Cheddar and parmesan cheeses with bits of scallions, this savory cheese loaf bread will have you wanting slices after slices. It is ultimately cheesy! If you want a herb bread version, try Garlic Herb Bread.
(This recipe is originally posted on August 2019, and updated on October 31, 2022 to address the raw middle dough issue)
I originally intended to make a different bread than the Cheese Loaf Bread that you are looking at now. I was planning on making a keso loaf which I saw on an Asian supermarket. It looked like a regular a sandwich loaf, maybe with bits of cheese in the dough, but definitely no cheese on top.
When I started to develop the recipe I thought, why make a sandwich loaf with bits of non-visible cheese when I can actually make a braided loaf that is filled with loads of cheese?
Parmesan and cheddar cheese plus some scallions mixed in proved to be a winner-combo in a braided loaf. Once baked, the cheeses crisp up beautifully on top. The garlic powder gives the bread a tasty savory edge.
And the bread of course! The dough recipe is from Sally’s Baking Addiction and it is fantastic. It requires one rise only (great for yeast beginners) and yields a soft bread that is versatile for anything that you want to make.
It turns into this delicious cheese loaf. The flavor, the texture and the looks of it make my heart swell with joy.
How to Make Cheese Loaf Bread?
In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 and 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, sugar, salt and active dry yeast. Whisk well.
In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave butter, milk and water until the butter melts. The temperature of the mixture should be between 110-115 F. Reheat in the microwave to achieve that temperature if needed.
Add the butter mixture to the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl. Stir it using a wooden spoon until incorporated. Add the egg and stir.
Add some of the reserved flour gradually while stirring until the mixture turns into a soft dough that gathers in the center of the bowl. After that, stop adding the flour. You may not need all of it.
Turn the dough onto a floured board and knead it until it is smooth and elastic. If you would like to test, pull out a piece of dough and stretch it out using your fingers. You should be able to form a translucent film in the center. Let the dough rest for ten minutes in a bowl, covered.
Are you a yeast beginner? Check out my How to Knead Bread Dough with Video post.
Starting on the long edge, roll the dough into a tight log. Using a sharp knife, slice the log in half vertically, starting about an inch below the upper edge, leaving the top edge uncut. Gently rotate the divided logs so that the cut side is facing up.
Begin braiding the dough by placing one side over the other, repeating the braiding pattern until you reach the end of the log. Gently lift the braided dough and place it inside a greased 9×5 inch loaf pan.
To let the dough rise, loosely cover it with a clean kitchen towel and allow it to rise for 1 ½ to 2 hours or until it doubles in bulk.
Bake time! Position a rack one level below the middle position in the oven. Preheat oven to 350 F. Once the oven reaches 350 F, place the loaf pan on the prepared rack.
Bake the loaf for 43-46 minutes or until the top is deeply golden. Loosely cover the loaf with foil at the 25-minute mark. Serve this warm and enjoy every cheesy slice!
More Recipes to Love:
- Cheese Scones with Scallions
- Garlic Herb Bread
- Sweet Cheese Bread
- Tuna Buns
- Braided Hotdog Buns
- White Chocolate Almond Buns
- Hawaiian Rolls
- Double Chocolate Mini Buns
- Chocolate Chip Bread
- Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls with Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze
Cheese Loaf Bread
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/4 cup all-purpose flour plus 1/4 cup reserved
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 and 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 3 tbsp butter or 43 grams
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 large egg
For the Filling
- 4 stalks scallions/ green onion chopped
- 1 cup cheddar cheese grated/shredded
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 and 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, sugar, salt and active dry yeast. Whisk well.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave butter, milk and water until the butter melts. The temperature of the mixture should be between 110-115 F. Re-heat in the microwave when necessary.
- Add the butter mixture to the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl. Stir the mixture using a wooden spoon until incorporated. Add the egg and stir. Add some of the reserved flour gradually while stirring until the mixture turns into a soft dough that gathers in the center of the bowl. You may not need all the flour.
- Turn the dough onto a floured board and knead for 6-12 minutes, until it is smooth and elastic. Let the dough rest for ten minutes in a bowl, covered.
- Roll the dough using a rolling pin into a 14x10 inch rectangle. Sprinkle garlic powder all over the dough. Sprinkle the cheeses and the scallions. Starting on the long edge, roll the dough into a tight log. Using a sharp knife, slice the log in half vertically, starting about an inch below the upper edge, leaving the top edge uncut. Gently rotate the divided logs so that the cut side is facing up.
- Begin braiding the dough by placing one side over the other, repeating the braiding pattern until you reach the end of the log. Gently lift the braided dough and place it inside a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan.
- Let the shaped dough rise for 1 ½ hours, covered with a clean towel. The braided dough should be soft and puffy.
- Position a rack one level lower than the middle position in the oven. Preheat oven to 350 F. Once the oven reaches 350 F, place the loaf pan in the prepared rack. Bake the loaf for 43-46 minutes, lossely covering the loaf with foil at the 25 minute mark. The top is nicely golden and a thermometer inserted at the center of teh loaf should read 200 F. Let the loaf cool on a wire rack completely.
Video
Notes
- Store leftovers in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- To serve, re-heat for a few seconds n the microwave.
- Dough recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction.
Paris says
Can I make this without braiding it? So its more of a swirl in the middle.
sanna says
Hi Paris! You can do it like that too 🙂
Laura Fisher says
Awesome easy recipe, first time really making bread from scratch without a machine and it turned out like the photo and is super soft and taste great
sanna says
Hi Laura! I am so happy you enjoyed this!
