Shaker Cheese Bread

 

I confess I have always had a great interest in fringe religious groups such as The Shakers, The Quakers, The Amish, The Hutterites, The Doukhobors, The United Brethren, etc.  I am not sure why. It's not their beliefs that draw my interest so much as it is their lifestyle and their food. Especially their food. Simple, hearty and natural for the most part, homegrown, etc.

This was especially true of the Shakers. They grew all of their own produce, grains, meats, etc. They ate plain and they ate hearty.  It was said that they also ate very quickly, with meals being consumed from start to finish in less than fifteen minutes! There was nobody lingering over the table afterwards.

They loved to have people drop by for meals. I am not sure if they accepted payment for this or not.  I read an account of someone who lived with them for a little time, and he made mention of being served hot biscuits and butter for every meal, with meat, potatoes and the vegetables of the season. As well there was coffee and milk and something for dessert. All homemade from Shaker produced goods.

Nothing complicated. Good simple, hearty meals. It sounds mighty tasty to me.

 

 

This recipe I am sharing with you today was adapted from a recipe in an old book I have entitled "The Best of Shaker Cooking," by Amy Bess Williams Miller and Persis Wellington Fuller.  Mine is a first edition and was published back in 1970.  The dust jacket is gone, and the cover is worn and fraying.  The pages are splattered and torn. I have always said that this is the sign of a good cookbook!

This is an excellent quick bread.  Not yeasted but leavened with baking powder. Loaded with cheese and minced onions it has a beautiful flavor and texture. A nice crisp crust on the outside with an interior that melts in the mouth.  I really hope you will want to give it a go!  It's simple, but it's delicious!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE SHAKER CHEESE BREAD

Just a few simple baking cupboard ingredients, plus a few fresh things.  Do try to grate your own cheese.

• 2 cups (250g) plain all-purpose flour, unsifted
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 cup (120g) grated strong cheddar cheese
• 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 large egg, beaten with a fork
• 3/4 cup (180ml) whole milk
• 2 TBS melted butter

Make sure you use plain all-purpose flour and not self-raising flour.   I used a strong cheddar cheese and didn't use the full amount of salt. I also used salted butter.  I think I only used 1/2 tsp of salt.

My cheese was a good cheddar.  I used a mix of orange and white cheddars.  A nice farmhouse cheddar if you can find it would be great! Try to grate your own if possible. I think it is nicer and works better to grate your own.  Pre-grated cheese has things added to it to make it flow easier.

HOW TO MAKE SHAKER CHEESE BREAD

Like most quick breads it is a matter of combining dry and wet ingredients. This does have the added step of having to let it sit for 20 minutes prior to baking. Do take that into consideration when making this bread.

Butter an 8-inch bread pan well. Set aside.

Sift the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt together into a bowl. Whisk in the cheese and the onion.

Whisk together the egg, milk and melted butter.

Add all at once to the dry ingredients and stir together to blend. It will be a thick dough. Do not beat or overmix. (If you think it is too stiff you can add a bit more milk.)

Spread into the prepared pan and leave to sit for 20 minutes.

 

Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. (regular oven not fan)

Bake for 1 hour. It is done when it is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Tip out of the pan onto a wire rack to cool. This can be served warm or at room temperature, cut into slices and buttered. It also freezes well.

 

HINTS AND TIPS FOR QUICK BREAD SUCCESS

If you follow my hints and tips there is no reason why you can't bake a really great quick bread successfully!

1. Make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature unless otherwise specified.

2. Use the best quality ingredients that you can afford and at your disposal.

3. Whisk all of the dry ingredients together in one bowl and your wet ingredients together in another bowl/beaker before combining together.

4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients together quickly and do not over mix. They need only be combined until the dry ingredients are evenly moistened without any large pockets or streaks of dry ingredients. 

5. Do not over combine the dough.  A light hand is preferable.  A few lumps are perfectly okay and quite acceptable. Over combining yields a tougher bake.

6. Spoon into your baking pan/tin as soon as possible after combining in order to gain the maximum lift from the leavening used.

This was really, really good. I had my doubts after I had mixed it all up. It seemed to be a really thick batter. I did add a bit of extra milk to loosen it up a bit.

It turned out beautiful. It had a lovely texture and flavor and cuts into lovely slices. It was delicious sliced and buttered. I highly recommend!  Those Shakers were good cooks and bakers!

  

I am a huge fan of quick breads.  They go together quickly and easily and fabulous served on the side of soups, stews, salads, etc. Beautiful warm or cold.  Here are a few more that I enjoy!

 

CHEDDAR CORNBREAD MUFFINS - Prepare yourself to fall in love!!  These cornbread muffins with cheese are the absolute best cheddar cornbread muffins on the planet! They are moist and delicious. Never dry like some cornbread muffins can be. They are moist and delicious. Never dry like some cornbread muffins can be.

FLAKY BUTTER BISCUITS - These lovely biscuits are a beautiful addition to any meal.  They are incredibly light and fluffy and very moist, not dry. There is a hefty amount of butter in them which gives them buttery flaky layers. At the same time the buttermilk helps to make them moist and to rise even more than usual biscuits. This is an excellent biscuit.

Yield: One 8-inch loaf

Author: Marie Rayner

Shaker Cheese Bread

Prep time: 35 MinCook time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 35 M

This has a beautiful flavor and texture. It is delicious served with soups, salads, stews, etc. A sturdy bread it cuts beautifully. Bear in mind when timing that it needs to sit for 20 minutes prior to baking.

Ingredients

• 2 cups (250g) plain all-purpose flour, unsifted
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 cup (120g) grated strong cheddar cheese
• 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 large egg, beaten with a fork
• 3/4 cup (180ml) whole milk
• 2 TBS melted butter

Instructions

1. Butter an 8-inch bread pan well. Set aside.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt together into a bowl. Whisk in the cheese and the onion.
3. Whisk together the egg, milk and melted butter.
4. Add all at once to the dry ingredients and stir together to blend. It will be a thick dough. Do not beat or overmix. (If you think it is too stiff you can add a bit more milk.)
5. Spread into the prepared pan and leave to sit for 20 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. (regular oven not fan)
7. Bake for 1 hour. It is done when it is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Tip out of the pan onto a wire rack to cool. This can be served warm or at room temperature, cut into slices and buttered. It also freezes well.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @marierayner5530 on instagram and hashtag it #EnglishKitchen

This content, written and photography, is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com.  

  

Thanks for visiting! Do come again!! 

 If you like what you see here, why not consider signing up for my newsletter and/or subscribing/following me on Grow. You can also bookmark my recipes via the Grow platform. Check out the heart on the right hand side of the screen.