If you are new to baking bread and the whole yeast thing intimidates you, you will love how easy it is to make this bread. Not only is it oh so tasty but it’s one of the easier yeast breads to bake. Using a food processor makes it oh so simple! It’s the perfect loaf of bread to try if you are just starting out on your bread baking journey.
I love corn bread and when I make a big batch of chili I always make cornbread to serve with it. But, alas, my husband is not a fan of cornbread. I know, I think he was dropped on his head when he was a baby. I mean, really…who doesn’t love cornbread? Right?
So the search was on for an easy to bake bread that would pair well with chili. I found this recipe in a cookbook published in the early 90’s by the Junior League of Portland Oregon. There were a couple of things I loved about this recipe; a yeast dough that could be made quickly and using a food processor to make the dough.
From start, to pulling a freshly baked loaf out of the oven, took me just under two hours. If you don’t regularly bake bread, that may sound like a long time. Actually, two hours is considered pretty quick when you are working with a yeast dough.
This loaf is perfect for those times you didn’t plan ahead the day before to bake a loaf of sourdough bread from scratch. Baking sourdough bread is the best, but it takes time and preplanning. Hey, I get it, life happens, but now you have this recipe that you can whip up in no time to save the meal.
To start, combine lukewarm water and yeast in a small bowl. Stir with a fork to dissolve the yeast. Set aside and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.
In a food processor using the sharp metal blade attachment, combine the flour, pepper and sugar.
Pulse a few times to combine the ingredients.
TIP: Be sure to use coarse ground pepper for this recipe, otherwise it will disappear in the dough. You want tiny flecks of pepper throughout the dough.
In a seperate bowl, combine warm milk, melted butter and egg, stir well.
With the food processor running, first pour in the yeast mixture then the milk mixture through the feed tube.
When dough forms into a ball around the center, stop and add the cheese.
Pulse again with short pulses for about 15-20 seconds until the cheese is mixed into the dough.
Turn ball of dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until you have a nice smooth dough, about 2-3 minutes. Form dough into a ball.
Place ball of dough in a buttered bowl, rotating to cover all sides of the dough. Cover it loosely with plastic wrap and a towel. Place bowl in a cold oven and turn the oven light on. Allow the dough to rise for 30 minutes.
Punch down the dough and form it into a loaf. You can either free-form an oblong shaped loaf and place it on a greased cookie sheet or place it in a well greased loaf pan.
Cover by draping loosely with a cotton towel and allow the dough to rise for 30 minutes.
During the last 10 minutes of rise time, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
PRO TIP: When allowing time for dough to rise, place dough in the oven, heat off, with the oven light turned on. It creates the perfect warm cozy environment that will get yeast really going and doing its thing. Just be sure to remove dough before preheating the oven for baking.
Bake loaf in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. Cool loaf on a wire rack.
Cheddar Pepper Bread
Equipment
- Food processor
Ingredients
- 1 packet yeast
- ¼ cup warm water
- 3 cups flour
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp coarse ground black pepper
- ½ cup warm milk
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine lukewarm water and yeast. Stir with a fork to dissolve and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.
- In a food processor using the sharp metal blade attachment, combine flour, pepper and sugar. Pulse a few times to combine the ingredients.
- In a seperate bowl, combine warm milk, melted butter and egg, stir well.
- With the food processor running, first pour yeast mixture then the milk mixture through the feed tube.
- When dough has formed into a ball around the center, stop and add the cheese. Pulse again for about 15-20 seconds until the cheese is mixed into the dough.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 2-3 minutes.
- Place dough in a buttered bowl, rotating to cover all sides of the dough. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and a towel. Place in a cold oven and turn the oven light on. Allow the dough to rise for 30 minutes.
- Punch down the dough and form it into a loaf. You can either free-form an oblong shaped loaf and place it on a greased cookie sheet or place it in a well greased loaf pan.
- Cover with a towel and allow the loaf to rise for 30 minutes.
- During the last 10 minutes of rise time, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Bake loaf in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes.
A couple of observations that I want to share with you. I baked a free form loaf the first time making this bread. Next time I will bake it in a loaf pan since it doesn’t produce a chewy crust, you are not going to get that texture with this bread.
The best way to describe the texture of this bread would be to compare it to cornbread; it has a tender crumb more like cornbread but it’s a bit more dense and holds together better. It’s not as crumbly as cornbread.
It’s a delicious loaf of bread! The pepper gives it a nice zip and the cheese gives it a lovely tang, and it paired beautifully with a big bowl of chili. It would be equally delicious with a hearty stew or pot roast!
If you have any leftovers, slice it and make grilled cheese sandwiches. Typically bread is best the day it’s baked, but using this day old bread to make grilled cheese?!?!
BRILLIANT!
OMGosh…it rivaled the freshly baked loaf!
Not only was this an easy loaf to bake; perfect for anyone new to bread baking, but I was able to serve up two delicious meals with it. A warm loaf of bread slathered with butter that paired beautifully with a big pot of chili the first night. Followed by crispy, gooey grilled cheese sandwiches the next day. Be sure to serve up those grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup!
Winner, winner with two cheese bread dinners!!! OH YAH!
Did You Make This?
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