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I can’t even believe how good this was. I have botched a few bread recipes of late. But this one turned out amazing. The olive oil gave it a lovely richness and the cheese crispies were divine!
sera
First of all, how good is warm, crusty, soup-dunkable bread.
Secondly, take that and times-it by 100 because how good is warm, crusty, soup-dunkable CHEESE bread. Remember this life-changing No Knead Bread? Let’s take it next-level.
We’re talking a beautiful loaf of cheese bread that you MADE, you boss baker you! With your own two hands. Your own two clean hands that didn’t need to do anything fancy except hold a bowl and a wooden spoon.
This cheese bread is soup’s best friend. It is crusty and golden on the outside – enough to really crackle when you tear into it – but the inside is pillowy and soft with an appropriate amount of density from that melted cheese holding it all down. Please put down all the knives and just pull it apart with your hands in hot, steaming chunks. It’s a rustic, hands-on bread and it doesn’t need you to pretend.
I don’t make homemade bread, you say? A) I understand you because I am you, and B) This one is different. You can make this bread.
Here’s How To Make No Knead Cheese Bread:
Step 1: Stir up a dough – with a wooden spoon is perfect. Work a little cheese in there. Cover and let it rest.
Step 2: Now it’s puffy and loose, so just roll it out and onto a piece of parchment. Bake it in a Dutch Oven with a tight-fitting lid, and finish without the lid to get it browned.
Step 3: Tear into it. Dunk it. Butter it. Butter and salt it. Dunk it again. Impress your friends and family because you are a now a person who makes homemade cheese bread.
Grab your soup bowls. Put on your sweaters.
No Knead Cheese Bread season is upon us!
Check Out Our Video For How To Make No Knead Cheese Bread:
No Knead Cheese Bread
- Total Time: 12 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
No Knead Cheese Bread! Just five ingredients and stupid easy to make. Crusty golden outside, and pillowy soft cheesy inside. The BEST.
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
- 1 1/4 cups room temperature water
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 cup shredded cheese of choice
Instructions
- DOUGH: In a large mixing bowl, with something basic like a wooden spoon, combine the flour, salt, and yeast together until mixed. Stir in the water and olive oil until a chunky, thick dough forms. If it needs a little more water, add just a few more tablespoons. Gently stir in the cheese. It’s gonna look scrappy and weird and you’re going to question me, but just you wait.
- REST: That’s it. You don’t have to touch a thing. Just cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap, or a towel, and let it rest for 12-18 hours at room temperature. Overnight is ideal.
- BAKE: When it’s baking time, preheat the oven to 450. Stick a 6 quart Dutch Oven (or similar) in the oven for about 30 minutes to preheat. At this point, the dough should be big and puffy and pretty loose, with little bubbles in it. Gently scrape the dough out onto a well-floured surface. (Remember: NO KNEAD.) Gently shape it into a ball with flour on the outside, set on a piece of parchment, and wait for your pan to heat up.
- BAKE: Lift the dough and parchment together into the pan. Bake, covered with a tight fitting lid, for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and bake another 10-15 minutes to get the exterior nice and golden brown and crispy. Now start breaking chunks off, admiring the cheesiness, spreading with butter and salt, and dunking in all your best soups. THIS IS LIVING!
Equipment
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I like to use cheddar cheese, white cheddar cheese, pepperjack cheese, and Gruyere cheese. All make for a differently-flavored and slightly differently textured bread! All are delicious!
This works well with vegan cheese, too!
If you want to get a melty cheese bread situation, check out our spicy cheese bread that gets rolled up.
- Prep Time: 12 hours
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: cheese bread, no knead cheese bread, no knead bread, homemade bread
I have made this recipe more times than I can count. It is wonderful to be able to make it in 5 minutes the night before, and have the house smell like hot, fresh baked bread when people get to our house the next night for supper. I’ve made it twice in one night, stirring it together in a total of 10 minutes of prep. Every time but one, I’ve made it with finely shredded sharp cheddar. (Aldi, of course.)
AIR FRYER?!?!?
YES!!!!
Take the grill out, set Air Fryer at 425, add dough, bake for 15min then flip over and bake other side for 15min. Comes out as a Square – more surface of golden brown, crispy yum. My family loves it!!! I sometimes add Italian seasoning and garlic powder to change it up a bit. The one bread recipe that is always requested!
