It’s surprisingly easy to make homemade cheese bread. This soft buttery yeasted bread is twisted up with cheddar cheese, but you can use any cheese variety you love. Bake the bread in a loaf pan, then slice it to reveal the 2 cups of swirled cheese inside. For a sweet version, try our cinnamon crunch bread.
This recipe is brought to you in partnership with Red Star Yeast.
The inspiration behind this recipe comes from a local bakery, where I’ve picked up DOZENS of cheese bread loaves. Each of us love it, my almost 2 year old being the biggest fan. ♥
Cheese and bread. It’s obviously the greatest loaf of all time.
So I decided to make it myself. Brace yourself for impact!
What is Cheese Bread?
Let’s back up. This cheese bread is homemade bread swirled with real cheese. It’s a simple yeasted dough that I adapted from my sweeter homemade cinnamon swirl bread and my basic sandwich bread. Each slice is extra soft with a chewy crust and ribbons of melted cheese throughout. For extra flavor, brush the top of the unbaked bread with garlic herb butter. The cheese on top crisps up, while the garlic butter infuses down into the bread.
I have 3 loaves in the freezer right now. Things would become dangerous if there wasn’t a constant stash of cheese bread in our house.
Video Tutorial: Cheese Bread
Let’s walk through each step.
Ingredients in Cheese Bread
- Buttermilk: Liquid activates the yeast. For soft, flavorful, and chewy cheese bread, use a combination of buttermilk and water. Nondairy, whole, or low fat milks work too, but buttermilk produces phenomenal flavor and texture.
- Water: Although you could use all milk as the liquid in this dough, I preferred a mix of water and buttermilk. All milk made this taste more like an overly soft dessert bread.
- Yeast: You can use active dry yeast or instant yeast. If using active dry yeast, the rise times will be a little longer. I recommend Platinum Yeast from Red Star, which is an instant yeast that is blended with natural dough improvers.
- Sugar: Sugar feeds the yeast, increases its activity, and tenderizes the dough.
- Melted Butter: Butter promises a soft and flavorful bread. Use melted butter. I found that room temperature butter produced a cakey-er and less flavorful end product.
- Egg: 1 egg provides structure and flavor.
- Salt: Bread would be seriously lacking flavor without salt!
- Garlic Powder: Garlic powder adds incredible flavor to the dough AND to the topping. If using fresh garlic, use 1 finely minced clove in the dough and 1 teaspoon minced garlic in the topping.
- Bread Flour: Higher protein flour like bread flour is best for this bread recipe because of its strong gluten formation and high rise. All-purpose flour will yield a flimsy bread.
- Cheddar Cheese: I recommend cheddar cheese, but you can use another harder cheese such as pepper jack, gouda, or colby cheese. Avoid very soft cheeses. For best taste and texture, shred the cheese off the block yourself with a cheese grater.
Did You Know?
The crustier and chewier the bread, the less fat in the dough– aka a lean dough. Chewy focaccia and my artisan bread are made from lean dough. The softer and richer the bread, the more fat in the dough– aka a rich dough. Monkey bread and cinnamon rolls are made from rich dough. This homemade cheese bread is somewhere in between. It’s chewy, super soft in the center, and a little crisp on top.
After the dough comes together, let it rise for about 1 and 1/2 – 2 hours. After that, punch it down and begin assembling the cheese bread.
Baking with Yeast Guide
Reference this Baking with Yeast Guide whenever you work with baker’s yeast. I include practical answers to all of your common yeast questions.
How to Shape & Assemble Cheese Bread
Remember Nutella babka and cinnamon crunch bread? We’re doing the same thing here. Pictures and explanations can only do so much, so make sure you watch the video tutorial above before assembling.
- Punch down the risen dough. Roll out into a 9×15 inch rectangle.
- Sprinkle cheese all over the top.
- Tightly roll the dough into a 15-inch log. Place the log on its seam.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the log in half lengthwise.
- Criss-cross one half, cut side down, on top of the other half– forming an X. Tightly twist the two together.
- Pinch the outer edges to seal as best you can.
By the way, there’s 2 cups of cheese stuffed inside this bread. 🙂
After it’s shaped, loosely cover the bread and let it rest for about 30 minutes. During this time, preheat the oven. Right before baking, brush the shaped dough with melted butter, garlic powder, and chopped parsley. Chopped basil would be excellent, too!
There is no sight more beautiful. No smell more heavenly. No taste more paralleled!
The best part, besides that first cheesy bite, is slicing into the loaf to reveal all those swirls of real melted cheese. Like I said, this is obviously the greatest loaf of all time.
More Easy Homemade Bread Recipes
- Focaccia
- Artisan Bread
- Pizza Crust (great for beginners!)
- Homemade Soft Pretzels
- Cinnamon Rolls
- Pizza Pull Apart Rolls
- Sandwich Bread
See Your Homemade Cheese Bread!
