Cheddar Herb Bread

Time to change up the white bread recipe again!  Subtract a little salt and sugar, add some spices and cheese, and voila, you have a beautiful, delicious loaf of Cheddar Herb Bread.  This bread pairs perfectly with almost any main course, but is especially delicious alongside Italian food.

Ingredients:
1 cup water, lukewarm
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp dill (not a typo!)
3/4 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp onion powder
3 C bread flour
1 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast
1 1/2 C finely shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Place all ingredients in your breadmaker in the order recommended by the manufacturer. If no order is recommended, place ingredients in machine in the order listed above. Set machine to basic/white bread setting, and select the lightest crust color if that is an option.  If your breadmaker requires that you input a loaf size, select 1 1/2 lb loaf.  Push start.

Here's one more picture, closer up, so that you can see the spices in the loaf...

Options and Tips:

• I take this loaf out 15 minutes before the cycle is complete and cool it on a wire rack. If you're not sure how it will turn out in your bread machine, leave it in for the full cycle the first time you make it. If the crust is too hard for your liking, take it out early next time.
• Check the dough when it is almost done mixing.  There's a lot of extra stuff in this bread, so sometimes there will be stray clumps of cheese and spices that don't get mixed in very well.  Use a spoon (or a clean finger) to scrape those clumps off the sides of the pan and into the dough ball.
• Those of you who know me are probably laughing that I'm posting a "recipe" for this bread.  I've made it for years, and although I follow the basic white bread part of the recipe, I've always just dumped the spices and cheese in without measuring exactly.  I usually "measured" the spices by counting the number of shakes, but it's probably good that I finally figured out some real measurements!
• This recipe is completely customizable.  If the garlic and onion flavor is too strong for you, use less.  If you want to spice it up, try using pepperjack cheese.
• This bread has no preservatives, so it won't keep for a week in your cupboard like store-bought bread. If you don't finish the loaf after two days, put it in the fridge to preserve freshness. 
• If your breadmaker has a vertical loaf pan and you'd like a "normal" shaped loaf of bread, use the dough setting on your machine. When the cycle is complete, punch down the dough and place it in a greased loaf pan. Cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise until it's almost as tall as you'd like it (about 2-4 hours, depending on how warm your kitchen is). Bake 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees.
• Leftovers make the most delicious Grilled Sandwiches!
• For more tips and tricks for your bread machine, check out the post on Using Your Breadmaker.

This is an original recipe...kind of.  I follow the basic white bread recipe from my breadmaker booklet, but the cheese and spices part of the recipe is my own.