Cheese Bread in the Food Processor

I have been making this recipe since I first saw it in 1991, when I purchased my first food processor.  It’s especially tasty as toast, but it’s also great for sandwiches, especially BLT's.  The fat content gives it a tender texture, and the food processor makes it very quick to make.  I often make this recipe for holiday gifts with a jar of homemade jam.  This size loaf can be made in a smaller Classic or DLC10 processor, as well as larger ones.  This loaf cost 20% more this year than as recently as 2009!

 With only 3 cups of flour, I use the steel blade.   I weigh the flour, cheese and milk powder right in the processor bowl with the blade in it, and then add the remaining ingredients.  A food processor takes such a short time to make bread, I use a stopwatch to time it.  I let my dough rise the first time right in the processor bowl; why wash another bowl?  To shape loaves, I roll out the dough into a rectangle, and fold it in thirds, like a letter for an envelope, then pinch the ends to seal.

The directions for this recipe call for Instant or Bread Machine or Rapid Rise yeast.  If you use plain active dry yeast, the rise times should double.                    

                     Cheese Bread

  1       Cup  Water – heat to 120°-125°

  2       Tablespoons  butter

  13 ½  Ounces  bread flour – 3 cups

  2        Teaspoons  sugar

  1        Teaspoon  salt

     1/3  Cup  Skim Dry Milk** - 1 ounce

  3         Ounces  Cheddar Cheese -- sharp, shredded (3/4 cup)

  2         Teaspoons  Instant Yeast -- 1 package

 Shred cheese with the shredding disk if needed.  Add dry ingredients to processor.  Add liquids, heated 120°-125°, slowly through feed tube, until dough cleans the sides of the bowl, about 45 seconds.  Mix for 1 minute after dough comes together.  Let rise 10 minutes, in processor bowl, in warm place. 

Make into loaf, place in greased 4 1/2 x 8 1/2“ pan.  Top with a sprayed piece of waxed paper.

Preheat oven to 375°.  Let rise in warm place 25 minutes or until 1" over the top of the pan.  Bake at 375° for 35 minutes.

**If you don’t use dry milk, use ¼ cup water and ¾ cup liquid milk for the liquids.

Cost per loaf: fall 2009 - $ 1.62

Cost per loaf:  Winter 2012 - $2.02

Per Serving: 132 Calories; 4g Fat (25.0% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 19g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 10mg Cholesterol; 195mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.
If you don't have a food processor, this recipe can be made on the dough cycle of a bread machine and then shaped for the last rise, or in your stand mixer or by hand, for that matter.