This is my absolute favourite cheese bread recipe! This recipe produces delicious homemade soft cheese bread that’s filled with cheddar cheese and herbs. The dough is a dream to work with, and the twisted shape makes for a beautiful loaf (with none of those dreaded rolled cheese bread gaps).
Homemade cheese bread: at a glance.
This cheese bread recipe produces two tall, beautiful loaves with veins of cheese running throughout. The crumb is wonderfully soft, yet still perfectly sliceable, so it’s perfect for sandwiches. It also provides a small moment of joy when enjoyed toasted and buttered.
Despite its impressive appearance, this is an excellent beginner bread-baking recipe. As it has ample yeast and sugar, it is a fast-riser, which reduces a lot of guesswork. It is also a beautiful dough to work with, as it is perfectly smooth and moist.
This cheese bread recipe is also endlessly customizable for more or less cheese, different cheeses or cheese combinations, or just about anything else you can imagine adding to the mix!
- Homemade cheese bread: at a glance.
- Ingredients and substitutions
- How to make homemade cheese bread: step-by-step
- How to make homemade cheese bread: video
- Recipe tips!
- New to bread baking? Here is my best advice!
- Storing and freezing cheese bread
- Get the Recipe: Simply Perfect Homemade Cheese Bread
- More cheese bread recipes to love!
Ingredients and substitutions
A few notes about the key ingredients …
Bread flour – High-protein bread flour will provide the nicest texture for your finished loaf. If you only have all-purpose flour, you can use it, but do note that you may need to add a bit more flour to get that moist, smooth dough when using all-purpose flour. The texture of your loaf will be slightly heavier than it would have been if using bread flour, but will still be nice and soft.
Yeast – You can use Instant yeast or Active Dry yeast to make this bread. I recommend and use SAF Brand (Red) yeast for all my bread baking.
Milk – I recommend whole milk (3.5% b.f.) if possible, or at least 2% milk, for best results. Warm the milk just slightly in a saucepan or in the microwave.
Cheese – use a sharp/old cheddar cheese for best flavour and grate it yourself. I find a yellow cheddar cheese makes a prettier loaf, as you can see the cheese, but an old white cheddar also works here.
How to make homemade cheese bread: step-by-step
This is a visual summary of the steps to make this recipe. Scroll down to the Recipe Card below for the complete list of ingredients and instructions.
Start by mixing the bread dough. You can mix the dough in a stand mixer with the kneading hook or in a bowl with a spoon and some elbow grease.
Step 1: Begin by mixing together the dough ingredients into a shaggy, just moistened dough. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
Step 2: Start kneading the dough on Speed 2 on a KitchenAid mixer and knead for 5-7 minutes until you have a smooth, moist dough that wraps the dough hook and cleans the bowl.
Step 3: Remove the dough to a work surface and knead briefly.
Step 4: Form the finished dough into a ball. It should be smooth like a baby’s bottom!
Step 5: Place the dough ball into a greased bowl or large measuring cup to rise.
Step 6: Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 45-60 minutes.
Once the dough has risen, here are the steps to roll, fill and shape the bread loaves.
Step 7: If you have a scale, weigh the dough to get the total weight.
Step 8: Divide the total weight by two and weigh out two equal-sized dough balls.
Step 9: Cover one ball of dough with plastic wrap while you work with the other ball.
Step 10: Roll the dough ball into a 12×16-inch rectangele.
Step 11: Scatter half of the shredded cheese over the rolled dough and sprinkle with some herbs, if using.
Step 12: Roll the dough up jelly-roll style, rolling from the long side.
Step 13: Pinch the seam together.
Step 14: Flip the dough over so the seam is down.
Step 15: Using a sharp knife, slice the rolled dough lengthwise down the centre.
Step 16: The dough is not cut into two pieces.
Step 17: Pinch the two pieces together at the far end.
Step 18: Begin to twist the dough together by placing the right side over the left side.
Step 19: Continue twisting the dough pieces together.
Step 20: Pinch together the closest ends once the dough is fully twisted together.
Step 21: Gently lift the shaped dough into a greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan, then repeat with the second piece of dough to make two loaves.
Step 22: Cover the loaves with plastic wrap and set to rise until they rise to an inch above the sides of the pan, about 30 minutes. Bake and enjoy!
