I don't know what it is about St. Patrick's Day. Every year, I plan all kinds of green/Irish-inspired/boozy recipes to share in the month of March. And every year the plans fall through/prove disastrous/I run out of time/I'm pregnant and too nauseous to cook {as was the case last year}, etc.
I guess the "luck of the Irish" is only reserved for the legit Irish folk!
This year hasn't been any different. The ideas were abundant, but the hours in the day were not.
So naturally, I baked bread.
I know what you're thinking: Homemade bread takes forever to make! And you'd be correct in some instances, what with proofing and kneading and all those other bread-baking steps.
But not this bread. Or any of the breads I usually bake, honestly. As much as I'd like to dedicate time and counter space to such projects, the reality of the situation is that I'm all about the last minute, easy-to-clean-up baking.
{I had to sneak a shamrock in there somewhere! ;)}
This bread only takes a few minutes of active prep time and the rest is relatively "inactive", leaving you a few hours to find something green to wear or enjoy a frothy Guinness or, you know, fold that load of laundry that you keep spinning in the dryer.
To give this bread an Irish twist, I added in some chunks of Isle of Man Cheddar that I found at Trader Joe's. It's a nice, aged cheddar with scallions and roasted onions speckled throughout for some extra savory goodness.
So, if you've never baked your own bread before but have always wanted to, I'd say this is a good time to try your luck!
Irish Cheddar Bread
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups lukewarm water {not too hot or it will kill the yeast}
- 1 packet yeast {2 ¼ teaspoons}
- 2 ¼ teaspoons sugar
- 3 ¼ cups flour
- 2 ¼ teaspoons salt
- Approximately 1 cup of your favorite Irish cheddar cut into chunks or grated
Instructions
- In a large measuring cup with a spout or a bowl, combine water, sugar and yeast. Allow yeast to get frothy. {If the yeast doesn't begin to bubble after a few minutes, it may be old or dead. Make sure to check the expiration and use fresh yeast.}
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour, salt and cheese until well-combined. Slowly pour in the liquid yeast mixture and mix until just combined and there are no more dry patches.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm, dark place for about 2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.
- {Go do something fun!}
- Once the dough has doubled, scoop it out onto a well-floured surface and divide into two equal halves. Smooth out each piece by stretching the dough around the ball and tucking it underneath until you have a firm ball. Place each ball onto a liberally floured pan or baking stone and set aside to rise for another 40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450. Place an empty baking or roasted pan on the top rack and leave space on the lowest rack for the bread pan.
- When the loaves have risen the second time, dust each with a good dusting of flour and either slash the tops or use a stencil to create a design on each loaf if desired.
- Just before putting bread in the oven, pour a few cups of water into the empty baking or roasting pan. Quickly put the bread on the bottom rack and bake for about 25-28 minutes or until the tops are browned and firm.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool a bit before slicing.
