posts may contain Amazon affiliate links, which earn me a small commission when you buy (but doesn't cost you anything extra). Occasionally I receive free products and/or run sponsored posts—this will always be stated clearly in the post. Thank you for supporting this blog.

This website contains some quotations, excerpts, and screen clips from copyrighted material. These uses fall well within the copyright doctrine of "Fair Use".
Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Bacon, Green Onion, & Blue Cheese Bread

Where, oh where, has this summer gone?  It was stolen by the miserable humidity and hovering-around-100° temps.  So now that the humidity has mostly dissipated and the temps have gone down a good fifteen to twenty degrees most days, we are trying to make the most of the less-than-two-weeks we have before the kids will be sitting in classrooms again.  Walking, biking, playing, coaxing bugs from under rocks (for scientific study purposes, of course)...reading and eating outside again!  For as much as I love fruits that grow in the tropical heat, I sure don't know if I could survive in it.  While my baking did slow down a bit during the last couple of months, it didn't stop completely.  Many thanks going out to my bread machine for doing the bulk of the work for me.  It would have been even better if I'd actually let the machine cook the loaves, as well...but I sort of cringe at the goofy, silo-shaped loaves it produces.  While one day I hope to have a new version with a horizontal bread pan, I am not going to cry over what has helped me so much since I've "re-discovered" it.  Especially when it helps me make loaves like this one.
Bacon, Green Onion, and Blue Cheese Bread
adapted from The Artisan Bread Machine
yield: one 2# loaf

2 Tbs. (30 mL) granulated sugar
1 tsp. (5 mL) instant yeast
1 c. + 2 Tbs. (280 mL) lukewarm water (110° F / 43° C)
½ c. (125 mL) finely chopped green onions
⅓ c. (75 mL) vegetable oil
3¾ c. (925 mL) bread flour
1 tsp. (5 mL) salt
½ c. (125 mL) cooked bacon, chopped
½ c. (125 mL) crumbled blue cheese
Add sugar, yeast, and water to bread pan of your bread machine (or mixing bowl if not using a bread machine).  Let stand until yeast starts to bubble, ~10 minutes.  Add green onions and oil.  Spoon flour on top of liquid.  Add salt, bacon, and cheese.  Select dough cycle and press start (by hand or with mixer, mix well and then knead until smooth and pliable.  Transfer to oiled bowl, cover and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, ~1 hr).

Turn dough out and punch down.  Form into a ball and place in a well-floured brotform or free-form onto a well-floured surface.  Cover and let rise 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 425° F (220° C) during last 15 minutes of rise time.  Using a serrated knife, cut deep slashes in loaf.  Spray with water and turn out onto baking stone that has been preheating (or slide free-form into oven on tray or stone).  Bake until risen and dark brown and registers 190° F (90° C) in center, ~30 minutes.  Let cool on wire rack.
The blue cheese sort of melts into the bread since it is mixed and kneaded in from the start.  I think I may try adding it in just before I let it rise next time...see if it gives me chunks of goodness.  You can still taste it, though...so my fellow stinky cheese lovers need not worry.  This bread is very sturdy...perfect for sandwiches, either toasted or just sliced.  I will be making this often...and I think I'm going to divide it in two next time and make it in loaf pans.  That is how perfect it is for sandwiches!
----
I am sharing this post with:
*BBD #43:Onion Breads hosted at Judy's Gross Eats
*Yeastspotting!
BBD #43 BYOB-badge Tasty Tuesdays 33 shades of green TastyTuesdayBB a little birdie told me rook no. 17

Would you like to comment?

  1. I'm always impressed when people bake bread and this one looks gorgeous.

    Lisa~~
    Cook Lisa Cook

    ReplyDelete
  2. This bread looks wonderful!! Makes me want to bring out my bread machine from the closet....but I might wait until it stays cooler! =P

    That sandwich, however..I'll take that!!

    ~Carolyn

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a gorgeous bread! Love the flavor combos! I am getting the bread making itch now that the temps are lower too!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Good Morning Sweetie...
    Thanks for sharing this morning.
    What a gorgeous loaf of bread. I love the ingredients and let me tell you, My Husband is going to SO love you. He loves bread and this is one of the most wonderful sounding recipes ever. I love the addition of the chopped onions, bacon and blue cheese, oh my gosh sweetie, sounds heavenly. I am off on Friday, guess what I am going to be doing? Trying this recipe. I am going to take your advice and make it in 2 loaf pans as well. We would love it for sandwiches as well. Thank you so much for sharing this morning.

