Cheesy Onion Bread

I have not posted a yeast bread recipe yet this year.  I haven't been baking as much as I would like in general.  But after almost two weeks of accidentally gluten-free dinners, I really wanted some fresh bread.

This is a variation of the Afternoon Tea book's "Cheese and Chive Braid".  Their product was slightly larger, to accommodate 1-1/2 tsp of yeast for some reason.  It made the amount of liquids really odd.  By shrinking it to my common 1 tsp of yeast and 1 C of liquid per loaf, the whole recipe became much easier to develop.

For the green onions, I raided my scrap garden.  The onion stubs have fully regrown into beautiful green leaves.  One had already produced a scape by the time I got to this bread, so it's really time to start harvesting them.  Not bad though, getting two onions out of one.  That makes the original investment in the bunch of green onions count as half the price.

I decided to go ahead and braid my dough like the original recipe, but the amount will be fine in a loaf pan or as rolls, as desired.  The egg wash before baking isn't absolutely necessary, but it will get you a firm crust and dark golden shine.  Since this isn't an egg bread, I can't call it a challah.  Too bad, because it's the nicest-looking braided loaf I've ever made.

3+ C of flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp sugar
*1 tsp dry yeast
2 Tb unsalted butter
1 C warm milk (100º)
*1 C shredded cheddar cheese
*4 green onions, finely chopped
1 egg, beaten

1.  Stir together warm milk, sugar butter, and yeast.  Allow to sit until it starts to foam, about 5 minutes.

2.  In mixer with the paddle, stir together 1 C flour, chopped onions, and shredded cheddar.

3.  Beat in wet mixture to create a batter, 2 minutes at medium speed.  Add salt and another cup of flour and beat into a thick batter, another 2 minutes.  You're ready when the batter is sticky and producing gluten strings.

4.  Turn out batter onto a well-floured board.  Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, adding enough flour to keep it from being sticky, but not so much that it's dry.  Form into a ball.  Turn over in a lightly oiled bowl and set in a warm place to rise until doubled, 1 hour.

5.  Punch down dough and rest for 10 minutes.  Divide into 3 pieces.  A food scale is the best way to do this.  Each of my pieces was 8 oz.  Roll out each piece into a rope about 16" long.  Braid into a standing loaf and pinch both ends shut.  Set on a parchment or silpat-lined baking sheet and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

6.  At the 30 minute-mark, start preheating the oven to 425º.  When it's ready, gently brush the loaf with the beaten egg, covering all exposed surfaces and getting into the cracks of the braid.  Immediately place the pan in the oven, before it can deflate.

7.  Bake at 425º for 20 minutes.  Turn down oven to 350º and bake an additional 15 minutes, or until the loaf is golden brown and sounds hollow when thumped.  Remove to a rack to cool.  Slice and serve.

Makes one loaf, 8-10 servings

Difficulty rating  :)