How to make homemade cheese bread: video
Confused about how this cheese bread is shaped? Be sure to watch the video to see how easily it is done!
Recipe tips!
- If you want to take your bread game to the next level, you really need to be using a kitchen scale and weigh out the ingredients. You will quickly find that doing so will produce a perfect loaf every time! No more uncertainty about how dry measuring cups were filled. No more variations between the exact volume of a liquid cup. You can pick up a kitchen scale for only $20, and it’s the best investment you will make for your kitchen.
- This bread is endlessly customizable. All kinds of cheese, herb and other add-in combinations will work. Want to throw in some sun-dried tomatoes and/or a bit of pesto? Why not! Olives? Sure. Lots of cheese or just a bit? It’s up to you.
- There is an option to overnight-rise this dough in the fridge. I rarely do that, because I’m a) impatient and b) not that organized, but feel free to do so. There’s no doubt that any bread benefits from a longer rise for better flavour.
New to bread baking? Here is my best advice!
I think most of the problems people have when starting out baking bread are treating bread recipes like, say, a cake recipe, where you just measure the ingredients, mix them all together and bake.
Things like kitchen temperature, humidity, moisture in the flour you are using, the season you are baking in and rising time can differ from one kitchen to the next. All that makes bread recipes less consistent from one kitchen to the next.
Now that you know this, though, that’s more than half the battle :) What you’ll need to add to the mix to be a successful bread baker is some trust in what you see and feel.
- Does the dough look and feel too sticky, and does the recipe say it should be smooth and not sticky? Go ahead and add a bit more flour, as your dough needs it.
- Does the dough look moist and smooth, but you haven’t added all the flour specified? Trust what you see in the bowl and stop adding more flour.
- When it comes to dough rising times, trust your eyes and not the clock. Your dough in your kitchen may rise more quickly or slowly than it suggests in the recipe. Using a straight-sided rising container will make it easier to see when the dough has doubled. (I like to use a 4- or 8-cup glass measuring cup.) In any case, you want the dough to just double in size. No less. No more.
Trust what you SEE and FEEL, and don’t be too tightly tied to the specifics of the recipe. Do that, and all will be good!
Storing and freezing cheese bread
Allow the bread to cool completely, then store at room temperature in a bread bag or simply place on a cutting board with the cut end wrapped tightly with plastic wrap. This bread will keep well for 2-3 days at room temperature.
You can refrigerate bread to extend the shelf life, but I don’t recommend refrigerating it right away. I keep my bread on the counter for about 2 days, then after that I might refrigerate what’s left to extend the freshness another 2 or 3 days.
Bread freezes beautifully! Wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months.
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Get the Recipe: Simply Perfect Homemade Cheese Bread
Ingredients
- 6 1/2 cups (794 g) unbleached bread flour, spooned and levelled *see Note 1 below
- 2 teaspoons (14 g) fine salt , reduce slightly if using salted butter
- 5 Tablespoons (64 g) white sugar, or brown sugar or 3 1/2 Tbsp. honey
- 1 cup (227 g) lukewarm water, about 95F
- 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons (255 g) milk, or buttermilk, lukewarm, about 95F
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons (14 g) Instant yeast or Active Dry Yeast
- 1/4 cup (57 g) unsalted butter , melted and cooled slightly, or the same amount of vegetable/canola oil
Cheddar and herb filling (for two loaves):
- 3 cups (340 g) sharp/old orange cheddar cheese, shredded and packed
- 2-3 Tablespoons (60 ml) dried parsley, optional *see Note 2 below
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the 6 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour (spooned and levelled *see Note 1 below), 2 teaspoons fine salt (reduce slightly if using salted butter) and 5 Tablespoons white sugar (or brown sugar or 3 1/2 Tbsp. honey ) together and stir together well.