Many readers tried this recipe as part of a baking challenge! Feel free to email or share your recipe photos with us on social media. 🙂
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Homemade Cheese Bread – Extra Soft
- Prep Time: 3 hours
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Yield: 1 loaf
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
You only need a handful of basic ingredients to make homemade cheese bread. This soft buttery yeasted bread is twisted up with cheddar cheese, but you can use any cheese variety you love. Bake the bread in a loaf pan, then slice it to reveal the 2 cups of swirled cheese inside. See recipe notes for make ahead and freezing instructions.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (120ml) buttermilk, warmed to about 110°F
- 1/3 cup (80ml) water, warmed to about 110°F
- 2 and 1/4 teaspoons Platinum Yeast from Red Star (1 standard packet)
- 2 Tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
- 5 Tablespoons (72g) unsalted butter, melted + slightly cooled
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 cups (390g) bread flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed and for hands/work surface*
- 2 cups (250g; 8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese (see note)
Topping
- 2 Tablespoons (30g) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley (or your favorite dried or fresh herb)*
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Prepare the dough: Whisk the warm buttermilk, warm water, yeast, and sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment. Cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
- Add the butter, egg, salt, garlic powder, and 1 cup flour. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, then add the remaining flour. Beat on low speed until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes. *If you do not own a mixer, you can mix this dough with a large wooden spoon or rubber spatula. It will take a bit of arm muscle!*
- Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the mixer and beat on low speed for an additional 5 minutes or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes.
- 1st Rise: Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise in a relatively warm environment for 1.5-2 hours or until double in size. (I always let it rise on the counter. Takes about 2 hours. For a tiny reduction in rise time, see my answer to Where Should Dough Rise? in my Baking with Yeast Guide.)
- Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
- Shape the bread: Punch down the dough to release the air. Place dough on a lightly floured work surface and with a floured rolling pin, roll the dough out into a 9×15 inch rectangle (approximately). Sprinkle cheese all over the top, leaving a 1/2 inch border uncovered.
- Watch the video above to see exactly how I do this step. Tightly roll the dough into a 15-inch log. Place the log on its seam. Using a sharp knife, cut the log in half lengthwise. I find a serrated knife works best. Criss-cross one half, cut side down, on top of the other half– forming an X. Tightly twist the two together. Pinch the outer edges to seal as best you can. If you have any leftover cheese, cut a few small squares and tuck into the dough as shown in the video above. This is optional and simply for extra cheesy pockets! Place in prepared loaf pan and cover with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. (This step can get a little messy.)
- Allow the covered loaf to rest for 30 minutes. It will slightly rise during this time.
- Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position. Place a baking sheet on the lower rack to catch any cheese or butter that may drip down. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Topping: Whisk the melted butter, herbs, and garlic powder together. Drizzle or brush on top of dough.
- Bake: Bake until golden brown and, when gently tapped, the top of the loaf sounds hollow, about 45-55 minutes. If you find the top of the loaf is browning too quickly as it bakes, tent with aluminum foil. (I usually place foil on top after about 25 minutes.) Remove bread the oven and place on a wire rack. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove from the pan and cool loaf on the wire rack.
- Slice and serve. Cover and store leftovers at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Leftover slices taste delicious when warmed in the microwave for 10 seconds.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions – Overnight: Prepare the dough through step 3. Place into a greased bowl as directed in step 4. Cover the dough tightly and place in the refrigerator for up to 15 hours. Remove from the refrigerator and allow the dough to fully rise for 1-2 more hours. Continue with step 5. I don’t recommend shaping the bread the night before as it will puff up too much overnight.
- Make Ahead Instructions – Freezing: Baked bread freezes wonderfully. Wrap the cooled loaf in plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw wrapped bread overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature, then warm to your liking. You can also freeze the bread dough. After punching down the dough in step 6, wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then punch the dough down again to release any air bubbles. Continue with the rest of step 6.
- Special Tools: KitchenAid Stand Mixer, Box Grater, Rolling Pin, Loaf Pan, Pastry Brush, Cooling Rack
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk provides the softest texture and unbeatable flavor. In a pinch, you can use whole milk instead. Lower fat or nondairy milks work in a pinch, but the bread won’t taste as moist or rich. Here are other recipes using buttermilk if you purchase a carton and need to use it up.
- Yeast: Platinum Yeast from Red Star is an instant yeast. You can use Red Star Yeast active dry yeast instead. Rise times will be slightly longer using active dry yeast. Reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
- Bread Flour: Higher protein flour like bread flour is best for this bread recipe because of its strong gluten formation and high rise. All-purpose flour will yield a flimsy bread.
- Cheese: I recommend cheddar cheese in this recipe, but you can use another relatively harder cheese such as pepper jack, gouda, or colby cheese. Avoid very soft cheeses. For best taste and texture, shred cheese off the block yourself with a cheese grater. Pre-shredded cheese is drier than freshly shredded. If you have extra cheese, cut a few small squares to stuff inside the twisted bread, as noted in step 7.
- Herbs in Topping: Use your favorite herb in the topping. If using dried, reduce to 1/2 teaspoon.
Keywords: cheese, bread, yeast
So could I use 2% milk? Just because buttermilk is expensive and I have 2% on hand
Hi Britt! See recipe notes: Lower fat or nondairy milks work in a pinch, but the bread won’t taste as moist or rich.
