Buffalo Cheesey Bread

Things have been so crazy here in Connecticut!  I'm so sad that I won't be able to head home to Buffalo at all this summer.  Major changes are happening (stay tuned) and I'm going to be busy here on the coast for the next few months.  This is good and sad at the same time.

The best time of the year to go to Buffalo is the summertime!  Fall always comes to town with rain and cloudy skies.  Winter barges in with layer upon layer of snow that doesn't completely disappear until March.  Spring slowly melts away and you find yourself in June.  The sun finally welcomes you in the morning and the nights are warm and starry.

Summertime also brings with it some of my favorite Western New York events.  You must head out to the Taste of Buffalo, but be aware, don't go with a large group.  There are so many people at the TOB that it's hard to make your way from one end of Main street to the other.  The food makes the trip totally worth it! 

I'm also a huge fan of Canalfest.  Held in the Tonawandas, it celebrates the Erie canal!  Or, what's left of it, I guess.  Whatever it celebrates, I try to plan my trips home around this event.  It all starts with a huge craft fair weekend, where you can buy everything from coasters to sheds.  There's a Miss Canalfest competition (which I totally wanted to be in when I was little, too bad I wasn't a resident...) and there is food galore!  Ribbon fries with vinegar, funnel cakes with powdered sugar and sausage with peppers and onions.  I always weigh a good five pounds more by the end of the day.

I also am missing my family this summer.  Boat rides on the Niagara river with my parents.  Long walks by the creek with Zoe, my happy, fluffy, red, golden retriever puppy.  Discussing fruit trees and computers with my brother (granted, that computer talk is usually one sided, not my side).  Soon I'll have the time to come home, just not in the next few months.

To cheer myself up and remind myself of home, I made some bread.  It's packed to the top with Buffalo flavor, the only thing that would have made it even more amazing was if I had some blue cheese in the house.  Next time!

Buffalo Cheesey Bread

Adapted from New Complete Book of Breads

The Franks Buffalo sauce lends a spicy flavor to the bread.  If you don't want such spicy bread reduce the amount of sauce to 2 tbsp.  Personally, I love spice (the more the better) so I had to hold myself back from adding any more in!

My Buffalo Cheesey bread is also making an appearance in Get Grilling week!  Be sure to check out all of the amazing side dishes that are appearing alongside mine at The Cookin' Canuck!   Get Grillin’ with Family Fresh Cooking and Cookin’ Canuck, sponsored by Ile de France Cheese, Rösle, Emile Henry, Rouxbe and ManPans!

3 1/2 cups flour
1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups milk (120 - 130 degrees)
3 tbsp butter
2 cups sharp cheddar
4 tbsp Franks Buffalo Sauce
1 egg yolk, mixed with 1 tbsp milk

In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups of the flour yeast and salt.  Add hot milk (you can heat it in the microwave) and stir on medium for 2 minutes.  Add butter and cheese, mix until well incorporated.  Add hot sauce.

Add remaining flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough is no longer wet and it clears the sides of the bowl.  It may still be stuck to the bottom of the bowl, that's okay.  Knead by hand or by dough hook for 10 minutes.  Place dough in a greased bowl and roll around to coat in oil.  Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for an hour, or until doubled in size.

Punch down dough, knead for 1 minutes and shape into a ball.  Place in an 8-inch round cake pan and cover lightly with plastic wrap.  Allow to rise until the dough just barely peeks over the top of the pan. 

Preheat oven to 400.  Brush the dough with egg wash and bake for 10 minutes.  Reduce temperature to 350 and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes.  You are looking for a golden color on your bread.  Remove from the oven and turn out of the pan.  Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.