- In a large measuring cup or bowl, combine the 1 cup lukewarm water (about 95F ) and 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons milk (or buttermilk, lukewarm, about 95F) and whisk in the 1 1/2 Tablespoons Instant yeast or Active Dry Yeast until dissolved. Add this mixture, along with the 1/4 cup unsalted butter (melted and cooled slightly, or the same amount of vegetable/canola oil), to the dry ingredients. Mix by hand or with a dough hook at Speed 2 until the mixture is combined and all the dry ingredients are incorporated into a shaggy dough, about 2-3 minutes. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
- Continue mixing the dough with the kneading hook at Speed 2 for 5-7 minutes, until a smooth dough forms that wraps the dough hook and cleans the bowl. The dough should not be sticking to the mixing bowl at all.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for a couple of minutes, adding more flour only if the dough is sticking to your hands or the work surface; then form the dough into a ball. (If the dough feels smooth like a baby's bottom, you've nailed it!).
- Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl or an 8-cup measuring cup, then flip the ball over in the bowl so the top of the dough is covered in the oil from the bowl. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise until just doubled, about 40-60 minutes in a 72F kitchen. (This dough is a fast-riser! Don't wander too far. You want the dough to just double in size – no more and no less – however long that takes.)
- Note: Alternatively, you can refrigerate the dough, well covered, for up to 4 days. If you have refrigerated your dough, remove it from the refrigerator 2 hours before you plan to bake to allow it to come to room temperature.
- Grease two 8-inch by 4-inch loaf pans and set aside.
- Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. Cover one piece with plastic wrap and set aside. Working with one piece of dough, use a rolling pin to roll it into a rectangle approximately 12 inches wide and 16 inches long. (If the dough seems to spring back and not hold its shape while rolling, allow it to sit for a few minutes and try again.)
- Once rolled out, scatter 1/2 of the shredded cheddar and 1/2 of the herbs evenly over the surface of the dough. Starting with the long side of the rectangle, roll the dough up jelly-roll style and pinch the seam together. Rotate the rolled dough so the seam is underneath.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the roll of dough down the centre, lengthwise. Rotate each piece so that the cut sides are facing upward and place them side-by-side. Pinch together the farthest end. Keeping the cut sides facing upwards as much as possible, place the right-side piece over the left-side piece. Straighten it up all the way and then repeat twisting together down the length of the dough, then pinching together the end closest to you. If any cheese escapes, just place it back on top. Using a bench scraper or spatula, carefully lift the dough into the greased loaf pan. Repeat with the other piece of dough, then cover both pans with a greased piece of plastic wrap (I like to spray the plastic wrap with cooking spray).
- Allow the loaves to rise until the dough rises about 1 inch above the side of the pans in the middle, about 30-40 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350F (non-convection/not fan-assisted), with the rack in the centre of the oven.
- Place the loaves on top of a baking sheet to catch any cheese that might fall off the loaves as they bake. Bake the loaves for 40-45 minutes total, but set a timer for 20 minutes, at which time you'll rotate the pans from front-to-back in the oven and loosely cover the top of the loaves with a piece of aluminum foil if the bread is already well-browned. The foil will prevent the top from over-browning. Continue baking the bread for about 20-25 minutes more, until the bread reaches about 185F° internal temperature in the centre when tested with an instant-read thermometer.
- Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool in the pans for a couple of minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edge of the bread, then carefully remove the loaves to a cooling rack. Allow the loaves to cool for 1 hour before slicing. *Slicing hot or very warm bread will make for a gummy crumb, so resist the urge and let it cool :)
- Store the baked bread at room temperature for several days, storing it in a bread bag or, at least, wrapping any cut ends tightly. You can also freeze this bread for up to 2 months.
Notes
Watch how to make it
More cheese bread recipes to love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress-free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
Hello! For the Parmesan, garlic, and herb loaf, is the butter you smear on the dough salted or unsalted? I made it before and remember loving it but I can’t remember which kind I used…
I generally use salted butter myself, but either would work.
Just finished making the cheddar cheese variation, and like others, could not wait an hour to taste it. Delicious. I made a few tweaks which I will have to modify next time. I left out the sugar because I don’t like breads with a hint of sugar unless for cinnamon bread etc. (and my sister who is Tuscan insists they do not put sugar in their bread). As a result, I think the bread turned out a little dry. So I will include it next time. I read that adding brown sugar instead of white sugar will help the bread retain more moisture. Also making a waterbRoux out of a fraction of the flour and water is supposed to help. Would an egg as well? I noticed other bread recipes used an egg. I used white Cabot extra sharp cheese. The taste is wonderful, but it doesn’t have the visual effect, so next time I will try using a yellow sharp cheddar. Each year we chop up our fresh herbs at the end of the season and store them in a bit of olive oil in the refrigerator. I used those herbs, draining the olive oil. But the herbed oil was so tasty, I couldn’t resist painting it onto the bread. Before I rolled it. As a result, the spirals separate when I cut a slice. So I won’t be able to toast them. Next time I’ll drain the herb oil completely oil and incorporate it into the dough. May also pinch the layers a little bit as I roll them. I noticed several other cheese bread recipes included some mustard, so I may try that next time as well. One also sprinkles yellow mustard seeds on top for crunch before putting it into the oven. Sounds intriguing. Will definitely make this again and again. Thanks!
