Cheese Biscuits & Loaf

Cheddar Cheese Biscuits

Easy and quick, good with soup, stew or chicken. Tweak the recipe by adding a teaspoon or so of dried herbs, or using a milder, sharper or stronger cheese.

• 1 cup flour
• 4 Tbsp salted cold butter
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup grated old cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup ice cold water

Stir together flour and baking powder.

Cut in butter with pastry blender or 2 knives.

Add cheese and 1/2 cup very cold water.

Stir with a wooden spoon to form a dough.

Grease cookie sheet lightly.

Drop mixture by spoonful onto a cookie sheet.

Put a small dab of butter on top of each biscuit before baking.

Bake in preheated 400 degree F oven 8-10 minutes.

Nashville Cheddar and Herb Buttermilk Biscuits

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 Tbsp unsalted cold butter cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup grated sharp Cheddar (2 oz)
• 2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
• 3/4 to 1 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
2. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt.
3. With a pastry blender, cut butter into flour  mixture until butter pieces are pea-sized.
4. Stir in cheddar cheese and rosemary.
5. Add 3/4 cup buttermilk and gently stir just until you get a slightly sticky dough. Add more buttermilk 1 Tbsp at a time if mixture seems too dry.
6. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and roll into a 1/2 inch thick round.
7. Cut out round biscuits using a 2-inch round cutter or the edge of a glass.
8. Gather scraps and roll out again, until you have 12 biscuits cut out.
9. Place on a baking sheet and bake until biscuits are fluffy and golden brown, 8-10 minutes.

Cheddar Bread

 If you like sweeter bread, add up to 1 Tbsp white granulated sugar to the dry ingredients.

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. onion salt
• 1/4 tsp. dry mustard
• 1/2 tsp. crushed oregano
• 1-1/4 cup Canadian cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 large egg, well beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 1 Tbsp melted butter

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease a loaf pan.
3. Stir all dry ingredients into a bowl.
4. Combine egg, milk and butter then add all at once to dry ingredients.
5. Stir just until moistened.
6. Spread batter into the greased loaf pan.
7. Bake in 350 degree F oven 45 minutes.
8. Remove from oven, let cool 5 minutes, slice to serve warm.

Pumpkin Loaf

Pumpkin Loaf

Bake it in two  9x5x3 inch loaf pans or three 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 x 2-1/2 inch pans. 

NOTE:  If using self-rising flour, omit the baking soda, salt and baking powder.

• 2/3 cup butter or shortening
• 2-2/3 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 16 oz. can pumpkin puree
• 2/3 cup liquid:  water OR milk OR not-from-concentrate pure apple juice
• 3-1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1-1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cloves OR nutmeg OR 1/2 tsp each
• 2/3 cups coarsely chopped nuts
• 2/3 cup chopped dried fruit: dates, raisins, apple, or cranberry

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease pans 2 or 3 loaf pans (see above).
3. Cream shortening or butter with sugar.
4. Mix in eggs, pumpkin and liquid.
5. Sift together flour, soda, salt, baking powder and spices in a separate bowl.
6. Add flour mixture to batter.
7. Stir in nuts and dried fruit.
8. Spread batter equally among the pans. 
9. Lightly tap pans down on counter to settle the batter.
10. Bake in preheated oven about 60-65 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Pumpkin Raisin Nut Loaf

The original recipe, for "Mrs. Cleary's Pumpkin Bread" used 3 cups sugar but I thought it was too sweet, so I cut the sugar by an entire cup.  Mrs. Cleary's recipe specified baking in 3 smaller loaf pans, so I used two 8" loaf pans and made some muffins out of the remaining mixture (muffins took 18-20 minutes to bake.) The loaves browned quickly in the smaller pans and I found the batter baked more evenly with less browning in the larger pans. I've never used a glaze on my loaves because I usually wrap the loaves in foil and leave out on the counter for self-serve. Vary the spices (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger) depending on what you have and like, I prefer more cinnamon.

The original recipe specifies pumpkin pulp from a pie pumpkin which can be a little dry after you bake it and refrigerate it, so the water is added.  If using puree from a can I think you'd omit the water.

• 2 cups cooked, mashed, drained and cooled pumpkin (or use canned puree not pie filling)
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2/3 cup water (omit if using canned pumpkin)
• 2 cups white granulated sugar
• 3-1/3 cup sifted all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp cinnamon OR 1 tsp cinnamon + 1/2 tsp nutmeg + 1/2 tsp ground cloves or ginger
• 1-1/2 cups raisins (or dried cranberries)
• 1-1/2 cups chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)

1. Grease and flour two 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pans
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Whisk to combine or beat in mixer bowl on low to combine:  2 cups pumpkin, 1 cup vegetable oil, 4 large eggs, 2/3 cup water, 2 cups sugar.
4. Sift together into very large mixing bowl: 3-1/3 cups flour, 2 tsp baking soda, 1-1/2 tsp salt, 2 tsp cinnamon.
5. Make a well in centre of dry ingredients. Add pumpkin mixture and blend until dry ingredients are moistened.
6. Stir in raisins and pecans.
7. Turn into prepared loaf pans.
8. Bake in preheated 350 degree F. oven about 1 hour or until done. Straw inserted in centre of loaf should come out clean, edges will be browned, top will crack when done.
9. Remove from oven and cool in pans 10 minutes.
10. Remove from pans and cool on racks.
11. Optional: While loaves are still slightly warm, drizzle maple glaze on loaves and serve right away.

Maple Glaze

• 1/2 cup sifted icing sugar
• 1 Tbsp milk
• 1 tsp maple extract or real maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Whisk together, drizzle on warm loaves.