Cheddar Cheese Bread

There is a farm market not too far from where I live called Gouchers Farm Market. Its the favorite of my sister and myself. I reckon we visit it several times a week, and not just for vegetables or fruits. They are open all year round and are very consistent in the quality of what they sell, plus the prices are fairly competitive.
The sell organic frozen locally ground beef and other meats. Local cheeses, jams, pickles, syrups, smoked meats, etc.
Twice a week they get in fresh bakery goods that are produced right here in the valley. Pies, cakes, cookies, squares, rolls, breads, etc. They have two suppliers of these goods that arrive on two separate days.

They get the most fabulous Nova Scotia Brown Bread and the most wonderful cheese bread. These things run out fairly quickly. You have to be quick off the mark to get some!

I love the cheese bread. I can eat it just plain, on its own without any butter or anything else spread on it. It is wonderfully delicious. The other day we were there, they only had one fresh loaf. I let my sister have it because I knew it would get used up if she took it home, whereas the likelihood of me being able to use the full loaf was pretty slim.

She gave me a few slices and I got to enjoy some anyways. Very tasty!

I decided to try to bake my own. I had not used my bread machine in a while so I dusted it off, determined to bake a cheese bread of my own in it. I went searching on Pinterest for a recipe. (As you do.)
I saw a couple recipes that looked very promising, but then I discovered this one and that was it. I had found my loaf. This Cheddar Cheese Bread recipe that I am sharing today has been adapted from one I found on a page called Sum of Yum.

It looked like it had the perfect texture and promised to be a bakery style loaf. I just had to give it a go. I did adapt the recipe a bit in line with the requirements of my bread machine and with what I know that works well when making bread in the bread machine.
The end result was a delicious, soft, beautiful textured loaf of Cheddar Cheese Bread. I declare it even better than the one we have been buying at the farm market. Its fabulous!

As you can see it rose nice and tall and has a beautiful crisp crust. It did sink a bit in the center after I took it out of the machine, but the interior is cooked perfectly so I am not sure what that is about. It has not affected the flavor or texture of the bread at all.
I think it was perhaps a bit tall for my machine? I don't know how these things work. In any case, it is a beautiful loaf of bread!

What I love most about it is that it is such a simple make and bake. I struggle with baking bread in the ordinary way, but I have the best bread machine. It bakes beautiful bread that I just love!
My machine is the Panasonic Automatic Bread Maker Model# SD-RD250. This is the bread machine I have been using for over 20 years. I went through two of them in the UK. My friend Jo, who was the housekeeper at the Manor for a few of the years that I worked there, had this particular model also.
When it came time to buy a new one here in Canada, I had to go with the same thing again. It is, quite simply, the best bread machine. I highly recommend.

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CHEDDAR CHEESE BREAD (BREAD MACHINE)
Pretty basic bread making ingredients. There is nothing special here. I highly recommend using the best cheddar you can buy and a strong cheddar for the best flavor!

1 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast
3 cups (420g) white bread flour
1 TBS granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 TBS Vital Wheat Gluten (optional)
1 cup (240ml) room temperature whole milk
1/2 cup (120g) butter, melted
2 cups (241g) extra strong cheddar, grated

I think extra strong/sharp cheddar gives the best flavor. You could use white, but I used dyed cheddar today because I was looking for the lovely warmth in color it would give to the bread.
Vital Wheat Gluten is an additive that I use. I add Vital Wheat Gluten to all of my recipes for bread making in a bread machine. You can purchase it online. (I get mine on Amazon.)It helps to yield a much better loaf, helping the loaf to rise higher with a nicer texture than without. It stores for a really long time in the freezer.

HINTS AND TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST BREAD IN A BREAD MACHINE

Really if you follow the directions on your particular bread machine your bread should work out perfectly, but there are a few things you can do that will give you an even better loaf of bread.1. Measure by weight and not volume. Weight is a much more precise way to measure. You can't go wrong. I have a set of digital scales that I use. I just pop the bread pan onto them and measure away. My scales measure in grams, Kg, pounds and ounces, milliliters, etc. I started baking by weight when I lived in the UK and I would now never bake any other way.

2. Bread machine loaves work best with bread flour. Bread flour can also be labeled "Best for Bread" or "High Gluten flour."

3. You can use regular flour, but if you do, I really recommend adding Vital Wheat Gluten to the recipe. This helps to boost the protein content of the bread.4. Measure very carefully. If you don't add enough flour, no matter the type of flour you use, the bread will collapse and is often uncooked in the center. If you add too much flour, you will end up with a dense, hard heavy ball.

5. Yeast is a vital component in making yeasted breads! Duh. It can come in many forms. I recommend using yeast which is prepared specifically for use in the bread machine. I store my yeast in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator.

6. Salt is another important component in bread making. Do not however, let the salt touch the yeast. Salt is important in bread making, not only as a flavor enhancer, but also in controlling the level of yeast fermentation.

8. Follow the recommendations when it comes to the order of adding ingredients to your machine. There are reasons why some machines put the dry ingredients first and the wet last. Others might recommend putting in the wet first and the dry last. YOU NEED TO FOLLOW THE EXACT ORDER AS RECOMMENDED BY YOUR PARTICULAR MODEL!!

Most of the time when a recipe fails it is because the baker fails to follow the correct directions as per the machine they are using.

This is a really beautiful loaf of bread. Today I enjoyed some of it sliced and buttered along with a can of Chili Soup. Its a chilly, rainy day and it went down a real treat!
Soft, moist and delicious, this is one fantastic loaf of bread. A new favorite. I think it would make great sandwiches as well!

Some other bread machine recipes that I have shared on here that you might enjoy are:

BREAD MACHINE PARKER HOUSE ROLLS - These are beautiful rolls and well deserving of being served at your holiday meal, or at any meal for that matter. Using the Bread Machine makes them quick and very simple to make.

BUTTERMILK WHOLEWHEAT BREAD - With a mixture of both whole wheat and white bread flours, and sweetened with maple syrup. Then there is the addition of buttermilk. Together these things make for a really delicious wholesome loaf of bread.