A Southern Grace: Cheesy Pull-Apart Bread

Cheesy Pull-Apart Bread

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Makes 1 loaf
Ingredients:
Dough:

  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2-1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 4-1/2 to 4-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
Filling:
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup grated cheese (I used Beemster Mustard Cheese!)
  • 1 tablespoon dried rosemary, chopped
Directions:
Start by warming your milk and pouring it over your butter to melt it.
Add the sugar and salt and let it cool slightly, then add your eggs, yeast, and all-purpose flour.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the rest of the sugar, salt, milk, and melted butter, eggs, rosemary, and yeast.
Once you’ve mixed and kneaded your dough, place the ball of dough in a large greased bowl, and cover it with a clean dish towel. Let it rise in a warm place until it doubles in size. A good way to quickly check to see if your dough is ready is to press it with your finger. If the indentation remains without springing back, it’s ready to go.
Roll dough out on a floured surface to create a rectangle about 12" x 20".
Spread the soft butter onto the dough and sprinkle evenly with cheese and rosemary. Pat it down to nestle it into the butter a little--this will help it stay on board as you begin to stack!
Cut dough into 6 short strips (I used a pizza cutter), stack them on top of each other, and then cut into 4 or 5 more strips depending on how wide you rolled your dough.
Carefully stack strips into a greased 9x5-inch loaf pan. If it's a really tight fit, then leave out a few strips, and bake them in a mini loaf pan or some other vessel. Let dough rise for another 30 minutes or so, or until it's puffy.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes to an internal temperature of 195-200 degrees F.
Remove from the oven and let the loaf sit for a few minutes in the pan, then remove it to cool more on a wire rack.

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