Dilly Dally Cheddar Bread

Homemade bread! We love those words around our house. Homemade bread is a meal. Homemade bread makes a meal. Your own homemade bread brings a satisfying goodness to the table that reaches back in time.

But knead time equals lead time--you don't always have hours to work with dough and let it rise. Enter: quick bread! Better yet: herb and cheddar cheese quick bread that simply goes great with everything and offers happy eats by the slice. Dilly Dally Cheddar Bread is a breeze to make and bake. Dill is my favorite herb to use in this bread, but I've also made it with rosemary and thyme. If I ran a bed and breakfast, I'd serve it every day.

 
Dilly Dally Cheddar Bread
1/2 stick butter
1-1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
2 teaspoons fresh chopped dill (also works with rosemary or thyme)
3/4 cup milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 egg
In a large mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients. Cut in the cold butter until mixture resembles course crumbs. Add the dill and cheese, and incorporate into the butter and flour mixture. Stir the egg into the milk, pour into the bowl all at once and stir quickly until all the ingredients are just mixed. Do not over-stir so that the bread will be tender. Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake 35 to 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

Enjoy some Dilly Dally Cheddar Bread today, write a little somethin' somethin' in your journal, dream up a bit of creativity, get a few stitches in, and enjoy life.

[picture on the right: one of my favorite things about summer--a Ball jar of fresh herbs gathered daily. Here is a bunch of fresh dill, basil and thyme.]