CHEDDAR CHEESE AND SESAME SEED BREAD

I have had The Bread Bible, 300 Favorite Recipes by Beth Hensperger, since it was first published in 1999. The cookbook has recipes that include yeast breads, sweet rolls, croissants, coffee cakes, muffins, corn breads, dessert breads and pancakes/waffles/crepes. It has quite a selection and variety to meet different tastes. 

After seeing a friend post on Instagram of an overnight no-knead bread that included grated cheese, garlic and chives, I became interested in baking a cheddar cheese bread. Besides having cheddar cheese in the fridge, I also have frozen grated cheddar in the freezer. I decided to use both in this recipe. I also decided to not add any herbs or garlic to the bread so that it could be eaten with jam if desired. Instead of toasting the sesame seeds in small frying pan over medium heat for a few minutes, you can firm them up in the microwave. I put the 1/3 cup of sesame seeds on a plate and microwaved it for 45 seconds. I added a tablespoon of dough enhancer to the ingredients. For most yeast breads (except one with a sour dough starter), I will add dough enhancer.

The smell of baking any bread and especially cheese bread is intoxicating. This bread is much easier to cut into slices if you let the loaves cool. Both the DH and I enjoyed a slice of bread with butter and strawberry jam. 

Loaves cooling on racks.

Ready to sample.

Scored the loaves before baking.

Makes two 9 by 5 inch loaves or 6 mini loaves ( 5 1/2 by 3 inch loaves)

INGREDIENTS:
 
1/3 cup toasted sesame seeds
2 cups of warm water
1 tbsp active dry yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp oil - olive, avocado or vegetable
1.5 tsp salt
2 eggs, room temperature
5 1/2 to 6 cups of unbleached flour 
3 cups of shredded cheddar cheese 

DIRECTIONS:

Measure out 1/2 cup of the warm water from the 2 cups and place in a small bowl. Add the yeast and sugar to the bowl and stir to dissolve the yeast and sugar. Set it aside for about 10 minutes until the mixture gets foamy.

Mixing by hand: To a large bowl add the remaining 1.5 cups of water, the sesame seeds, oil, salt, eggs, 2 cups of flour, yeast mixture and 1.5 cups of the shredded cheddar. Mix well with a whisk and make sure it is thoroughly combined. Add the rest of the flour 1/2 cup at a time and keep mixing the dough using a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough is formed. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead by hand until it is smooth and spongy (about four minutes). Add flour by tablespoon during the kneading as required to prevent sticking and to make the dough springy when pressed. 

Mixing using an electric mixer: In the bowl of the electric mixer add the remaining 1.5 cups of water, the sesame seeds, oil, salt, eggs, 2 cups of flour, yeast mixture and 1.5 cups of the shredded cheddar. Use a paddle attachment and mix on low speed for about one minutes. Change the attachment to a dough hook and add the rest of the flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough starts to form and take shape. I used 5 1/2 cups of flour. Knead on a lower speed for about four minutes until the dough is smooth, spongy and springs back when pressed. 

Place the dough from either the floured surface or the electric mixer into an oiled large deep bowl. Turn the dough over to coat it with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap followed by a kitchen towel. Place in a draft free location and let it rise until it is double in size, 1.5 to 2 hours.  

Oil two 9 by 5 inch loaf pans or six 5 1/2 by 3 inch loaf pans.
 
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently deflate it. Pat the dough down into a thick 12 inch long rectangle. Sprinkle with the remaining 1.5 cups of shredded cheese. Fold the dough around the cheese and knead gently a few times in order to produce the marble effect. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap for 5 to 10 minutes to let it rest. Divide the dough into two equal portions or six equal portions depending on the quantity you are making. Shape each loaf and place it seam side down into each of the loaf pans. Cover each one with plastic wrap followed by a kitchen towel and let rise in a draft free location for 45 minutes to one hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Using kitchen shears, gently snip each loaf five or six times at a 45 degree angle two inches down along the length of the loaf pan. Bake on a rack in the centre of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes for the standard loaves or 25 to 30 minutes for the mini loaves. Bake until the loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped with a wooden spoon. Transfer the loaves from the baking pans to a cooling rack. Cool before slicing and serving.

Recipe from The Bread Bible by Beth Hensperger

TOFU VEGETABLE STIR FRY

I have been trying to vary the menus at meal times and to make sure that I am eating a variety of vegetables. This recipe combines tofu and vegetables. You can use other vegetables than the ones I used in this recipe. At times it is what you have available. I served this stir fry with brown rice. You could serve it with other grains or cauliflower rice.

Awhile ago I discovered a number of marinades for tofu and have experimented with different ingredients. Sometimes I bake or sear the marinated tofu and usually have leftovers which I will snack on. I never thought I would snack on baked tofu. I like using extra firm tofu to marinate.

This recipe allows some advance prep work to be done. The tofu can be marinated and stored in the fridge and the sauce could be prepped in advance and kept in the fridge if you want to have less steps at suppertime. The sauce is what adds the great taste to the stir fry.

INGREDIENTS:

avocado oil for cooking tofu and vegetables or use water if preferred

Vegetables and Nuts

1/2 onion, chopped

2 mushrooms, chopped

1 carrot, chopped into matchsticks

1/4 coloured pepper, chopped

3 bundles of baby bok choy, chopped

1/4 cup toasted almonds or cashews

fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

lime wedges (optional)

Marinated Tofu

4 oz of extra firm tofu, chopped into bite size cubes

1 tbsp lime juice

1/2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos

1 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp maple syrup or sugar

Sauce

1 tsp sesame oil or avocado oil
1 tbsp almond or peanut butter
2 tbsp coconut aminos or low sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp lime juice
1 to 2 tsp sweet chili sauce
1/2 tbsp minced fresh ginger (or 1/4 tsp ground ginger)
1/2 tbsp maple syrup
1tbsp water

DIRECTIONS:

In a small container whisk the lime juice, soy sauce, sesame oil and maple syrup ingredients to make the marinade for the tofu. Add the tofu and toss to coat. Cover and store in the fridge. To add more flavour to the tofu, the tofu should be marinated for at least two hours or even made the night before and kept in the fridge until ready to sear the tofu. If possible, I will make the marinade in the morning if I am planning to make the stir fry for supper.

To make the sauce, add all of the ingredients into a small bowl and mix it well with a whisk or fork. Set aside or if making it in advance, cover it and store in the fridge.

Remove the tofu from the marinade. Heat a non-stick or regular skillet to medium high heat and add a tablespoon of avocado oil or other cooking oil. When the oil is hot, add the tofu, reduce the heat to medium and sear it for five to seven minutes, flipping it frequently in order to brown it.  Remove the tofu from the skillet and set aside in a bowl.

Add a tablespoon of oil to the skillet and keep it on medium heat. Add the chopped onion, mushroom, carrot and pepper. Saute for five minutes and stir it every so often so that the vegetables don't stick or burn. If the heat is too high, reduce it to a lower heat. Add the tofu and stir everything together. Cook for another minute or two and add the baby bok choy. Stir to combine. Add the sauce and combine well. Cook for about a minute or two and then add the almonds or cashews. Combine and cook for less than a minute. Turn the heat off the burner and add some chopped cilantro to the skillet. It is ready to serve with the lime wedges. Makes two good servings.

Tofu marinade modified from Leslie Beck's Healthy Kitchen

Sauce for the stir fry modified from Body Fuel Organics