It's been a lot of years since we've had this bread, and I have been trying to replicate it for quite a while. Finally, this year, we've reached that moment of bliss and we've replicated the experience enough times that I am pleased to share the recipe.
These lovely braided loaves might look a bit tricky, but they really aren't. I've provided all of the steps and plenty of photos to guide you along. I discovered the technique for this bread in a book called 'Bread Illustrated' page 314 (affiliate link) and married that technique with my own bread recipe to achieve the perfect cheesy loaf.
With this recipe you'll have two lovely loaves oozing with cheddar or a combination of herbs, nuts, olives, pesto, or whatever else strikes your fancy. Versatile and impressive, these loaves are sure to become that loaf that everyone will ask you for.
This recipe makes two loaves. Freeze one for later!
6 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
2 tsp salt
1/4 cup honey
1 cup lukewarm water
1 cup lukewarm milk
1.5 TBSP traditional active dry yeast
1/4 cup melted butter
3 cups young sharp cheddar cheese shredded (
(Optional) Other options like herbs, olives, mushrooms etc
Note about cheese: long aged cheddars can separate when they melt so be sure to select a cheese that stays intact when it melts.
Step 1. Prepare your Flour. Pull out your bag or jar of flour, take a big spoon and give it a good stir. This will add air to the four and ensure that your measurements are correct. You can also use a sieve if desired.
Step 2.In a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 1 cup of flour and the yeast.
Step 3. Add the 1 cup of warm water and let stand until bubbly.
Step 4. Combine the milk, honey and butter in a pot and gently warm until the ingredients are combined. This mixture should be luke warm. Too hot and it can kill the yeast. Add this mixture to the bubbly yeast mixture and stir to combine.
Step 5. Gradually add flour. Stir in enough flour until you have a shaggy dough. Depending on the humidity you might need all of the flour but sometimes I only need 5 1/2 cups. It varies.
Step 6. Knead the dough. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until soft and smooth (about 6 minutes). If using a stand mixer and dough hook, transfer the dough to the counter, knead for a minute and then form the dough into a ball.
Step 7. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel and allow to rise until doubled in size. This can take an hour or two depending on the temperature of your room. Stick the bowl in a warm, not drafty location to help facilitate the rise.
Step 8. Grease two bread loaf pans and set aside. To do this rub butter generously into the pan, sprinkle a bit of flour and then tap it around the pan. Tap out the remaining flour onto your dough board.
Step 9. When the dough has doubled, divide, punch down the dough and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Dust each with a bit of flour and then, using a rolling pin, roll the first section of dough into a large rectangle.
Step 10. Sprinkle cheese and other optional toppings evenly over the surface of the dough, leaving an inch border around the edge of the dough.
Step 11. Starting with the long edge, slowly roll the dough like a jelly roll. Pinch the seams and ends together and lay the dough seam down on your board.
Step 12. Repeat with the second ball of dough.
Step 13. Shaping the dough. Using a sharp knife, cut each log in two lengthways, giving you four long pieces of filled dough.
Step 14. Pinch the top of two pieces together, then lift the left over the right, repeating until intertwined, with the filling visible on top. Pinch the ends together firmly. You should have a nice twisty braid.
Step 15. Place the loaves in the greased pans, cover and place in a warm non draft location. Allow to rise until they are 1-inch above the side of the pans. This usually takes about 45 minutes.
Step 16. Preheat oven to 350° F. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Quickly cover the bread loosely with foil after the first 25 minutes of baking. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and turn out onto a wire cooling rack. Cool for an hour before slicing (if you can wait that long).
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