Thursday, March 10, 2011

Yummy Cheddar Bread & It's gluten-free




I have dabbled in making all sorts of breads that are gluten-free and I've succeeded in making sweet breads like banana bread and date bread, pumpkin bread, scones, brownies, and the like.

But until lately, I'd always fallen short on bread-bread. I found a recipe for cheese bread and wondered if that might make a difference. It did. Cheddar cheese added all the moisture that used to vanish from homebaked gluten-free bread within 24 hours. I made the bread two weeks ago and it's still good. Yay!!!! It toasts up terrifically. It makes a
fabulous open-faced grilled sandwich as well as a
grilled cheese. Talk about doubling up on goodness!

And I added Penzey's spices to give it a real zing.

So that's the post for today. Success. And I can't tell you how much I love success when it comes to trying out a new recipe.

GLUTEN-FREE CHEESE BREAD

Ingredients:

1 Pamela’s Bread Mix (or your favorite GF kind)

1 yeast package (usually included in mix)

2 eggs, large

¼ cup oil

2 teaspoons Penzey’s Bouquet Garni spices

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:

Bread Maker:

In a 2 cup liquid measuring cup, measure ¼ cup oil, add the 2 eggs and fill with warm water to 2 cups. Then add 2 more tablespoons water.

Pour all liquids into the bread maker. Add the bread mix. Make a hole in the top of the flour and pour in the yeast.

Add the cheese and spices and malted butter on top of it all. Close the lid.

Set the settings according to your bread maker (medium crust; 1.5 pound loaf of bread). Let it start the mixing. About 15 minutes in, make sure all the flour has been incorporated. (That means open the lid and while it’s churning, scrape down anything left on the sides.) Close the lid and let the bread maker do its thing.

When it’s done, let sit for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on rack.

Oven Baking Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use a heavy mixer with whisk (not bread hooks).

In a 2 cup liquid measuring cup, measure ¼ cup oil, add the 2 eggs and fill with warm water to 2 cups. Then add 2 more tablespoons water.

Add bread mix and yeast and mix for three minutes on medium high. Add cheese and spices and melted butter. Mix another 2 minutes.

Pour into lightly greased 8 x bread pan and let dough rest for one hour. Dough will rise when baking. Bake 70 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on rack.


FOR A SIMPLE OPEN-FACED GRILL SANDWICH:

One slice of fresh cheese bread. Toast in toaster until crisp. Top with shredded cheddar cheese (or your favorite cheese), grill under broiler for about 4-5 minutes. Add a couple of tablespoons chopped papaya or mango. Sprinkle with Penzy's Bouquet Garni. Yum!




Here's a link to a previous open-faced grill sandwich, one of my favorites: COLLIER'S CHEDDAR SALMON GRILL

BTW, have I ever mentioned my worst baking experiment? Well, it wasn't an experiment, it was a total mistake. Years ago when I could still eat gluten, I was making biscuits. And I was a great biscuit maker. Except one day I made the mistake of using baking soda instead of baking powder. Don't know why. The boxes didn't look remotely similar, but I think I was doing it from my "head" and not from the recipe. Well, I served those babies and everybody at the table spit them out. Spit. Not pretty! But too funny. I had to backtrack through the recipe to figure out what went wrong. Luckily biscuits can be whipped up in a matter of minutes and I had a new recipe on the table soon. And my friends still talk to me, so it wasn't a total disaster.

What was your worst disaster...or your best success story in the kitchen?


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If you haven't seen it, here's my youtube trailer for LOST AND FONDUE


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Also...


A SNEAK PREVIEW of
LOST AND FONDUE is up on my website. Click here. If you'd like to know more about A Cheese Shop Mystery series and want to download a few other recipes from me (on recipe cards), click on this link to my website: Avery Aames. I've posted recipes in the "morsels" section. There's lots of other fun stuff, as well.

And sign up for the mailing list to get in on the next contest...coming every two weeks as I approach the launch of L&F in May. Latest winners include:

Say cheese!





16 comments:

  1. You've brought back such a great memory for me--cheese bread! I grew up eating it, but have never baked it myself. Thanks for this recipe. :)

    Disasters? Me? :) I've had a total of 3 fires in the kitchen (yes, fires. I was able to put them out quickly, thank God..I keep fire extinguishers close.) Once my broiling was too enthusiastic, once I microwaved something I shouldn't have microwaved, and I can't even remember what I was doing the 3rd time. Sigh. Love the baking soda/baking powder!

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  2. Fires in the kitchen, Elizabeth? Yikes!

    Avery, that's a terrific trailer! Love it. And that sandwich has me ready to dig in!

    I have a silly question. Is there an issue with gluten and yeast?

    ~ Krista

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  3. Love the trailer, Avery! And the recipe. Thanks for including the bread maker version. My breadmaker is practically my best friend every second day.

    I will Say Cheese!

    MJ

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  4. Elizabeth, the fires! I smoked up the kitchen with mushrooms in oil, once. The ceiling turned gray. Ugh! I was entertaining. We'd gone to the porch to talk about the garden, and oops, I forgot I was cooking with oil. Bad me. Now, whenever I'm cooking, I carry a timer with me.

