Whole Wheat Cheddar Bread & Bowls.

When Michelle posted her Taco Chicken Chili yesterday I couldn't help but think how wonderful it would be to sit home cozied into the living room on Saturday night while eating this soup and watching the Wisconsin Badgers play in the Rose Bowl.  As the day went on my husband and I decided not to go to church on Saturday evening and attend the weekday mass this coming week instead.  Things were coming together for a perfect evening...and then they get better!

They got better because I found a recipe for Whole Wheat Cheddar Bread with instructions on how to make bread bowls!  What a better way to start the new year than spending the evening with my husband eating a home-cooked meal and watching our Wisconsin Badgers play in the Rose Bowl!  Not to mention accomplishing one of my resolutions on the first day (i.e. trying a new bread recipe each month).

Whole Wheat Cheddar Bread
(Recipe Slightly Adapted from Prairie Home Breads)
Makes 2 loaves of bread or 1 loaf of bread & bread bowls.
3 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
2 teaspoons sea salt
2 1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon honey
12 ounces sharp Wisconsin cheddar (cut into dice-sized pieces)

Instructions for Using a Bread Machine to Prepare Dough:
Fill bread machine bowl with ingredients in this order: water, oil, honey, salt, flour, cheese (placed to either side - leaving the center open to pouring the yeast).  Make a shallow well in the flour (careful not to go as deep as the liquids) and fill with yeast.  Turn bread machine to dough setting and watch carefully as dough may not have enough room to rise...with 10 minutes left in the cycle I opened the cover and replaced with a towel to allow full rising potential.

Split dough in half.

Loaf Instructions:
Form half into a loaf and place in a greased loaf pan.  Cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise at room temperature until doubled in size (about an hour)  Once risen, bake in a 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes.

Bread Bowl Instructions:

Cover the bottom of six 6-ounce custard cups with cooking spray.  Divide dough evenly into six parts.  Pat each dough into a 7-inch circle and mold around each upside-down custard cup and place on a baking sheet.  Cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise for about 20 minutes.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.  Once golden bowl, remove from oven and carefully separate the bread bowl from the custard cup.  Allow the bread bowls to cool before serving.

The soup was amazing.  So delicious!  Bread bowls were also a success although next time I make the soup I will try my hand at cornbread as suggested by Michelle.