By April 2020. The cherry tree in the backyard bloomed on schedule, indifferent to everything, the blossoms lasting exactly ten days and then falling in white drifts across the grass that nobody has mowed yet because it's been raining. I stood under it with my coffee one morning and let the petals land on my shoulders. The world inside the yard is absolutely fine. It's something to remember when everything outside the yard is not.
The channel crossed 200,000 subscribers. I didn't mark it with a video — I thought about it and decided not to, that the moment didn't need to be performed. I told Gary and the kids at dinner and Noah said, "Is that more than a million?" and I said no. He said, "Oh." Then he said, "But it's still a lot." Yes. It's still a lot.
Mason is thirteen and cooking every day now, formally appointed the family lunch chef, which he takes seriously. He plans the week's lunches every Sunday in a notebook, which — yes. That's my son. He experiments, adapts things from my videos, tries things from recipes he finds elsewhere and then tells me what worked and what didn't. He's developed opinions. Strong ones. About seasoning, about heat, about when something is done. He's not learning to cook anymore. He's cooking.
The private lessons are all Zoom now too. Sandra adapted beautifully — she said the camera angle on her bread is actually better for close-up instruction. She's right. Sometimes the constraint becomes the advantage.
When Sandra told me the camera angle on her bread was actually better over Zoom, I laughed and then I cried a little and then I went and made bread, because that’s what you do. Mason had already penciled this one into his Sunday lunch plan — he’d watched me make cheese bread twice and decided he had opinions about the cheese ratio (he does, and honestly, he’s not wrong). This is the recipe that’s been on our table most, the one that smells like everything is fine inside the yard, which some weeks is exactly enough.
Best Cheese Bread
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 50 min | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 1/4 cups whole milk
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped (optional)
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted, for brushing
Instructions
- Preheat. Heat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan and set aside.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, garlic powder, and smoked paprika until evenly combined.
- Combine wet ingredients. In a separate bowl or large measuring cup, stir together the milk, sour cream, and 2 tablespoons melted butter until smooth.
- Bring dough together. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined — do not overmix. Fold in 1 1/2 cups of the cheddar, all of the Parmesan, and the chives if using. The dough will be thick and slightly sticky.
- Fill the pan. Spread the dough evenly into the prepared loaf pan. Top with the remaining 1/2 cup cheddar, pressing it lightly into the surface so it adheres during baking.
- Bake. Bake for 28–32 minutes, until the top is deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The cheese on top should be bubbling and just beginning to crisp at the edges.
- Brush and rest. Remove from oven and immediately brush the top with the remaining tablespoon of melted butter. Let the loaf rest in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
- Slice and serve. Slice thick and serve warm. Pairs well with soup, a simple salad, or honestly nothing at all.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 320 | Protein: 13g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 36g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 480mg