This cheese bread recipe is one of those cozy, no-fuss quick breads that’s loaded with flavor. It’s made with simple ingredients and bakes into a tender loaf with a golden crust.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Flavor: Savory and cheesy with a rich cheddar flavor, a hint of Parmesan, and a touch of cayenne in every slice.
- Why Make It: No rise time, no kneading, and it goes from bowl to oven in minutes.
- Prep Tip: Line the loaf pan with parchment paper for easy cleanup and easy removal.
- Serving Suggestions: Serve warm with soup, chili, or stew for an easy, cozy meal. It’s also delicious spread with garlic butter.
Ingredient Notes
- Flour: All-purpose flour gives the loaf structure while keeping the crumb tender. A gluten-free 1:1 blend can be used, though the texture may be slightly more delicate.
- Butter: Cold butter helps create a tender texture. It can be swapped for oil or melted butter, but the loaf may be slightly denser.
- Sharp Cheddar: Sharp cheddar gives this bread its bold, cheesy flavor and melts beautifully when freshly shredded.
- Parmesan: Parmesan adds a salty, savory depth. Romano can be used in its place, or it can be left out.
- Milk: Whole milk gives the richest texture, but any milk you have on hand works. Unsweetened almond or oat milk can usually be swapped in, too.
- Green onion: Green onion adds a mild onion flavor and a little color to this cheese bread. Chives are the easiest swap, or it can be left out for a plainer loaf.
Variations
- Add crumbled cooked bacon for a smoky twist.
- Stir in fresh herbs like parsley or dill for a different flavor.
- Use a cheddar-mozzarella blend for a softer, milder loaf.
- Swap the green onion for chopped jalapeño for a little heat.
How To Make Cheese Bread
- Whisk dry ingredients together. Cut in the butter, then fold in the cheese and the green onion.
- Mix the wet ingredients in another bowl (full recipe below).
- Combine all the ingredients and pour into a loaf pan, and bake until a toothpick comes out clean.
How To Store It
- Keep leftover bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- To freeze, slice the bread and store between sheets of parchment for up to 3 months.
- Reheat slices in the toaster until warmed through.
More Savory Breads You'll Love
Did you enjoy this Cheese Bread Recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ cup cold butter
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 green onion finely chopped
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8" x 4" loaf pan.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and cayenne pepper in a medium bowl.
- Using a pastry cutter or a fork, cut in butter. Stir in cheeses and green onion.
- In a separate bowl, whisk eggs until foamy. Add milk and sugar.
- Add wet ingredients to the dry mixture and stir just until moistened, do not overmix.
- Pour into a prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Appetizer, Bread, Side Dish
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Recipe Adapted Martin, Verneil. “Cheese Quick Bread”. Recipe. Among Friends. Centax Books, SK, 1989. 32. Print.
Do you use self rising flour or plain flour? Thank you
This uses all purpose flour.
I used self rising flour as it was all I had on hand and it came out fantastic
Will this work with whole wheat flour?
I’ve only tried this as written so I can’t say for sure. Let us know how it works out for you!
Have you ever made this with whole wheat flour instead ?
I haven’t tried it, but you should be to substitute ½ cup of the flour for whole wheat flour! Let us know if you try it Patti!
Not sure why the rating didn’t show up as 5 stars as that’s what I meant !! Awesome recipe
Could you tell me how long you bake the cheese bread if you made it into rolls. Love this recipe. Thank you so much want to make them tomorrow.
I haven’t tried this as cheese bread/muffins yet. I would suspect around 20 minutes, let us know how it goes!
Loved the texture of this bread – like a muffin in loaf form – but for us it definitely needed more salt. I saw another reviewer mention that, so I added 1/8th teaspoon more salt, but was still undersalted (maybe because I used unsalted butter?). Still tastes great with some butter and salt sprinkled over the top, so not a huge complaint. Next time I will probably try 1.5 t. salt total . Also, I didn’t have sharp cheddar, only mild, so I added 1/8 t. dry mustard powder as another reviewer suggested. Not sure how much difference it made, but it was enjoyable and was the perfect pairing for my ham and bean soup.
