Cheddar Anadama Bread

Look at I found in the baking aisle this weekend!

Finally. North Dakota Mill's organic flour has made it to the shelves of my local grocer. I knew they had an organic product line, but I could never find it in my local stores. I actually met some of the ND Mill folks at one of the holiday Pride of Dakota events and asked them about it. They happily encouraged me to write to my grocer, petition them, beg them, maybe even bake them brownies to convince them that you would appreciate seeing their organic line on the shelf.

Excellent ideas. However, I did none of the above. I can be terribly lazy.

But another reason I was pleased with my new find: it was actually in the baking aisle with all the other flours, instead of the separate organic/natural foods section in a different corner of the store.  That's always bugged me. If I want to buy canned tomatoes, for example, I want to see all my canned tomato options in one spot. Why put the organic ones in a separate section?

Regardless, I happily put a 5 lb. bag of my new flour find in my cart, scooted home and made this beauty of a bread to accompany the pot of venison chili that was simmering on my stove all afternoon (and the bottle of shiraz I cracked open).  Perfect.

Cheddar Anadama Bread
From The Bread Bible by Beth Hensperger, anadama bread is popular in New England and always contains cornmeal, which I love for both texture and flavor. This bread is a hearty white bread, slightly sweet from the honey, and although there is a good amount of cheese in the dough, it doesn't turn out cheesy or gooey; the cheese just adds a richness to the bread. In other words: just try it!

1/2 c. cornmeal
2 c. (8 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 c. honey
2 Tbls. butter
2/3 c. warm water (105-115 degrees F)
1 Tbls. (1 package) active dry yeast
6 c. all-purpose flour or bread flour
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground paprika
2 Tbls. butter, melted, for brushing
Cornmeal, for sprinkling

In a saucepan, combine cornmeal with 1 and 1/2 c. water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a whisk, until bubbly and thickened, about 3 min. Remove from heat, stir in cheese, honey and 2 Tbls. butter. Stir until butter is melted, set aside and let cool to warm.

In a large mixing bowl, pour in warm water, sprinkle yeast on water's surface and stir to dissolve. Let stand at room temp until foamy, about 10 min. Slowly mix in cornmeal-cheese mixture, 2 c. flour and the salt. Beat for 2 min. Add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until a soft dough forms (you may need more/less flour).  Knead dough until is smooth and springs back when pressed (either by hand or with a dough hook attachment on your mixer). Place dough in deep greased container, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise at room temp until doubled in bulk, about 1 and 1/2 hours.

Gently deflate the dough. Grease two 9x5" loaf pans and sprinkle with cornmeal. Divide dough into two equal portions. Pat each portion in a 9x5" rectangle of even thickness. Spread each rectangle evely with 1 Tbls of the remaining soft butter. Sprinkle each lightly with 1 tsp. ground paprika. Beginning with the short end, roll up the dough jelly-roll style. Pinch the ends and long seams to seal. Place the loaves seam-side down in the loaf pans. Brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle lightly with cornmeal. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temp until doubled in bulk or 1" above the rims of the pans, about 45 mins.

Preheat the over to 350 degrees F. Bake loafs 45-50 mins or until browned and the loaves sound hollow when tapped with your finger. Take loaves out of the pans and transfer immediately to a cooling rack. Cool completely before slicing.