Mmmm....cheddar. This afternoon I had such a hankering for extra sharp cheddar cheese that I decided to do something about it. Now, I don't know if you knew this or not, but any cheese consumed while grating it for something else is calorie free. I only had to find something to make to use up all that grated cheese.
Out in blog land, there seems to be a lot of Monkey Bread being baked and it gave me a good idea what to do with all that cheese. Make Cheesy Bubble Bread!
I enjoy rolling the cheese dough into lots and lots of small balls probably a little more than I should. It brings back my days of playing with play-doh.
Each ball is rolled in melted butter and oregano and stacked willy nilly in a casserole dish and then baked. Play-doh never saw this sort of treatment!
Decadently rich cheese bread with just a hint of oregano to give it that little extra kick is nearly a meal in itself. And everyone, young and old enjoys pulling it apart to eat.
Bubble Bread
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup milk
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 - 3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese---extra sharp is best!
1/4 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon dried oregano
In your mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of flour and the yeast and set aside. In a saucepan, warm milk, 1 tablespoon of butter and the salt until 120-130 degrees. Pour milk mixture into flour mixture and beat for 2 minutes on high speed. Scrape the side of the bowl as necessary. Add the cheese and slowly add the flour until the dough forms a ball. You likely won't use all 3 cups of the flour.
Knead for 6-8 minutes until smooth and elastic. Don't be surprised to find that you can no longer see the cheese. Place dough in an oiled bowl, cover and let rise for an hour or until doubled. Preheat oven to 375.
Turn dough out onto an oiled counter and pat in a rectangle approximately 6 by 8 inches. Using a sharp knife or a pizza wheel, cut into about 48 squares. Let rest while you melt the remaining butter and combine it with the oregano.
Carefully shape each portion of dough into a small ball taking care to stretch the ends under to form a smooth taut surface. Roll each ball in the butter and place in a oiled 1.5 quart casserole. You will want to stack them smooth sides up. Cover and let rise until double, about 30-40 minutes.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Cover with foil the last few minutes if you find it browning too quickly. If you tap the underside, it should sound hollow. The bread should slide out from the dish neatly and easily. Serve warm.