Hi Wendy, I wouldn’t add an egg myself. Enriched breads (with eggs) tend to go stale much more quickly, in my experience. So if moist is what you’re after, an egg won’t really help. And yes, any oil layer (oil or butter) will cause the bread to bake with gaps. Just cheese works best if you want it to stay solid. Sounds like you have lots of ideas. Enjoy playing with this bread!
I made your bread today for the first time. I used only half the ingredients because I was mixing the dough in my bread maker, and knew that 6 1/2 cups of flour would not fit. I used 2 cups of grated cheddar and topped it with another 1/2 cup of grated cheddar as well. I also erroneously rolled from the longest edge, so I braided the loaf and baked it free standing on a parchment-lined baking sheet. It was so good that there is none left! Thanks for sharing your recipe, I will be making it often.
So glad you enjoyed it, Sharon! Thanks :)
Hi,
Gonna try making this today. Other times I’ve made bread it had to rise in the bread pan again. Does this dough need to rise in the pan? Or straight to the oven after it’s been braided?
Thanks!
Hi Dee and yes, this is a two rise bread, so it will rise the second time in the pan after you shape it. Enjoy!
I made the first two loaves on Monday and they were beautiful and delicious and gone. Made the second two on Tuesday using mozzarella, cheddar, spinach and feta in one of the loaves. It turned out so pretty and tasty that I have two more rising now. The green spinach leaves against the golden crust is beautiful. I wish I could post picture. Thank you for this wonderful recipe
Hi Jennifer,
I’m so glad to find your website! Your recipes look absolutely amazing! I’m making a return to bread making after a very long hiatus and so far, having great success. I’ll be making your cheese bread 2 ways tonight and proofing the dough overnight. Should I start the rolling/stuffing/shaping process right out of the fridge and then do the 2nd rising? Or allow to warm up first? If I don’t hear from you in time, I’ll follow my instincts to shape right out of the fridge.
Hi Elizabeth, I usually let the dough stand a bit out of the fridge. Doesn’t need to come to room temperature, just maybe sit while you have your coffee. Then shape and 2nd rise. Second rise will obviously be a little longer if the dough still has a chill to it. Enjoy the bread!
These were absolutely the best tasting (and most adventurous) breads I’ve ever made! I followed your advice about letting the dough warm up a while after the overnight rise while I shredded the cheeses and watched your “how to” video twice. I still managed to roll the dough long side instead of short side so had to compromise and fold it back on itself to make it fit the pans, but no matter, because even though they could have been prettier inside, they were still so yummy! Next time, I’ll do it right – fingers crossed. Thanks, Jennifer! I am looking forward to trying many more of your recipes!
So glad to hear! Loving the sound of the feta/spinach version :) Thanks!
Hi, I went there a few nights ago, after realizing I had some bread flour and rapid rise yeast. I did sub almond milk (because that’s what I had) and I probably had double the volume of cheese and herbs…but really…it was alright! I only had one loaf pan, so it went into a bundt. I shared the entire thing with my daughter and a friend and we still have some left today after making soup croutons even! I used whatever cheeses I had in the refrigerator…ended up grating an entire wedge of parm and a wedge of a cheddar from the UK. I can’t wait to make this again and I know it will never taste the same as this one did, but that’s alright, too.
So glad you enjoyed it, Kat! Thanks :)
I made this with jalapeños sliced in. So very good! So good, in fact, that I made it three times within a week of the first time! I’m not as patient with my dough, so I ended up rolling the dough and not doing the beautiful slice work demonstrated in the recipe, and it still looked gorgeous.