This bread is probably *THE* best loaf of bread I’ve ever made, sweet or savory! I didn’t use any other seasoning on the top of the loaf besides garlic powder, so the house smelled cheesy, garlicky, and buttery and I couldn’t wait for the bread to finish baking and then to cool. DELICIOUS!
★★★★★
I really want to make a jalapeño cheese bread. Can chopped or sliced jalapeños be added with the cheese, or will the dough be too wet?
Hi Heather, you could add up to 1 diced jalapeño, depending on how much spice you’d like!
What temperature do you cook it at? You never say or I missed it thank you.
Hi Dawn, 350°F (177°C) – see step 9. Enjoy!
Can I double this recipe to make 2 loaves?
Hi Pamela, for best results, we recommend making two separate batches rather than doubling.
Hi I’m Annette and I’m from Malaysia, this cheese bread recipe was a absolute hit, I’ve made 4 loaves within a month, however I tweaked the recipe and added some ham with the cheese, my question is, can I omit cutting the log lengthwise and the criss crossing step as the ham and cheese leaks out of the loaf. Instead can I just bake it it the log format. Another question is can I make buns from this bread dough recipe and stuff them with my favourite stuffing like mushroom and cheese.
Hi Annette, I’m sure you can skip the slicing/twisting. I haven’t tried this recipe as buns, but you can certainly test it out. I have these pizza-stuffed rolls which work nicely if you want to add mushrooms to that filling.
Yummy yummy yummy !!!
★★★★★
This recipe is so so good! It’s my husband’s favorite loaf and he absolutely refuses to share with others and gets upset when I make loaves as gifts for others. I’ve made this at least 12 times and I only use skim milk because it’s hard for me to finish a carton of buttermilk but it still tastes amazing. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us!
★★★★★
Joyce, buttermilk lasts a LOT longer than the expiration date! It’s so great to have on hand for biscuits, waffles, and this bread. But it is great that skim milk works for you!
Does the loaf need to be twisted ? I am making a loaf but would like it to look like a normal loaf as it will be used for sandwiches
Hi Anne, that shouldn’t be a problem.
Joyce you can make your own buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice OR 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to 1 cup of milk. With this recipe all you need is 1/2 tablespoon. I hope this helps….but if you love it without then I’d keep doing it your way……hint buttermilk will make it fluffy and softer
★★★★★
This recipe is amazing. Super easy to make and so flavorful. The softness is out of this world. I doubled because I was pretty sure my family would love it and they did. I had to shoo them away once it came out of the oven so I’d have some left for dinner. Will definitely be making this one on repeat.
★★★★★
This bread is so good! I think the garlic powder really enhances the bread flavor.
I’ve been having a problem, though- the last two times I’ve made it, the bread really stuck to the pan. I didn’t grease it very well the first time, but on the second time, the pan was literally swimming in oil. Any tips on how to get the bread out of the pan without the bottom ripping off?
★★★★★
Hi Selene, does the bottom seem burnt at all? Perhaps it is slightly over baked which is causing it to stick to the bottom of the pan. If your pan is particularly dark, that could also be the culprit. You could try slightly reducing the temperature and baking for a bit longer to see if that helps. We’re glad to hear you’ve been loving this recipe!
WOW!!! We didn’t even wait for it to completely cool, just tore chunks off and ate it warm
It was easy to make, first time using instant vs dry active yeast, much better results I think.
I was not going to use cheese the first time because I didn’t think I had enough, but I added some Jalapeño Jack to the cheddar to make up the difference.
I really like the recipe, especially using buttermilk which I have in powder form in the freezer just for baking, instead of milk which I never have on hand! I will try a plain version for toast and sandwiches, because I can’t be eating cheese like that on a regular basis
Thank you for the great instructions and the video!
Can this recipe be used to make plain bread and put in a loaf pan without the twist?
Hi Michelle, that shouldn’t be a problem.
I hadn’t made this in a while, so decided to try it again. I didn’t have buttermilk on hand and was too lazy to go out in the cold and wind to get some, so I substituted sour cream. I needed to add a spash of milk while the dough hook was fighting the dough and that solved the problem of the dough not coming together. I bought some yellow cheddar – I usually avoid yellow cheddars because the color is not natural – but I figured it would look better than sharp white. I didn’t notice the price when I picked it up. It seems aged cheddar is a helluva lot more exnesive than cracker barrel sharp white, like $9 for 8oz. Last time I made this I skipped trying to braid it. This time. I tried to braid it. It sort of worked. The loaf looks funny but the slices look great. I used dry herbs de provence for the same reason as I used sour cream. I missed the note about cutting the quantity to half a teaspoon if you use dry seasoning so it looked like a swarm of ants on top. Still, no harm done. I baked it for 65 minutes to get the internal temp up to 195°F. It sliced easily, even while warm. and tasted great. I was thinking about adding pepperoni again but decided to leave it out this time.
Your recipes are so wonderful. If you follow the instructions you can’t go wrong. Thanks again.
★★★★★
We’re so glad this recipe was a hit for you, Pat!