This was hands down the easiest, most flavorful, best slicing loaf of bread I’ve ever made. Beats the old bread machine by far! It actually looked like it came from a bakery and I added jalapenos and a little extra cheddar instead of the parmesan and it came out amazing. I am making 2 loaves for Christmas, one as a gift to go with the tomato jam I made this summer and one to stay here at home to go with the pot roast! I love to cook, but I’m not a baker, but I’ll bake this bread a lot!! :)
So glad you loved it Cheryl! I can only imagine how lovely it would be with homemade tomato jam!
This sounds super delicious and I can’t wait to try it. All I have are 9×5 pans. Would it be the same cook time? 50 minutes?
Since it’ll be a little bit shorter/flatter, it may need a little bit less time. Check it about 10 minutes early just to be sure it doesn’t overcook.
I love your recipes and I can’t wait to make this bread.
We loved the bread.
Oh my goodness! I saw this on fb this morning and made it just right quick! This bread is SO good! And so Easy to make! I used to make a braided cheese bread, it was a big recipe for 2 huge loaves. I’d give them away around the holidays – I haven’t made it in years. It took a long time to make as it had a lot of kneading to do and had 2 one hour risings. This is almost exactly the same in taste but WAY easier and faster. Thank You for this!
I changed it just a bit – I omitted the cayenne and added probably about 1 rounded tsp of garlic powder (the real stuff, not the granulated). I spilled the salt into the bowl so it was about 1-1 1/2 tsp of salt. I left out the Parmesan and added probably 1 & 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese. I didn’t have green onion so I added a good sprinkle of chives and a good sprinkle of parsley – enough to show some greenery. I couldn’t find my pastry cutter so I diced the cold butter as I cut it off the block – made it much easier to cut it in with a fork. Rather than greasing a pan I line it with parchment. The batter is like that of muffins rather than bread but it’s still the same amazing taste, I think even better as it was so moist and EASY! Thank you again! I will be making this often!
So glad to hear how much you love this bread Stacey! Thank you for sharing your changes.
Ty
This bread is amazing! I’m also making a loaf for 2 different Thanksgiving dinners. My only substitution is equal for sugar because of diabetes and it comes out great. First time I ever made bread, very easy.
I made a few changes and used a homemade compound butter and I added extra cheese. The whole family is raving and wants me to make it again.
Got the best recipes
Thank you so much Donna!
Great recipes
I used mild cheddar for this and think that that may have resulted in a lacklustre cheese taste! Next time I’d use sharp as suggested and also cut down on the sugar and upped the salt. Texture is sort of like a spongey muffin/quickbread hybrid with a bit of bounce.
When adding cheese to bread recipes, I always add a good pinch of dry mustard. It gives the recipe much more bounce and saves on the cost of sharp cheddar vs mild cheddar.
Hi my name is Ms, Lynette A, Miller and I was wondening if you have any recipe,s for a Single Serving Recipe,s my Friend had give me your web-site and she has made a lot of your food and what she has made really good and I would like to make some for me I live alone ok thank you for your time. Ms Lynette A, Miller
Hello Lynette, my best suggestion would be to make recipes, and freeze half wherever possible (either before or after cooking depending on the recipe). That would give enough for two meals, and maybe a lunch or snack. Salads and the like can be used for lunches, or made in smaller quantities quite easily (and many dressings will last a couple of weeks).
A lot of recipes can be cut in half (or a third) as well. Here you’ll find a printable sheet to help make half or one third of a recipe and convert the ingredient quantities. Hope that helps.
Perhaps you could bake this in muffin pans and freeze the muffins indivdually
Just made this today. The hubby wanted cheesy pepperoni bread and I saw your recipe today and figured I could add it in. I didn’t have green onions so I had to sub in a couple tablespoons of dried chives. I also added half a teaspoon of garlic powder and half a cup of diced pepperoni slices. It was delicious. Toasted up a couple slices in the toaster oven and it was to die for. Thanks for the recipe.
Another great recipe! Made as directed except that I did line my loaf pan with parchment paper. This is very similar to a cheese biscuit recipe I use and from experience with that one learned that the melty cheese will cause sticking even on well greased pan. Crispy on the outside soft on the inside! Thanks for sharing!