Soft and Airy No-Knead Cheese Bread

updated June 24, 2024

Warm, soft, fresh cheese bread. Is there anything better? This cheese bread is super soft, pillowy, light, and packed with cheesy goodness. Even better, it is no knead!

My daughter loves to sneak by the bread pan, when no one is looking, and peel off some of the cheese on top of the loaf.

This recipe is super simple to make, and will yield two loaves. It is a pretty sticky batter so it comes out very soft and airy.

The texture is so lovely and I like the little dots of cheese throughout the bread loaf. Since the batter is more liquid than some bread doughs, you don’t have to knead it. You really just mix the batter. Which is a nice short-cut, if you ask me!

What type of cheese to use for cheese bread

We typically use cheddar cheese, however, this time I used a mixture of cheddar cheese and Gruyère. It was amazing!

I suggest using the type of cheese, or mixture of cheese, your family enjoys. However, some I would suggest trying are:

• Gruyère– This cheese is slightly sweet, nutty, and salty. An amazing choice for cheese bread.
• Cheddar– This is, perhaps, the most popular choice for cheese bread. There are many varieties of this popular cheese marble, mild, sharp, and aged cheddars, to name a few. All would be ideal choices for cheese bread.
• Asiago– I would use this as part of a cheese mixture. Asiago is a delicious hard cheese, similar to parmesan. It is frequently used in bread baking, usually melted on top.
• Mozzarella – This, very mild flavoured cheese, is perfect if you are wanting a very subtle cheese flavour to your bread. You know it’s going to be good, I mean pizza and mozzarella go hand in hand. So cheese bread with mozzarella, seems like a no-brainer!
• Gouda– This cheeses sweet, light, buttery flavour is an excellent choice in baking, as it melts well. Try smoked gouda for a slightly different flavour.
• Provolone – This is a great semi-hard cheese. It has buttery, nutty flavours and can range from sharp to milk depending on the variety you choose.

Storage

Room temperature

While any bread loaf is best served fresh the day that it is baked, you can store and prolong the freshness for up to 3 days!

• Fresh bread is best stored, wrapped in paper, on the counter for up to 3 days.
• Bread will start to dry out and becomes stale the longer it is left out.
• Fresh bread is at it’s best eaten the first day.
• After that, fresh bread is best warmed or toasted with butter or toppings of choice.

Fridge

The fridge is not the best place to store fresh bread. Bread loaves will dry out quickly and become stale faster when stored in the refrigerator. If you want to prolong the life of your bread loaves store them in the freezer!

Freezer

Fresh cheese bread stores extremely well in the freezer, when stored properly. Follow these easy steps to store your loaf for longer storage.

• Let the fresh bread come to room temperature.
• Wrap tightly in cling-film or a bread bag. (You can wrap the bread whole or pre-sliced.)
• Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• When you are ready to use, unwrap and let it come back to room temperature.
• To warm a full loaf, wrap loosely in tin foil. Place the loaf in a preheated 325 °F (160 °C) oven for 25-25 minutes.
• For pre-sliced bread, you can place the frozen slices directly into the toaster!

Overnight cheese bread

The smell of fresh cheese bread first thing in the morning, is there anything better? But no one wants to wake up hours before everyone else to make bread!

You can absolutely do all the work the night before and then store your bread loaves in the fridge to slowly rise overnight! The cold temperature will prolong the time it takes to rise your bread dough.

In the morning all you need to do is bake the bread!

Follow these steps for the perfect overnight cheese bread!

• The night before, make the cheese bread recipe. Excluding the cheese layer on top.
• After your loaves are in their pans, place in the refrigerator. The low temperature will prolong the rise.
• In the morning, remove the loaves from the fridge and bake.

How to make No-Knead Cheese Bread

Ingredients

4½ cups all-purpose flour 675 g

2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (or one package) 7g

1 1/4 cup warm water 310 ml

1 cup warm milk 250 ml

2 Tablespoons sugar 30 ml

1 Tablespoon salt 15 ml

3 Tablespoons butter, softened 45 g

1 cup grated cheese of choice 150 g

1/2 cup grated cheese for topping 75g

Method

1. In a large bowl add the warm water and milk.
2. Add in the sugar and stir to dissolve. Sprinkle in the yeast and allow it to soften and become foamy. (This will take a few minutes)
3. Add in the butter, salt, and flour.
4. With the dough hook attachment, or using a large wooden spoon, mix to a soft dough.
5. After the dough has come together, fold and mix in the cheese. (The dough will be quite soft at this point and will not hold together, or be able to be kneaded by hand.)
6. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in bulk, or about 1 hour.
7. Grease, or line, two bread pans.
8. Once the dough had doubled pour evenly into the two loaf pans. Let rise until the dough is about doubled again, about 30-45 mins. At this point, don’t cover. When you remove the cover, it may deflate the dough)
9. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 degrees °C).
10. Bake for 45 mins. Remove and add the grated cheese topping.
11. Return to the oven for 10 – 15 minutes more, or until the cheese is golden.
12. Cool slightly, to set the cheese, before slicing.

Need some perfect cheese bread pairing ideas. Try this! Garden Fresh Zippy Tomato Soup, A Vintage Potato Soup Recipe

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