Blue Cheese Pear Bread

Was thinking about sliced pears and blue cheese on whole wheat crackers the other day. And then I stopped because I was thinking about pears and blue cheese in a yummy bread recipe!

My wife, Becca, said that this was one of my best breads (yay!). Here’s the scoop based on ye olde family feedback: untoasted, this is a nice soft, bright, flavorful loaf suitable for sandwiches and general nibbling. Toasted, this bread comes to life. You can actually taste the separate blue cheese and pear flavors as they flirt on your tongue, making eyes at each other, slowly approaching each other as the music pulses hypnotically… You think I jest, but that is exactly what happens.

5 from 1 vote

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Blue Cheese Pear Bread

Was thinking about sliced pears and blue cheese on whole wheat crackers the other day. And then I stopped because I was thinking about pears and blue cheese in a yummy bread recipe!

Servings 6 small loaves

Author Mark Oppenneer

Ingredients

• 2 scant tablespoons (or 2 ¼-ounce packages) active dry yeast
• 2 cups warm water about 110 degrees
• 2 tablespoons cane sugar syrup
• 2 tablespoons soft butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg slightly beaten
• 1 pear diced
• ½ cup (or more) crumbled blue cheese *
• 1 cup spelt flour
• 4½-5½ cups unbleached flour

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, stir yeast into water to soften.
2. Add syrup, butter, salt, egg, pear, blue cheese, spelt flour, and 1 cup of unbleached flour. Beat vigorously for two minutes.
3. Gradually add flour, ¼ cup at a time, until the dough begins to pull away from the side of the bowl.
4. Turn dough out onto a floured work surface. Knead, adding flour a little at a time, until you have a smooth, elastic dough.
5. Put dough into an oiled bowl. Turn to coat the entire ball of dough with oil. Cover with a tightly woven towel and let rise until doubled, about one hour.
6. Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface. Shape dough into loaves and place into well-greased loaf pans (I used six small loaf pans - would normally make 2 sandwich loaves). Cover with a tightly woven towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.
7. About 10 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the loaves reaches 190 degrees.
9. Immediately remove bread from pans and cool on a rack.

Recipe Notes

* Add more blue cheese if that's your bag.