Pimiento Cheese Bread

Last week I told you about that delicious warm Pimento Cheese Dip. Today I am going to give you the recipe for the Pimiento Cheese Bread that I made to use as toasted dippers for the warm dip. When thinking about how much I enjoy pimiento cheese, I decided the best way to eat a sandwich of pimiento cheese was to serve it slathered on top of a slice of pimiento cheese bread. It was experimental, but an experiment that worked out beautifully. I'm going to give you the recipe, and tell you that this was made super easy in my automatic bread machine.

One thing that surprised me was that the large pieces of roasted red peppers (much better than jarred pimientos, see recipe) that I put into the bread machine ended up being chopped fine and incorporated throughout the dough. This was no problem because the bread is a beautiful color with little flecks of roasted red pepper throughout, however the next time I make this (and there will be a next time) I'm going to knead larger pieces of peppers into the dough after the cycle is finished so that they're more obvious than they are here. Also, this is a lot of dough and it can tend to rise up pretty high and, as a consequence, tends to hang over the top of the pan as you can see from the picture.

Be sure to add the cheese on top because it gives it a wonderful cheesy crunch.

This is a beautiful and delicious bread, and makes wonderful toast spread with butter for breakfast in the morning. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

 

Pimiento Cheese Bread

 

1 pinch saffron thread

1 tablespoon water, boiling

2 eggs, beaten

3 tablespoons honey

2/3 cup hot water ( 100F-105F)

5 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1/4 cup diced Fire Roasted Sweet Red Bell Peppers (I used Melissa's)

4 oz. (1 cup) grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 teaspoon salt

3 1/2 cups white bread flour

1/4 cup chopped scallions

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Pinch of dry mustard

Dash Tabasco

1 1/2 teaspoons yeast

TO FINISH

1 egg, beaten for brushing over

1/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

Heat 1 tablespoon of water in the microwave for 30 seconds. Drop the saffron threads into the water and soak for ten minutes.

Meanwhile, place the beaten eggs, honey, hot water, and melted butter in a bowl. Mix well. Add the saffron threads with the soaking water, stir and pour the mixture into the baking pan of your bread machine. Add mayonnaise, peppers, and cheese.

Mix the salt into the flour and add to the baking pan. Top with scallions, cayenne, mustard, Tabasco, and then sprinkle the yeast on top.

Set the program to 'DOUGH.' When the dough is ready (mine takes 90 minutes), transfer it to a lightly floured surface and knead it for 2-3 minutes. Shape the dough into a loaf and place it into a greased 9"x4" loaf pan.

Shape the dough into 3 equal-sized pieces, then roll each piece into a sausage shape measuring approximately 12 inches in length.

Brush with oil, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place.

Preheat the oven 425°F. When the dough has nearly doubled in size, remove the plastic wrap and lightly brush the top of the loaf with the beaten egg and sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer the loaf to a wire rack and leave it to cool before serving.

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This post is linked to: Inspire Me Tuesday, Tuesdays At Our Home, Two Cup Tuesday, Celebrate Your Story, Tutorials and Tips Tuesday, Homemaking Party Tuesday, Wow Us Wednesday, Work It Wednesday, Wine’d Down Wednesday, Share Your Style, and Foodie Friday & Everything Else