Perfectly soft and fluffy and swirled with pockets of gooey cheddar cheese, this homemade cheese bread is easy to make and a fun baking project!
Is there anything better than a loaf of bread with gooey pockets of cheese swirled in every bite? Every single source I could come up with said no.
Cheese bread is a very popular item at a farmer’s market I used to go to in Madison, WI and ever since trying that I’ve been itching to try my own homemade version!
A few tweaks later and this incredible bread was born. And sorry-not-sorry, but I actually like this version even more. I think you’ll soon see why!
I mean….the amount of gooey cheddar swirls in this bread should probably be illegal, but it’s very much a thing and it’s dynamite.
Don’t even get me started on how incredible a thick slice of this bread is warm from the oven with a little salty butter spread on top. Carb heaven.
This Cheese Bread features…
- A soft and fluffy texture
- Pockets of gooey cheddar cheese
- A flavorful garlic herb butter brushed on top
Making the Cheese Bread
(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Water
- Active dry yeast
- Honey
- Egg
- Unsalted butter
- Kosher salt
- Bread flour
- Cheddar cheese
- Garlic
- Italian seasoning
Step-by-Step Shaping Tutorial
Use the picture tutorial above to shape cheese bread with ease!
- Punch risen dough down and turn onto a floured surface.
- Roll dough into a 9×15 inch rectangle and sprinkle with cheese.
- Tightly roll dough up.
- Cut dough in half vertically.
- Twist the two halves together tightly, pinching edges to seal.
- Transfer loaf to a greased 9×15 inch loaf pan, tucking ends under.
Tips for Perfect Cheese Bread
- Measure flour correctly – I use the spoon-and-level technique for measuring flour as this will prevent over-measuring your flour. Use a spoon to scoop flour into the measuring cup, then level with the back of a knife.
- Use water at 110F degrees – I recommend temping the water to ensure it’s not over 110F. If you use water that is too warm, it will kill the yeast and your dough will not rise.
- Knead dough properly – this step is where you develop the gluten in the dough which is crucial for forming the structure of the rolls. You can knead by hand or use your stand mixer with the dough hook attachment.
- Let dough rise in a warm place – yeast dough loves warm environments for rising. We recommend 75F-80F for a rising environment in your kitchen.
- Refer to picture tutorial for shaping – follow the picture tutorial above for extra visual help shaping bread.
- Use cheddar cubes – I like to use cheddar cubes instead of shredded cheese because the cubes tend to stick to the bread dough better during shaping.
- Cover loaf with tin foil during baking – if the bread is browning too quickly during baking, cover with a layer of tin foil.
- Temp bread to determine doneness – I recommend using a kitchen thermometer to test the bread for doneness. The bread is done once it reaches 180F.
Recipe Variations
Try these ideas for a different twist on this bread.
- Use a different cheese – try sharp cheddar, gouda, pepper jack, or mozzarella.
- Make it even more garlicky – sprinkle 2-3 cloves crushed garlic over cheddar before rolling dough.
- Toast bread – toast cheese bread slices and top with softened butter and fresh tomato slices.
Storing and Freezing Bread
I prefer enjoying this bread fresh from the oven if possible because you just can’t beat the texture and the melty cheddar! However, if needed this bread may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 4 days and reheated before serving.
To freeze bread, cool completely, wrap well, and freeze up to 2 months. If possible, I recommend freezing bread the same day you baked it to preserve freshness.
To serve bread from frozen, allow to thaw completely on countertop then reheat at 350F 10-15 minutes before serving.
Once you bake up a loaf of this bread, I think you’ll find that it’s extremely difficult to keep it stocked in the house! Folks tend to demolish this bread in a matter of minutes in our house.
And it’s really no wonder, I mean can you even with those cheese swirls??
Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.
Watch this bread made step-by-step on Google web stories.
More yeast bread baking projects to try next!
Homemade Cheese Bread
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Ingredients
Bread Dough
- 1 cup warm water
- 2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 to 3-1/2 cups bread flour
- 8 oz block cheddar cheese, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
- 1 large egg white, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Garlic Herb Butter
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Instructions
Bread Dough
- Place warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook OR a large bowl. Dissolve yeast in water and let stand 5 minutes until foamy.
- Mix honey, egg, and melted butter into yeast mixture until smooth. Add salt and 3 cups flour to bowl and mix on low speed OR with a wooden spoon if making dough by hand until dough pulls away from sides of bowl, about 2 minutes of mixing (if dough seems a bit wet, add additional flour by the tablespoon until dough pulls away from sides of bowl)
- If making dough in stand mixer, knead dough in mixer on low speed 5-7 minutes until dough is stretchy and elastic. If making dough by hand, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand until dough is stretchy and elastic, about 10 minutes of kneading.
- Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place at room temperature 1 to 1-1/2 hours until dough is doubled in size.
- Grease a 9×15 loaf pan. Turn dough onto a floured surface and roll into a 9×15 inch rectangle. Scatter cubed cheddar over dough rectangle, tightly roll up dough, and pinch ends to seal. Cut dough in half vertically and tightly twist two halves together, tucking ends under. Transfer loaf to prepared pan.
- Allow loaf to rise in a warm place at room temperature 30-45 minutes until loaf is puffy and nearly doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 375F. Brush risen loaf with egg wash and bake at 375F 30-35 minutes until loaf is golden brown and registers 180F in the center (cover bread with a sheet of tin foil if it browns too fast).
Garlic Herb Butter
- Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and Italian seasoning and cook 1 minute until fragrant.
- Remove butter from heat and immediately brush over warm loaf. Allow loaf to cool slightly on a wire cooling rack before slicing and serving warm. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
This post was updated with new recipe tips and photos on 8/1/24.
Lora says
I may have to try these this afternoon!
Sarah says
They’re really good. Let me know how they turn out.