Some you win, some you do not… and some are great!

I like to bake.Yesterday I decided to try a new recipe for lemon bread, one that incorporated Quark cheese. I prepared the lemon zest, juice of a lemon etc. and began the process.

The Quark, and other ingredients were dutifully incorporated into the batter.

The tangy citrus scent of the lemon was enticing and the batter was coming together well. Sadly that’s where the good news stopped. I suspect the amount of yeast in the recipe was insufficient for the weight of the dough but it never did rise and, when baked, remained a flat and sodden mess in the bottom of the pan. I was disappointed.

But, not to be deterred in my search for a bread recipe that would incorporate Quark, I discovered a Three-Cheese Bread recipe in my bread machine’s cook book. A little adaptation et voilà, Quark Cheese Bread.

For this recipe you need 1 cup of Quark, 1 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese and 1/2 a cup of shredded white cheese (I used mozzerella because that’s what I had; Asiago would have been tangier).

Following the directions I placed the ingredients into the bread pan for the machine in the order listed:

• 1 cup of water (80-90ºF or 27-32c – in other words, hot)
• 1/2 cup mozzerella or asiago cheese
• 1 cup shredded sharp old cheddar cheese
• 1 cup Quark
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 – 1 teaspoon Tabasco (or other hot sauce)
• 4 1/2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons yeast (active dry, instant or bread machine type)

Then follow the directions for your bread machine.

When it’s done (3 hours later) you’ll have a 2 pound loaf of Quark cheese bread and your kitchen will smell heavenly.

Sliced, slathered with butter (and maybe a bit of jam), it’s a little piece of heaven on a cold almost-winter day.

Family approved in our house! So, grab your Quark and bake on!