Graters

Can I just add cheddar and parmesan cheese to a basic french loaf recipe for bread machine?

I was going to use 1 1/2 cup cheese, and 1/2 cup parmesan. Should I use basic white loaf instead?

Public Comments

1. I would knead the bread in the bread machine with the cheese but I would bake it in a regular oven to avoid the cheese making a possible mess of my machine. I have a bread machine but never bakes in it.
2. Yes, you can just add the cheese. If you add it early, it will simply dissintegreate and wont' have an individual taste in the bread. I used to chunk my cheese and jalapeno and add them during the last kneading process. The french loaf holds up to the cheese quite well.
3. That is a LOT of cheese, I wouldn't think a loaf of bread would rise very well with that much cheese. I would think 1/2 cup diced cheese put in at the beep (or last minute or two of kneading if your machine doesn't beep) would suffice for up to a 2-pound loaf (4-cup recipe). The parmesan would be better sprinkled on the top of the loaf rather than mixed in, though it would add some (probably very little) flavor baked in. If you are going to bake in the oven, I would recommend hand-kneading the cheese into the dough -- someone already mentioned, but the machine will likely mix the cheese so thoroughly you won't know it is in the bread. Due to the amount of oil in the cheese, I would stick with the french bread recipe.