Bread Machine Sesame Cheddar Bread (our first loaf!!)

We were so crazy proud of this beautiful and delicious loaf of bread. One of my new years resolutions was that I would finally start using my bread machine...and I am so glad that I decided to keep that promise. This recipe was adapted from the fabulous cookbook The Bread Machine Bible by Anne Sheasby which I will be religiously baking from on a continuous basis in the weeks to come. This loaf, which was rather impressive in size, lasted less than 24 hours in our home. A bread machine was used to prep and knead the dough and after rising the dough was topped with fresh grated cheese and sesame seeds and baked in the oven. SO YUMMY. It's love.

Sesame Cheese Loaf (adapted from The Bread Machine Bible)

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups of milk (at room temperature), plus extra for glazing
3 1/4 cups white bread flour
2 tsp mustard powder
1 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
1 cup finely grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp instant dry yeast

Directions
1. Pour the milk into the bread pan. Sprinkle the flour over, covering the milk completely, then sprinkle the mustard powder, 2 tsp of the sesame seeds, the Parmesan cheese, and 2/3 cup of the cheddar cheese over. Place the salt and sugar in opposite corners of the pan. Make a small indent in the middle of the flour and add the yeast. Close the lid, set the machine to dough and press start.

2. Meanwhile grease a cookie sheet and set aside. When the dough is ready remove it from the bread pan and punch it down on a lightly floured surface. Shape the dough into a 6 inch ball and place on the cookie sheet. Cover and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size (this took about 1.5-2 hours for us).

3. Preheat the oven to 450. Using a sharp knife cut a shallow cross in the top of the loaf then brush with a little milk. Mix together the remaining sesame seeds and shredded cheese and sprinkle over the top of the loaf.

4. Bake the loaf for 10 minutes. Turn cookie sheet, reduce temperature to 400 and bake an additional 20 minutes or until bread is risen, golden brown and hollow when tapped underneath. Cover the loaf loosely with aluminum foil halfway through cooking time if browning too much. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve in slices.