Sorry- this post is up a tad late today. I had some technical difficulties last night. Otherwise known as red wine and mojitos. What? I needed a lot of beverages to wash down the mass quantities of bacon filled food I was eating.
Anyways… On to the Bacon filled food.
Cheddar Bacon Bread is a beautiful thing to behold. Multiple loaves were baked and completely consumed in various ways last night by only a few people.
Yes. I will be attempting to exercise today.
I keep getting side tracked. But, The point is: it is insanely delicious and packed with melted cheddar cheese and little chunks of bacon, which are extra crispy and have actually infused the bread with its bacony flavor. I feel like this is kind of self explanatory in the “delicious” file?
By the way- even though it is homemade bread, seriously it is not hard. At all. I worship homemade bread, it just makes everything better. Plus the summer heat and humidity really seems to get the yeast extra puffy!
Some ways in which I used and abused this bread are coming really soon, but here was a good one:
Toasted, buttered and topped with a fried egg.
To make the bread:
First, rinse a small bowl out with some very hot water. Then dry and fill with the 2 tsp sugar and the packet of yeast. Next, run the tap water until it is very hot, like 115 degrees. Add ½ cup of hot water to the yeast and sugar and set aside.
While the yeast is rising, add the milk, butter, remaining sugar and salt to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer.
Whisk everything until dissolved and add it to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook.
Let sit to cool while the yeast continues rising, the yeast should need about 5-10 minutes to get nice and puffy. When the yeast is ready, add it to the mixer and start mixing.
Add the bread flour one cup at a time to the mixer.
Mix until you have a thick smooth dough, this should take about 3 minutes.
Add the cheese and mix until it is worked into the dough.
Oil a bowl, and transfer the dough to the bowl. Cover with a dishtowel and set somewhere warm and draft-free.
Let the dough rise at least one hour, until the dough is very soft and puffy, and then mix the crumbled bacon into the dough with your hands.
Place the ball of dough into the greased loaf pans.
Let the bread rise (with a dish towel over it) another 15-30 minutes until puffed up again. Then bake the bread about 35-40 minutes until the bread is golden on top.
Slice and enjoy!
Recipe: Cheddar Bacon Bread
Ingredients
- -1/2 cups HOT water
- -2 tsp sugar
- -1 envelope yeast
- -½ cup milk
- -1/4 cup butter
- -1/2 cup sugar
- -1 tsp salt
- -3 cups bread flour
- -2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- -6 pieces bacon, cooked to crispy
- -1 Tbs butter
Instructions
- 1. First, rinse a small bowl out with some very hot water. Then dry and fill with the 2 tsp sugar and the packet of yeast.
- 2. Next, run the tap water until it is very hot, like 115 degrees. Add ½ cup of hot water to the yeast and sugar and set aside.
- 3. While the yeast is rising, add the milk, butter, remaining sugar and salt to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer.
- 4. Whisk everything until dissolved and add it to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook.
- 5. Let sit to cool while the yeast continues rising, the yeast should need about 5-10 minutes to get nice and puffy.
- 6. When the yeast is ready, add it to the mixer and start mixing.
- 7. Add the bread flour one cup at a time to the mixer.
- 8. Add the cheese and mix until it is worked into the dough.
- 9. Mix until you have a thick smooth dough, this should take about 3 minutes.
- 10. Oil a large bowl, and transfer the dough to the bowl. Cover with a dishtowel and set somewhere warm and draft-free.
- 11. Let the dough rise at least one hour, until the dough is very soft and puffy, and then mix the crumbled bacon into the dough with your hands.
- 12. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a loaf pan with cooking spray.
- 13. Place the ball of dough into the greased loaf pans.
- 14. Let the bread rise (with a dish towel over it) another 15-30 minutes until puffed up again.
- 15. Melt the butter.
- 16. Brush half of the butter over the top of the loaf before baking.
- 17. Bake the bread about 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees (on the middle rack), or until the bread is golden on top and just baked through.
- 18. Brush the tops of the bread loafs with the rest of the melted butter.
- 19. Let the bread cool until you can turn the loaf out onto a cooling rack.
- 20. Slice and enjoy!
Preparation time: 20 minute(s)
Cooking time: 40 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): 12
Print Recipe
this has me written alllllll over it, especially with that drippy egg on top. my lunch seems totally boring now.
make it Brandi!! 2 hours from now you will be in hog heaven. Pun intended!
You had me at Ch.
Looks absolutely delicious! I may even try yeast againl And, you are forgiven. Wine and mojitos are sometimes a requirement to perfect a recipe. Thank-you!
ha! thanks for understanding Christy! yes- drinking seems to help me 🙂
Yum Factor = 1 Gazillion! Looks delish Heather. And the egg on top. Yes please!
Isn’t everything better with a fried egg on top?!
This looks delicious. I have just one question – does that hot water not kill the yeast? Ive always used tepid water as yeast and heat dont usually go well together?
I think the main problem with yeast not rising is that people don’t get the water hot enough! Your water should be 110-115 degrees to get the yeast to rise nicely. I always shoot for the higher end of that taking into consideration the fact that the bowl and other ingredients will cool it down. I also rinse the bowl with hot water before I even put the ingredients in it. You might want to sacrifice a yeast packet in an experiment, but this has always worked for me!
Love this!! Wish I had some for breakfast with that drippy egg!
oh, dear! this bread with the egg would make such an indulgent breakfast treat!
we thought it was a good “manly” breakfast- not that I , as a woman, wouldn’t want it too!
Love the idea of bacon and eggs in/on the bread – would make a good breakfast for dinner option.
Breakfast for dinner is my FAVORITE! Good idea!
I love savory breads and this one looks incredibly decadent – the egg of course puts it right over the top!!
It’s pretty easy too. And as I keep saying- doesn’t a drippy fried egg put everything over the top!?
I have a REALLY bad habit of overworking dough -could you add the bacon when you add the cheese? Since I want to make it right now of course!
totally. I just added at the end in a moment of divine inspiration, but it would be great to add with the cheese.
Yum. Great idea to add a fried egg on top. I love when yolks get all ooozy!
You sure do cook a lot. I wish i was your neighbor – I would be over tomorrow a.m. for a slice of this with a big slab of butter!
You are right. I DO cook a lot. Sometimes I am kind of grossed out by how much food is going on. Luckily my siblings all live close and are happy to pick up leftovers 🙂
How about a grilled cheese with this bread! Sounds wonderful.
Trust me- that happened!
LOVE!! this looks flipping AMAZING!!!
I can’t wait to try this for my next brunch. I love the idea of baking the classic breakfast combo into a bread!
Oh lord…that looks so wonderful!!!!!! love!!!
Mafe this bread and made an ultimate turkey club. It was spectacular.
Awesome Shelley! thank you for letting me know you liked it!!!
Would it work to use GF all purpose flour instead of the bread flour?
or
would it be better to encorporate cheese and bacon into an existing GF bread recie?
thanks so much
Hi Debbie! If you do, add 1 teaspoon of xanthum gum to the flour and then see what happens. I have not done it, but would love to hear if it turns out for you!