Gran’ma’s cheese straws, made into bread

You know, I thought I hadn’t given you a recipe before, but that shrimp is out there.  Well, here’s another one.  (Actually this bread might be pretty good with that shrimp.)

I made this cheese bread recipe for the bread machine several weeks ago, and though it wasn’t a match, it immediately evoked my great grandmother‘s cheese straws.  So I got excited about refining it until it was that magical flavor, except made into a bread.  I think I hit it today, on my third try with adjusting and adding ingredients.  Here it is:

• 1 cup warm water
• 2 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
• 1/4 cup dry milk powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast, or 1 1/2 teaspoons bread machine/rapid yeast

Follow usual directions.  For example, if you have an old-fashioned vertical bread machine like mine, put the water in, then all of the dry ingredients (except the yeast).  (I usually deal with the cheese by putting about a cup of the bread flour in the water, then all of the cheese, then the rest of the bread flour.)  Make a slight depression in the center for the yeast, and put it in last.  Quarter the butter and put it in each corner.  Select the basic/white cycle and medium color, and pull the trigger.

I suppose the recipe would also work for traditional preparation, though I’ve not tried it that way.  If you do, let me know.

There’s a huge, warm cheddar body to this bread, closed with an appealing kick from the red pepper.  It’s a tremendous companion for homemade vegetable soup, which is exactly how I’m about to enjoy it myself.

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