Cheesy bread

When I wasn’t working on the novel in November I was either 1) asleep, 2) at work, or 3) baking. Since me being asleep is both dull, although there was that dream I had about the Asian guy in the “Where’s Waldo?” sweater, and a rarity, and since my current job woes are really too horrible to dwell on, I thought I’d share a bit of the baking.

This recipe started life as Parmesean Herb Muffins (the herbs being parsley and sage) but it makes a nice base for a cheese bread of any sort.

The Basic Recipe (U.S./Metric)
(conversions from joyofbaking.com)

Prep time is approximately 30-35 minutes;

Baking time is approximately 15-22 minutes:

• 2 cups/480 ml flour
• 1 tablespoon/15 ml sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons/7.4 ml baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon/2.5 ml baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups/360 ml buttermilk
• 1/4 cup/60ml margarine or butter, melted
  I recommend unsalted butter.
• 1 large egg

The Cheese and Spices:

• 1 1/2 cups/360 ml shredded cheese of choice
• Spice to smell. Depending on the strength of the spices at least 1 teaspoon/4.9 ml.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C
2. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda together
   I like to sift my flour as I think it makes a smoother bread.
3. Add egg, buttermilk, melted butter
4. Beat dough lightly until most lumps are gone
5. Mix in cheese and spice to smell
6. Fill two loaf pans about 2/3 full. Dough will rise significantly
7. Sprinkle some cheese and main spice onto top of dough
8. Bake 15-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean
9. Cool for 5-10 minutes before removing from pan
10. Enjoy!

For a more savory bread, such as cheddar/chili, you can cut the amount of sugar back to 2 teaspoons/9.8 ml without changing the recipe in any material way.