredients assembled! When I bake or cook, I like to get out everything ahead of time, and then put each item away as I use it. It allows me to go from most -> least clutter (just don't forget to leave things out you use multiple times, like the flour!)

You'll also need the following materials:
1 glass (measuring cup or drinking, doesn't matter)
2 good-sized mixing bowls
plastic wrap (or a towel)
surface for kneading/rolling out
1 loaf pan

First, mix together the yeast with 1/4 c warm water and 1 tsp sugar in the glass. Let sit while measuring out the next step - it should be foamy within minutes.

Foamy and fun! I don't own any glass measuring cups, so I just use a small drinking glass instead.

Mix the flour with the remaining sugar, salt, pepper, all herbs, and cheese.

Add the foaming yeast to the flour mixture, along with the remaining cup of warm water and the olive oil. Mix as best you can, but I usually only give it a few stirs, the minimal to let it clump and come together, before turning it out to knead. (Note: if you are new to making doughs that you knead, resist the urge to add more liquid even if you feel the dough isn't coming together. It will eventually - it's not like cookie or cake batters that quickly absorb the flour).

The dough right before I turned it out for kneading. It doesn't have to be pretty, just minimally glomming together (it's a technical term). I used white cheddar, so the cheese is hard to see.

Knead the dough on a well floured surface, adding more flour if necessary, until it is soft and smooth - time on this will vary widely, depending on how quickly you knead. The original recipe says 10 minutes, but I found this to be much longer than necessary.

Gather the dough into a rather tight ball. Grease a clean bowl with cooking spray or olive oil on a paper towel (this is important, otherwise the dough will NOT come out). Place the dough in the bowl, making sure to turn it over at least once to coat the entire ball in oil/spray. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let it sit somewhere away from cold drafts.

On the stove for its first rise in a clean, greased bowl.

I like to put the bowl on top of my gas oven, which is lovely and toasty warm with its little pilot flames under the top, perfect for the yeast. This allows the dough to double in size quite quickly - usually about 45 minutes. If it's just on the counter, you'll probably want to wait longer - an hour to hour and a half (use this time to bake more items! My favorite is to make cookies while I'm waiting on my yeast breads). Also - no plastic wrap? no problem. Just put a cloth towel over the dough to keep it from drying out while it rises.

After the first rise. Be gentle with it at this point - you don't want to lose all the air bubbles the yeast just created.

When the dough is ready, carefully turn it back out onto the floured surface. It may be sticky, so be ready with more flour. You don't want to punch it down completely or treat it harshly at this point and undo all the air bubbles the yeast has worked so hard to put in.

Roll it out into a rectangular shape, with the short side the length of your loaf pan (mine was 8 inches long, but it's an approximate thing) - I just use my hands to pat the dough out gently, as it's easier on the dough than using an actual rolling pin. Grease the loaf pan. Starting with the short side of the dough, roll it up and carefully tuck the ends in before placing it in the pan.

Patted out - you can still see lots of air bubbles throughout the dough, and it's not a perfect rectangle. That is all ok.

Rolled up and ready to be put in the pan. Be sure to put the seam side down when you move it to the pan.

Cover with the plastic wrap (loosely this time - it needs the space to rise) and return to its warm place to let rise for another 30-60 minutes.

Ready for the second rise! Back on top of the stove it goes - it will rise very fast this time, since I preheat the oven during this time, and it gets quite toasty.

During this time, preheat the oven to 400F (200C, I think). When the dough has risen enough (see picture), put the bread in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.

Ready to go in the oven! Don't forget to take off the plastic wrap - that would be bad.

 Enjoy the aroma. The bread will be a light brown - you can tell it's done if it sounds hollow when you tap it (be careful with your knuckles if you try this approach, as it will be quite hot!).

Done! You can now see the cheese throughout the loaf.

If the pan was well-greased, the bread should come out easily from the pan. Let it cool on a rack (if you have the patience), then enjoy! As I said in my previous post, one of the reasons I love this bread is because it has so much flavor it doesn't necessarily need any dressing up, but it has enough heartiness to make an excellent sandwich bread.

I didn't have much patience, and I also wanted to try out my brand new bread knife - the old one mutilated loaves because it was so dull, so I splurged on a new one. It was like going from Peewee football to the NFL.

If anybody out there actually tries this, PLEASE leave me a message and let me know! I'd love to hear how it turned out, and especially any changes you made to it. I can't wait to try it with fresh herbs.