This recipe is a personal favorite. It can be eaten at literally any time day or night with almost any topping and it always tastes good. Today’s recipe is Cheesy Bread. Cheese in general has a special place in my heart, but good warm cheesy bread really takes the cake (badum tiss). Enjoy!
1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded on large holes of box grater
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon table salt
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
About 1 cup of extra-sharp cheddar cheese, cut into ½-inch cubes, or mild Asiago, crumbled into ¼- to ½-inch pieces
1 ¼ cups whole milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg beaten lightly
¾ cup sour cream
-Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 5 by 9-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray, then sprinkle 1/2 cup Parmesan evenly in bottom of pan.-In large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper to combine. Using rubber spatula, mix in cheddar or Asiago, breaking up clumps, until cheese is coated with flour. In medium bowl, whisk together milk, melted butter, egg, and sour cream. Using rubber spatula, gently fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just combined (batter will be heavy and thick). Do not overmix. Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan; spread to sides of pan and level surface with rubber spatula. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan evenly over surface.
-Bake until deep golden brown and toothpick or skewer inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack 5 minutes; invert loaf from pan and continue to cool until warm, about 45 minutes. Cut into slices and serve.
-Freezing Instructions: Although the recipe title Quick Cheese Bread is no misnomer (the batter is in the pan in 15 minutes), when you add time for baking and cooling, the recipe does require a total of two hours. Luckily, like many of our other bread recipes, a baked loaf of cheese bread freezes beautifully, meaning a warm loaf need be only minutes away. To freeze the bread, wrap the cooled loaf tightly with a double layer of aluminum foil and place in the freezer; it will keep for up to three months. When you’re ready to serve the bread, place the frozen, wrapped loaf on the middle rack of a preheated 375-degree oven and heat for eight to 10 minutes, until the loaf yields under gentle pressure. Remove the foil and return the unwrapped bread to the oven for five minutes to crisp the exterior. Take the bread out of the oven and let cool on a rack for 15 minutes to make slicing easier. Enjoy.