Steve B says
First time making braided cheese bread. I should have pressed the cheese onto the dough and rolled it tighter because it fell apart as soon as I cut down the middle. Rolling it with parchment paper would have helped and to keep the rolled portion from being unrolled during braiding. I used grated parmesan so it is crispy on top. Twenty minutes is just right at 350. Letting the dough rise after warming the oven to 200 is a smart trick. Thank you for a great and easy recipe.
sanna says
Hi Steve! I am so glad you liked this. Thanks for the tips as well!
Joe Canada says
This cheese loaf bread is delish!!! Very soft.. Can I use the same method of rising for any of your bread recipes, i.e., pandesal and hawaiian bread?
sanna says
I am glad you liked it, Joe! Yes, you can do the same rising trick for the other bread recipes here!
Joe Canada says
Hi, Sanna.
Thank you for confirming. I just finished baking pandesal following the procedure of the cheese loaf, i.e., mixing the dry ingredients together, butter (not oil) and milk heated up to 110° and 10 min rest.. proofing in 200° oven for 90 mins… then baking at 350° for 20 mins.. The best pandesal I have ever done.. Very fluffy, airy, soft, delicious.. thank you for the proofing tip!!!!
Vern says
I am not a very experienced bread maker yet…but followed the recipe and had no problems except the braiding…I just took all the filling that fell out while rolling and put it on top of the loaf before baking.
It turned out amazing, and I will definitely be making this many more times. Thank you for the recipe.
sanna says
I am really glad you loved it, Vern!
Lori Ann Nowers says
How long does bread last after baking? How should leftovers be stored?
sanna says
Hi Lori! The bread will keep fresh for up to 2 days at room temperature, well wrapped. For longer storage, refrigerate the bread and microwave a slice for 15-20 seconds to re-heat.
sanna says
Hi! The bread is best for up to three days at room temperature, kept in a container with lid.
Heather MacLeish says
This was DIVINE! I used a Hokkaido milk dough ball I had in the freezer, but picked up from there with your recipe. It was insanely good and reminded me of cheese rolls I would get while studying in Japan. Thank you! The braiding technique was so cool, this is a keeper!
sanna says
Thank you so much, Heather. I am so glad you loved it!
sanna says
Thanks a lot, Heather!
Ashima says
Really liked the recipe. But I wanted to ask is there any replacement for egg in the recipe ?
sanna says
Thank you, Ashima! Unfortunately, I have no tested substitute for the egg in this recipe.
Raquel says
I substituted egg for mayonnaise (1 egg= 3tbsp mayo)… I will see how it turns out!
Jennifer says
So tasty. I am challenging myself with bread. My only thing I struggle with. I did do a sharp white cheddar too! Rose perfectly and is so good!! Easy and will make again for sure. I did use bread flour and only baked for 20 minutes and bread was fully cooked. I would put egg wash or butter on top. Just to give it that shine otherwise perfecto!!
sanna says
Thanks, Jennifer! I am so glad you like it!
Joan Wagstaff says
I made this and it turned out beautifully! My family was very impressed. The taste and texture were excellent. I chose not to put in the garlic nor green onions.
sanna says
I am glad you liked it Joan!
Marion says
I just made this bread and although it’s very tasty it was a total flop. I rolled out the dough to about 15 by 12. I could not get more than 2 twists made because it was too short. I baked it for 22 minutes but it didn’t seem done so I baked it another five minutes at 340 because the top was getting too brown. Took it out and it’s still raw in the middle.
Connie says
Hi
I made this yesterday and it was delicious!
Just want to clarify if you cover it before putting it in the warm oven for the hour long rising. I did put a plastic wrap and let it rise for 90 minutes instead. I guess the film was too tight and the top ended up flat. Nonetheless it was a big hit and my family love it! Also have you tried using pesto instead of cheese?
Thank you for a great recipe!
sanna says
I am glad you loved it, Connie! I do not cover the pan during the rising.
sanna says
And oh, I have not tried pesto but that sounds delicious!
LISA L LIBBY says
This was by far the best bread I’ve made! Love, love, love it!! Also, I substituted jalapeno for the green onion as I had none in the fridge. Thank you for the awesome recipe.
sanna says
Thanks Lisa! Jalapeno sounds delish!
LISA L LIBBY says
This was by far the best bread I’ve made! Love, love, love it!! Thank you for the awesome recipe.
sanna says
So happy you loved it!
Krystle says
Hi! I’m new to making breads and I’m still learning. I always get so confused about the yeast. Do I need to proof the yeast before adding it to all the other ingredients or do I just toss them in as indicated. I ask this because the last time I followed a recipe that didnt mention about proofing, there was still little dry yeast balls in the dough after it was cooked. Thanks!
sanna says
Hello Krystle. In my experience, balls of yeast remain visible after baking if the dough does not have enough warm liquid in it to dissolve the yeast. In this case, the combination of the warm milk, butter and water is enough to dissolve the yeast, even more as it thw dough bakes, leaving no trace of yeast behind. I hope that helps 🙂
Bev Hambly says
Followed recipe exactly and it was perfect.
sanna says
Thank you so much!!!
Alison says
Enjoyed making this…the reciepe is straight forward and very easy to follow. .i have to admit, I consider myself a “baker” but have never really got the knack of making bread. My only problem (which may be me, not the reciepe) was my bread turned out very gummy and heavy….and not light and airy…,at every too much cheese? Or under baked it? Would like to try it again…..
sanna says
Hello! It could be underbaked. I hope you try it again. 🙂