Cheesy Bread Twists

I knew I was making some pesto pasta with chicken and vegetables for dinner, but I needed some kind of bread to go with it. I know there are many gluten-free people who disagree, and that is perfectly OK. But I must have some Italian in me from a former life, because I like bread with EVERYTHING. 🙂 I didn’t have any bread, and I love making bread, so it was time to do some research to come up with something easy-peasy and not to time consuming to make. I found the perfect bread recipe to go with my pesto pasta. I made some cheesy bread twists.

There is something very therapeutic about making bread. I can’t explain it, but anyone who has ever baked bread from scratch would most likely agree. “Fresh baked bread smells and tastes like honest food. People are just irresistibly drawn to fresh, homemade bread”. (p.5 Fleischmann’s Yeast – Best-Ever Bread)

Cheesy Bread Twists

I followed the recipe for the most part, though you know I made a few of my own personal adjustments. 🙂 These bread twists do NOT require a lot of proof time, making them perfect for making bread in a short period of time.

3-3 1/2 cups flour

3 TBSP sugar

2 packages of Fleischmann’s Rapid Rise yeast or 4 1/2 tsp of dry active yeast – I used the dry active yeast

1 1/2 tsp salt

2/3 cup water

1 5-oz can evaporated milk

1 1/2 cups shredded cheese of your choice – I used shredded Jack

egg wash

dried roasted garlic, poppy seeds, sesame seeds or Parmigiano cheese for topping

melted butter

Combine about 2 1/2-3 cups of flour with the salt and and 2 TBSP sugar. Mix well

Whisk the water, 1 TBSP of sugar and the yeast together and let sit for about 10 minutes or until it becomes frothy.

Heat the milk to about 130* F or about 55*C. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour the warmed milk into the well. Add the yeast mixture. With a spatula or wooden spoon, mix everything together as best as you can.

Add the cheese to the mixture, and mix together once again. When you can no loner mix everything with the spatula or the spoon, pour the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead together for about 8 minutes, incorporating as much of the remaining flour as the dough will take. This is supposed to be a very soft dough, so DO NOT over mix it. Knead it until it forms into a ball. Cover and let set for about 10 minutes before shaping the dough.

Cut the dough into 12 equal portions, then roll gently with your hands until the dough stretches out to make ropes that are about 14 inches long.

Double the rope and twist about 3 times and pinch the ends together. Place on a greased cookie sheet, cover and let rise for about 40-45 minutes.

When you are ready to bake the twists, preheat the oven to 400* F or about 205*C.

Make an egg wash and brush the bread twists with the egg wash. Then sprinkle on your topping, if using. I used the roasted garlic.

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Immediately after removing from the oven, brush the bread twists with melted butter and serve. These are best when served hot, straight out of the oven. Good luck with eating just one of these though. I could easily make these a meal all by themselves. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.