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    This flavorful bread makes a great foundation for any kind of sandwich, and is particularly scrumptious with peanut butter. If you've never baked yeast bread, the cooler days of autumn are the perfect time to give it a try Yield: 2 loaves Prep time: 30 minutes, plus 2-3 hours rising time
Baking time: 30 minutes
Difficulty Level: Challenging
   
 Place the water, yeast and sugar in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Set aside for about five minutes, until the yeast bubbles up to the surface. Heat the milk and butter together in a microwave or saucepan until the milk is warm to the touch and the butter is softened. (The milk must be warm, not hot, and the butter does not need to melt.) Add the warmed milk mixture, salt, mustard, Tabasco, and two cups of bread flour to the yeast mixture and stir to blend. Mix in the cheese. Stir in enough additional flour to make a fairly stiff dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead vigorously, adding more flour as needed, until the dough is smooth, elastic, and no longer sticky. Place the dough in a buttered bowl, turning once to grease the surface, and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Set aside in a warm place to rise until doubled in bulk. Rising times will vary with the temperature of your kitchen, but it will typically take between one and two hours for the first rising. To test, plunge two fingers into the dough. If the dough springs slowly back, it is not ready; if it remains indented and seems to sink slightly under the impact of your fingers, the rising is complete. Punch down the dough and divide it into two equal portions, kneading each briefly to form a smooth ball. Allow the dough to rest while you generously grease two 8-inch by 4-inch loaf pans. Shape the dough into loaves, place in the pans, slash the tops lengthwise with a sharp knife, and cover once again with a clean kitchen towel. Allow to rise again until nearly doubled. (The second rising will take one half to two thirds as long as the first.) While the dough is rising, position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 375°F. Bake the bread for 30 minutes. Carefully remove the loaves from the hot pans, then place them back in the oven, directly on the rack, for five to ten minutes more, until the bottom crust is crisp and the loaves sound hollow when rapped on the top and bottom. Cool thoroughly before slicing. Store cheddar bread in a zip top plastic bag at room temperature for up to three days, in the refrigerator for up to five days, or frozen, wrapped well, for up to four months.  Based on 16 servings Calories 167; Protein 5g; Carbohydrates 24g; Total Fat 6g; Saturated Fat 3g; Cholesterol 14mg; Calcium 6% DV; Sodium 558mg |
  Food produced without antibiotics, added growth hormones or pesticides means better health and a cleaner environment.    |