So glad to hear! Would be great with the jalapnos :) Thanks!
Thank you for making a video of the technique, as well as sharing the recipe. This is now on my list of breads to try.
I think you will love this one, Noelle :) Thanks!
I made these last night for the first time and they turned out amazing. Made one loaf filled with powdered sugar, cinnamon, raisins and craisins, topped with shaved almonds. I filled the other with cheeses, parsley and spices. Love both. I did not expect the btead to turn out so soft, while still having a sturdy crust. My new favorite recipe. Thank you.
They sound lovely! So glad you enjoyed these. Thanks :)
I’m looking forward to baking this for a drop off gift this Christmas Eve to a family of seven, five kids ranging 6 – 16. Last year they ate my traditional gift of three loaves of cheese bread I make with only cheddar inside of three days from Christmas day. Tomorrow I will pick up some nice parmesan to grate and my usual brand of sharp cheddar to make variations of added ingredients resembling the above commentor’s Laura’s ingredients as add ins for each loaf, making four loaves in total. Its going to be a good day. After the holidays I’ll leave an update with the results, I would bet they disappear inside of two days this year.
Sounds just lovely, Dylan! Homemade bread is perfect for sharing this time of year. Thanks :)
Made this recipe for my first bread baking challenge. Was nervous because i didn’t have a kitchen scale and i know how accurate you have to measure with bread. Came out absolutely delicious! My question is have you ever tried this bread with a cinnamon sugar filling? Filled and twisted the same way as the cheese? I’m new to bread making and didn’t know if the sugar would change the way the bread bakes or rises in the final stage. I’m from New Orleans where king cakes are popular and when I made this, my mom commented that the bread had a nice sweetness to it and kind of a king cake texture. So I wondered how a cinnamon sugar filling would do. Topped with some icing like a cinnamon roll!
Hi Heather and yes, we think alike! I did indeed make a sweet version of this bread with cinnamon. Here’s the link if you’d like to see where I went with it :) – https://www.seasonsandsuppers.ca/cinnamon-raisin-bread-2/
Is it hard to just reduce the quantity to just one loaf?
Hi Betty and no, just halve all the ingredients and you’ll be good :)
Hello Jennifer, can one bake these breads free form instead of in a loaf tin? Regards Jeanette Stokell cape town
Hi Jeanette! Yes you can. Just place the twisted dough on a baking sheet. Of course, it will spread out as it rises and bakes though, instead of up :)
My friends and I are going to have a baking session next weekend, and I’m curious to try this bread. Is it possible to add the cheese and herbs at the final stage of mixing (after the window pane stage is ready, like other walnut or dried fruit bread) and shape them into balls instead? My friends haven’t made bread before, that I’m conscious the rolling out stage could be a tad too much for them. Thanks a lot.
Hi Vanessa, while it is possible, adding the cheese and herbs into the dough, you would affect both the rising time of the dough and the texture of the finished bread. Cheese in particular, is not like nuts or dried fruits. It’s oily. It doesn’t just sit in the dough, it incorporates with it as it bakes. And of course, you won’t get that vein of cheese and herbs, that I think is really the best part of cheese bread :) So in short, if you want to do what you’re suggesting, I would stick with a fruit/nut bread.
For what it’s worth, this dough is one of the loveliest doughs to work with. It rolls out beautifully, so it’s super easy to work with, even for beginners. If you’re concerned about the cut/twist part, you could always just roll it up from the short end, then pop it into a loaf pan as a jelly-rolled loaf. (Down-side of this method is that you will often end up with gaps/holes in the finished loaf though).
Thank you Jennifer. Will just try as it is, and may be just do the jelly roll! Can’t wait to try this on Friday!
Hi! I’m making these loaves as we speak. How long does each loaf last fresh and in a bread bin or does this bread have to be refridgerated or frozen?
Thank you for the wonderful recipe. This will be my first go at bread but I think it’ll be great!
Hi Kristen! It doesn’t need to be refrigerated, though I pop mine into a large plastic storage bag and leave it on the counter. It is best on baking day, still good on day 2, and after that, still good for toasting for a day or two. Since this recipe makes 2 loaves, I usually pop one of the two into the freezer as soon as it’s cooled. Enjoy the first loaf, then take the other one out of the freezer to enjoy later :)