Vermont Cheddar Bread aka Easy Cheesy Bread

Easy Cheesy Bread @ Betcha Can't Eat Just One

3 cups of lukewarm water

1 1/2 Tbsp of granulated yeast (2 packages)

1 1/2 Tbsp salt

1 1/2 Tbsp sugar

6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup grated cheddar cheese (I used a Vermont cheddar.)

Mix the first four ingredients in a large lidded (not air-tight) food container. Add the dry ingredients, flour and cheese.

Mix by hand or wooden spoon...do not knead...or use a heavy duty stand mixer with a dough hook making certain that all of the flour is incorporated. You may need to wet your hand with water and mix the dough until there are no dry spots. Remember that you’re not kneading, just mixing in all of the flour.

Cover with the lid (do not seal) and let rise on the counter for 2 hours or more…you want the dough to rise and fall so it’s flat on the top.

At this point you can form your bread and bake or you can put the dough in the fridge for up to 7 days, using only as much as you need and saving the rest for later!

Forming and Baking

Dust the surface of your refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1 pound piece of dough (the size of a grapefruit) You can really make this any size you want, you’ll just need to adjust your baking time accordingly.

Dust the piece with more flour, and shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating a quarter turn as you go.

Place the loaf on a pizza peel that has been sprinkled with corn meal so it can easily be slid onto the baking stone in the hot oven.

Allow the bread to rest for 1 hour (or 40 minutes if you have not refrigerated the dough) It may not rise very much during the resting period but will expand in the oven.

Twenty minutes prior to baking, set the oven at 450° F. Have the baking stone on the lowest rack of the oven. Put an empty pan or broiler tray on any other shelf that won’t interfere with the bread (you’re going to use it to create steam in the oven and give your bread a great crust)

Give the rested dough a liberal dusting of flour and use a serrated knife to make slashes across the top of the bread about 1/4″ to a 1/2″ deep.

Slide the bread onto the hot baking stone. Pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the boiler tray or empty hot pan and quickly shut the oven door. Your oven will not have gotten to temperature but that is okay.

Bake for about 25 minutes or until the crust is browned and the bread feels quite firm.

Allow to cool before slicing or eating!