Does anyone know if this bread tastes good on its own? I’ve had cheese bread before that worked well as a standalone snack, and I loved it. This recipe is a few years old so I don’t expect any answers, but would love to know if this is something I could eat straight if anyone knows
Is the bread supposed to taste bitter? I did a 12 hr rise with a mix of white and whole wheat flour. Texture and everything was fine but the bread was bitter, like beer. Should I have fermented it less?
Hi! Can I replace olive oil with equal amount of melted butter?
That should work!
Hi! What are the thoughts on proofing it longer, say 24hrs out on the counter prior to baking?
I proofed it for over 24hours accidently (I forgot to bake it after the original 12 hours). It still came out beautifully.
Hi Joelle! We haven’t tried this yet. Based on my google searching, you can proof dough 24 hours, but it should be refrigerated while doing so.
Has anyone tried to make rolls with this dough? I have the King Arthur burger pans that made six buns and I love the idea of cheese flavored ones. Thank you.
Hi! I’m excited to try this bread but I’m having a hard time finding parchment paper that is good to use up to 450 degrees. All the brands in my local supermarket say they are good to use up to 425 degrees.
Would it be possible to bake this bread at 425 rather than 450?
Turned out perfectly, as I expected it would. The addition of olive oil adds extra moisture and makes for a very tender crumb.
One cup of shredded cheddar is a half pound. This should be doubled to one full pound in my opinion.
In no way does that detract from this recipe.
I ONLY do overnight breads and this is as good as it should be.
I wish I could attach pics as both the crust and crumb turned out perfectly.
Looks yummy. Can’t wait to make it!
Great recipes
I just made this recipe after making successful no-knead bread every second day for the past year. I only used 1/4 cup of oil because I couldn’t imagine oil in it at all! However, the mixture was definitely not thick and chunky and did not rise to twice its size in the bowl as I am used to my no-knead breads doing- in fact it was so wet that I could hardly manage it to get it onto the silicone paper. The only thing I can think of is that I didn’t put enough of the flour in – ( used unbleached white flour – maybe missed a whole cup perhaps or is it supposed to be that wet? (Surprisingly, even though I also may have left it in the oven too long, it does taste good though). Curious to know your thoughts.
Going to try the no knead bread. Was looking for a quick bread!
Just made this and it is YUMMY!! I did use bread flour instead of all-purpose flour because I like a dense loaf without air holes. Will be making this again. Definitely a keeper. 3-30-2023
Can i use a 9 qt le crusent dutch oven?
That should work!
Hi Lindsay
I’m going to make both of your great recipes for no knead breads. But do I need to adjust the bake time if I make half batches for smaller loafs?
Thanks for inspiring me to start baking bread again.
My bread did not turn out like yours. Mine was very dense and stodgy. It proofed for thirteen hours.
OMG, best cheese bread ever!
Hello! I would love to make this bread but my dutch oven (which I’ve tbh never used before now!) is only 2 qt. Would this recipe work or should I reduce the ingredients? Thanks!
Hi, Emily! You may need to cut the recipe in half for it to fit.
So can you use some other oil that Olive Oil. My son can not use olive oil though he love cheese bread.
Hi, Theresa! You could try avocado oil in its place. Hope this helps!
Is it supposed to have a slightly sour taste? I used a pre-shredded cheese blend, but I think I let it rise too long. I made the dough yesterday afternoon, and it was almost 24 hrs before I got around to baking it. (Might have accidentally missed my alarm.)
Hi Moriah! Yes, I think the sour taste developed from the extra rest time, which hopefully made it taste a bit like sourdough?
This bread is unreal! Absolutely fantastic. I did modify by using 150g cheddar, 4 teaspoons flour booster, and also stretched the dough 4 x because I was home and I had time. This was so easy and exceeded all expectations. Thank you so much for sharing!
This looks great and thanks for the video which really helps a beginner bread baker like me!
Question – if I want the crust to be soft, should I leave the lid on for the entire cooking time? Or is that not an option. We like a softer outside/crust. Any suggestions?
Yes, I think that’d be a good idea to leave the lid on. I’m not entirely sure on timing, but I’d probably just check it every so often.
Your breads would rise better and develop more of a yeast taste if you added a little sugar to feed the yeast. You don’t need a lot, and since the rising time is so long, the yeast will eat it all so you won’t end up with a sweet bread. If you want to make absolutely sure that your end product is sugar-free, you could use xylitol instead. You won’t taste the difference once the bread is baked, and it will still help feed the yeast, just not as much.
Can I omit the salt as I am salt restricted.
Yes you can!