Dilly Cheese Casserole Bread

It is 'cottage cheese' time here!  When the summer temps get warm and the sun shines just right through the kitchen windows, making the house temperature JUST RIGHT,  I make cottage cheese.  It is so much easier to make when everything is just right.  I am milking three cows in the morning, and after feeding the orphan calf, cats, etc., I bring 5 gallons to the house.  After saving some for drinking, and separating the cream from the rest, I have approx. 3 gallons of skim milk to make the cottage cheese.

The process is simple; it just takes knowing the house temp is just right for the next 12 hours!  Add certain amount of cheese culture powder (or cubes of mother culture from freezer), let set until firm, then cut the curd into cubes.  I heat it in a canner of hot water on the stove, stirring occasionally, until the curds are firm. Wash the whey out, drain for a few hours and it is ready to use! 

I love it with salt and just a touch of pepper.  Use quite a bit of salt as most cheeses contain a surprising amount of salt.  Most of the time I add several tablespoons of cream or thick 'top milk'.  YUMM!

I am also having fun making this bread!

Dilly Cheese Casserole Bread

Mix and set aside:

1 pkg of yeast
1 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup warm water

Heat 1 cup of cottage cheese and mix with yeast.

Add:

2 TB sugar
1 TB butter
1 TB minced dried onion
1 tsp salt
2 tsp dill seed (use dill weed for a milder flavor)
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 egg
Add 2 1/4 cups flour to form a stiff dough and make into a ball.
Cover and let rise until double, 50-60 minutes. Stir dough down. Turn into greased 1 1/2 quart casserole or loaf pan. Let rise in warm place until light, 30-40 minutes. Bake 40-50 minutes in 350 degree oven until golden brown. Brush with butter.

How I do it in the bread machine:

I dump everything in, in the order listed, not bothering to heat the cottage cheese.
On the Quick Dough cycle, the machine kneads quite a bit more than if you were doing this by hand. Plus it will rise about 20 minutes after kneading, before a 'stir down' just a the end of the cycle.
I then form into two medium loaves, in basic bread pans and let rise until nearly double, approx 30-50 minutes. My medium loaf pans bake at 350 degrees in approx. 12 minutes.

Don't be impatient... let this bake long enough or it will be too tender to make good sandwiches!
Nice toasted with butter and or cheese... Nice plain as part of a beef sandwich!