Ingredients

1 cup boiling water
1/3 cup cornmeal
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1 (1 tbsp) package active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water or milk
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/4 cups grated old cheddar cheese
5 to 5 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Pour boiling water over cornmeal and let stand until just warm.
2. Stir together sugar and lukewarm water. Sprinkle yeast over top and let stand until doubled in volume.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine warm water, salt, brown sugar, 1 cup cheddar cheese, cornmeal mixture and yeast mixture. Stir well. Add flour 1 cup at a time. When dough becomes too stiff to stir, turn out onto a floured surface. Knead in additional flour until dough is no longer sticky. Knead dough 10 minutes.
4. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic and let rise until doubled in volume, about 1 to 1/2 hours. Punch dough and divide in half. Shape into two loaves and place into buttered loaf pans. Let rise again until doubled in volume. Carefully sprinkle remaining cheese over bread.
5. Bake at 375°F for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden and sides of loaf are also golden. Remove bread from pans and cool completely on wire racks.