Pimento Cheese Bread

I love making new styles of bread, especially around the holidays. I know that you can serve bread anytime during the year and I always make bread. I like sourdough and yeasted bread alike. There is just something therapeutic to me to get out the flour and make a delicious loaf of bread. Some find this silly, but when you like food and creating food, you know exactly what I am talking about here. This recipe for pimento bread is nothing new in the bread world but is so good and easy to make.

You can serve this bread however you want. I love adding a bit of butter to the bread, toasting it up, and serving it as a breakfast with eggs and bacon/sausage. It also makes a good sandwich with honey ham, lettuce, tomato, and mayo. You can dress this bread up however you want. Try toasting it and adding it to a salad for a nice crunch. Yumm!

Let’s make some bread.

INGREDIENTS:

4 C. Flour
1 1/4 C + 1 Tbsp Warm Water
2 1.4 Tsp. Active Yeast
1 1/2 Tsp. Kosher Salt (3/4 tsp fine salt)
3 Tbsp. Sugar
1/2 Stick Unsalted Butter – room temp
1/2 C. Pimento Cheese ( any brand will do as long as it is your favorite)

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a bowl combine the water, sugar, and yeast. Stir and set aside for 5 minutes to bloom.
2. In a stand mixer bowl mix together the flour and salt really well.
3. Turn the mixer on low, add the yeast mixture, and knead until the dough comes together. It should be slightly sticky but it should not stick to your hands.
4. Turn the dough out onto the counter and shape it into a ball. Place into a greased bowl and turn to coat well with the oil. Cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap and let rise for 1 to 2 hours or until doubled in size.
5. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll into a 10×12-inch rectangle.
6. Add the pimento cheese onto the dough and carefully spread out leaving a 2-inch border on all sides.
7. Starting with the end closest to you, roll the dough up like you would a cinnamon roll making sure to tightly roll the dough up without tearing it. Pinch the seam together and place the seam side down on the counter.
8. Tuck the ends underneath the bread and lightly grease a loaf pan. Place the bread in the loaf pan with the seam side down and the ends tucked under. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.
9. Preheat the oven to 375*.
10. Bake for 40 to 55 minutes or until the bread is cooked through and golden brown. You can check the bread temp by removing from the loaf pan and inserting a thermometer into the center of the loaf and it should read between 195* to 210*.
11. Remove from the oven when the bread is done, remove from the loaf pan, and place on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.
    
    

• You can use any style of pimento cheese that you like. Store-bought or homemade will work. Just make sure that you leave a 2-inch border around the dough before rolling up the dough to do its second rise.
• If you do not like pimento cheese, no problem. Just use your favorite shredded cheese. Sprinkle over 1 to 2 cups of your favorite shredded cheese, leaving a border, and roll it up. Let it rise and bake as per directions.
• Remember to let the bread cool completely before slicing. If you slice into a piping hot loaf of bread the center will get gummy and you don’t want that. A slightly warm loaf of bread is perfectly fine to slice into.