    Please stop by my blog and leave a comment. This is Miracle Makeover Celebration. We are sharing with Guideposts magazine and Design Gives Back the cancer child chosen as a makeover. Please come and meet 8 year old Charlie and his family. They will warm you heart. Each comment left on my blog will count as a 1.00 donation towards the next Miracle Makeover. We so need all the comments we can get. Please send any other bloggers over you know as well. Our goal this year is 5,000 comments between all of our blogs. The links are posted on my blog. We need your help. Country hugs sweetie from Phoenix, Sherry

    ReplyDelete
  5. Heather... are you sure you are not going to get in trouble for just posting for me... I mean

    BACON

    BLUE CHEESE

    BREAD

    I am in heaven! Even if you save the cheese for the end, I imagine it will still melt in at the end, but I will give it a try. I just love blue cheese taste!

    One of your best posts ever!!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I didn't realize you could put blue cheese in the bread that looks
    so good.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Umm these 3 ingredients should be room mates forever. They should never part and eventually marry and live together forever! I know what you mean about the weird generic shape a bread machine gives, I much prefer a boulder shaped lump of artisan type bread anyday...
    Thanks for sharing and please send me an invite when you open your own bakery!

    ReplyDelete
  8. The bread looks so soft and fluffy, especially the sandwiches. My gardener doesn't like bleu cheese (how could I have married him??) so I'll adapt, but I'm going to give this a try. Thanks, Heather!

    ReplyDelete
  9. This combination is right up my alley! Love all the ingredients!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I am so so impressed! Doo you like this book because I am thinking of ordering it.
    Rita

    ReplyDelete
  11. Now that is the perfect bread for nearly any kind of sandwich!

    ReplyDelete
  12. This is a definite reminder that I haven't baked bread in far too long! I love the mix-ins you stuffed this with!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Bacon, blue cheese and green onions would be wonderful inside a sandwich or on top of toast. I love that you've put them inside of the bread. Fantastic!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Great flavours in this bread! I am going to make this as a round loaf ... thanks, dearie!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I know the summer is like flying by and this bread looks so perfect!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Visiting from Rook No. 17's "A Little Birdie Told Me..." Yum. Can't wait to try this out!

    ReplyDelete
  17. wow really a perfect bake,luks gorgeous...

    ReplyDelete
  18. Esta receta me la llevo, que pan tan rico.

    Saludos

    ReplyDelete
  19. Yay for stinky cheese! ;-) This bread looks perfectly delicious--so many great flavors in it.

    ReplyDelete
  20. My hubby would "run away from home" if I tried to feed him blue cheese, so I think I'll try this with pepper-jack cheese. I've been looking for a new bread recipe to try. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  21. You and your breads! Seriously what would you do if you discovered you couldn't eat bread? :-) You totally make the most mouthwatering ones!

    ReplyDelete
  22. I bet that would make an awesome sandwich.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Oh my word....that bread looks amazing and I LOVE your sandwich photos too!
    Karen

    ReplyDelete
  24. And this would be my meal! Why not? It has everything. No need to serve anything else. Love the combination of flavors. Don't love that it is the end of summer - but if it has to be - I cannot think of better way to say good-bye to high temps than with this bread!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Oh lovely. Home baked bread is too good! Thanks for sharing another delicious eat, my friend. I love starting my day with your blog. I hope you have a wonderful end to your week. I'm so glad it is almost Friday! Much love and many blessings.

    ReplyDelete
  26. I often take the dough out of the machine rather than bake it; I hate the holes that the machines leaves in the bottom of the loaf!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Bacon and blue cheese...a natural marriage baby! Looking good. I really want to try bread again...I've had more successes lately thanks to reading your and Natashya's posts on bread making!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Bookmarked!!!!!

    First, it has bacon, but look at how colorful and savory it is. Yum.

    ReplyDelete
  29. I came over from Karen Cooks.

    This sounds so delicious! I have a huge bag of blue cheese in my fridge right now I got for a steal, the high today is only going to be 75º...I am so trying this! Thanks for sharing it!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Bread was done, dinner was not, so we tried a piece right away. Then another piece. It is taking serious self-discipline to leave it alone.

    Thanks again for the recipe-it is fantastic!

    ReplyDelete
  31. @Karen...I know! Soooo addicting, right!? I'm glad you enjoyed it =) And yes on the "regular" paint for my KitchenAid. I didn't even realize that appliance paint existed. I really should pay closer attention. But it has held up beautifully!

    ReplyDelete
  32. As a lover of homemade bread and stinky cheese, and as someone who avoids hot weather, I can say with certainty that I would walk a mile in the heat, in a wool sweater, for a slice of that bread!

    Jenn

    ReplyDelete
  33. I've never had cheese that was actually baked INTO the bread like this! It seems like it would be good though, I will give it a shot :)

    ~Kayla

    ReplyDelete
  34. Blue cheese is my favorite, I will definitely be trying this. I haven't made my own bread before so it will probably be a disaster at first... But hopefully I'll get it right eventually!

    ReplyDelete