    ~Avery

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  5. Krista and MJ, thanks re: the trailer and compliments.

    Krista, yes there is an issue with gluten and yeast. Gluten just doesn't have the "glue" that makes yeast work. You know how yeast bubbles with regular flour and gets that foamy look? It doesn't do that with gluten-free flours. This is one of the reasons it's hard to make sourdough bread. That really requires a yeasty mixture to "sour" up.

    In this instance, I think the yeast was able to glom onto the cheese and do its thing. The bread stayed moist and soft for over a week. Many people who are gluten-free think that the bread will have to be like sandpaper. Most in the freezer section are. They toast up well, but dry. Blech. I have found that freshly made in a breadmaker works well for gluten-free mixes and they last a little longer and can be made into sandwiches immediately.

    ~Avery AveryAames.com

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  6. First, what are Penzey’s Bouquet Garni spices and can I find them easily in the grocery store? Probably not the commissary, but maybe one of the local chains?

    As for kitchen disasters, when I was a pre-teen and my single father had just gotten custody of me, I tried baking biscuits. I was only 13 and didn't know the difference between baking soda and baking powder. So I used the soda. They were beautiful biscuits. But even the dog wouldn't eat them. And I've set the kitchen on fire in college. I was making popcorn on the stove. Started a grease fire. Managed to put it out, but when I tried to turn off the smoke detector - well I'm short so I stood on a chair, but still couldn't reach it. So I jumped, hit the off button and went right through the seat of the chair on my way back down.

    Fortunately, I've improved in my kitchen endeavors since then.

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  7. LOL - what a great story, Avery!
    I've had so many disasters it's hard to pick one. But I think my favorite was when I planned to serve fresh bananas over pound cake for dessert when my husband and I had our parents over for our 2nd anniversary. To prepare ahead of time, I pre-sliced the bananas and knew that lemon juice would keep them from turning brown. Nobody told me I shouldn't *soak* the bananas in lemon juice. I still remember my fil's face when he took that sour first bite!
    Thanks for all the great gluten education. So good to know!

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  8. Booklady, the chair scene is a hoot. May I use that in a book soon? Hope you didn't hurt yourself, but the image is so funny. I can see Rebecca doing something like that, can't you? In The Cheese Shop kitchen? LOL

    Re: Penzey's. I'd heard of them and found them online. Others buys them in stores, so going to the Penzey's site to find a local buyer will do the trick. I think you could substitute Schillings or McCormick's bouquet garni, too. I just had Penzey's in the cupboard.

    ~Avery

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  9. Oh, Julie, bananas and lemon. Yipes. I'm sure it would have been fine had you added a lot of SUGAR. :) Too funny. I've never sprinkled lemon on bananas to keep them from turning with the same worry, too sour. So I wait until the last to slice them.

    ~Avery

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  10. Avery - you can certainly use the chair seen in a book. I can see that happening to Rebecca. I didn't hurt myself, but I was very glad the only one to witness my fall was my dog. She just gave me one of those looks animals do - you know - "a dog wouldn't be caught in that situation".

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  11. Thank you Avery for this recipe. I am eating more gluten free foods. I love cheese bread and haven't found the right recipe, until now. I am looking forward to trying it.

    I don't have a disaster but a good thing. It was thanksgiving and I just got home from my last Chemo treatment. My mom knew I love to cook, but have never done a big meal. She asked if I was up to it and she helped me a along the way but at 18 I made my first Thanksgiving meal and it turned out perfect. Since then my mom always ask if I am cooking for Thanksgiving.

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  12. Avery - Fun post today, great recipe, even the comments are a pleasure to read! But I have to compliment you on the ingredients for your 2nd Cheese Shop mystery. I really enjoyed the trailer and you've hooked me with all the elments you've woven into the story. I can't wait for May to read it! (As for my kitchen disasters. Eesh. Too many to mention in a comment - but smoke alarms are often involved! :))

    ~ Cleo Coffeehouse Mystery.com
    Cleo Coyle on Twitter

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  13. Yay cheese! Is there anything it can't do?

    Love the trailer -- looking forward to the book!

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  14. Babs - how wonderful to know you can do Thanksgiving. If you can do that, you can do anything!!

    Booklady - thanks. That scene is "mine." Love the dog look. That might go in as well. ;0

    Cleo - sweet. Glad you enjoyed the trailer.

    Cricket - yes, cheese goes into lots of things and makes them so much better. (I might be biased.)

    ~Avery

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  15. Avery...
    You had me at mangoes!!! What a terrific idea to top a cheese sandwich!
    Loved the trailer and looking forward to your new book.

    Nanc

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  16. Nanc, aren't you cute? I never liked mangoes before last year and then they hit me. They're like papaya but milder. And I adore papaya. Glad you liked the trailer. They're so fun to make. If I could spend all my time doing that...oh, no, then I wouldn't write. But they are fun!

    ~Avery

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