Quick Cheese Bread
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This quick cheese bread with two types of tangy cheese has a crispy cheesy crust and soft cheesy inside. It’s delicious warm and slathered in butter. This recipe is easily adaptable by varying the cheeses, adding herbs or different spices, it is one recipe you’ll make over and over!
It takes about 10 minutes to prepare and another 45 to bake from start to finish. The hardest part of this recipe is waiting for it to cool before cutting into it! I do love homemade bread, and when I’m on a “bread roll”, I keep this Artisan Bread Dough in the fridge for baguettes or boules.
But when I want bread that takes less than an hour from start to finish, this is my go-to recipe. The best part is that you can use this recipe as a jumping-off point and switch out the cheeses, add herbs, or seasonings to suit your taste! Serve it warm or toasted with salted butter, or just as a cheesy sandwich bread.
Ingredients for homemade cheese bread
Two kinds of cheese are used in the cheese bread recipe; grated asiago or parmesan gives it a crispy, chewy crust, while chunks of sharp cheddar are folded inside for extra cheesy pockets of goodness. Substitute Grana Padano or grated Parmesan cheese, which are cheaper alternatives to Parmigiano-Reggiano, with a similar flavor profile. If using Asiago, opt for a mild, not aged cheese. Aged Asiago will overpower the bread. Avoid using a pre-shredded cheese blend, which often has cellulose.
- Parmigiano Reggiano
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Cayenne
- Kosher salt
- Ground black pepper
- Sharp cheddar cheese or mild (not aged) Asiago.
- Whole milk
- Egg, room temperature
- Sour cream
- Unsalted butter
How to make this cheesy bread recipe
The best thing about quick bread is that there is minimal effort! There’s no need for instant yeast or rising. Recipe slightly adapted from Cook’s Illustrated, 2004.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Adjust rack to the middle of the oven. Prepare a 9″ by 5″ loaf pan. Grease bottom and sides with butter, olive oil, or cooking spray. You can also line the pan with parchment paper.
- Shred the Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano. Use a box grater with large holes. Divide the shredded cheese in half.
- Cut the sharp cheddar into 1/2″ cubes.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, cayenne, salt and black pepper.
- Toss the cheddar in the flour mixture to coat. In another large bowl, whisk the egg, then add the wet ingredients: milk, sour cream, and melted butter.
- Using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, scraping the sides of the bowl, until just combined; don’t over-mix.
- Turn the dough into the prepared loaf pan and sprinkle the top with the remaining shredded Parmigiano cheese.
- Bake at 350 degrees F. in the middle of the oven for 45 to 50 minutes, until the top is golden brown.
- When checking for doneness, insert a long wooden skewer into the bread in several places to avoid hitting pockets of melted cheese.
- Allow bread to cool for 5 minutes on a wire rack. Loosen edges of bread before turning out and allowing to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour before slicing.
- Wrap cool bread in an airtight container, aluminum foil, or plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Leftover cheese bread is delicious toasted! Toast on a baking sheet in a 425-degree oven for 5 minutes or in a toaster.
Substitutions and tips
Experiment with different cheeses and add-ins: Smoked gouda, pepper jack, Spanish manchego. Add finely chopped green onions, caramelized onions, or fresh herbs.
Cheesy garlic bread
- Add 2 teaspoons of minced fresh garlic and 2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh parsley.
Spicy cheese bread
- Substitute the sharp cheddar with peppery Monterey Jack cheese and add 1/4 cup diced jalapeños.
Bacon, onion, and Gruyère quick bread
- Omit melted butter.
- Saute 5 slices of bacon until crisp.
- Sauté 1/2 cup diced onion in 3 Tablespoons bacon fat until golden brown.
- Substitute diced Gruyère for the cheddar, folding bacon and onion into the wet mixture, and diced Gruyère into the flour.
What to serve with homemade cheesy bread
Dice and toast leftover pieces of cheese bread into homemade cheese croutons for Caesar Salad.
More quick bread recipes
Quick and Easy Cheese Bread
Ingredients
- 3 ounces Parmigiano grated on the large side of a box grated (about 1 cup)
- 4 ounces sharp cheddar cut into 1/2" cubes
- 13 ounces All purpose flour (about 3 cups)
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 10 ounces whole milk (1 1/4 cup)
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 6 ounces sour cream (3/4 cup)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Adjust rack to the center of the oven.
- Prepare a 9" by 5" loaf pan by greasing bottom and sides with butter, olive oil or cooking spray. Or line it with parchment paper.
- Grate the Parmigiano using a box grater with large holes. Divide grated cheese in half and sprinkle 1/2 of the grated cheese on the bottom of the pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together. Add the cubed cheddar and toss to coat.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg, milk, melted butter and sour cream together until well blended.
- Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined, scraping down sides to make sure everything is incorporated. Don't overmix!
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and top with remaining grated cheese. Bake at 350 degrees F. in center of oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in several places comes out clean, and top is golden brown. (Insert the toothpick several times to avoid a false reading if you hit a "cheese pocket".)
- Allow to cool 5 minutes on a wire rack. If loaf sticks to sides of pan use an offset spatula and run it around the edges of the pan to loosen. Allow the cheese bread to cool completely before cutting. It actually will cut better the next day!
