Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, and Avocado Tortilla Bowl Recipe
September 16, 2025
Cheese Bread (no knead!) Recipe
Swirls of cheese, an insanely golden crispy cheese crust, and gentle fluffy crumb. This cheese bread is each cheese-loving carb-monsters’ dream come true! A very simple, no-knead bread recipe based mostly on the beloved No-Knead Crusty Artisan Bread – are you prepared for this??!
This can be a bread you’d battle to purchase. As a result of I simply can’t see any bakery cramming in as a lot cheese as I do. 250g – that’s half a pound! For un-missable cheese flavour.
Indulgent? Extreme? Maybe.
But when I’m going to make a cheese bread, I wish to do it proper! None of this wimpy barely-there sprinkle of cheese on simply the floor. I’d quite simply make a plain loaf of bread and make a cheese toastie!
About this no-knead bread enterprise
This beautiful loaf is made utilizing a no-knead bread dough that has been learn over 7 million instances since I printed it in 2020. It’s tried and examined miracle recipe (thanks New York Instances!) that’s simple sufficient for novices but seasoned bread fans admire its Artisan qualities.
Right here’s the way it goes down:
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Combine flour, yeast, salt and water with a picket spoon (10 seconds).
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Depart to double in quantity (1 to three hours).
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Fold in cheese, form in a spherical (5 minutes).
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Bake (40 minutes). Eat (30 seconds).
Right here’s what it’s essential to make this – yeast, flour, salt, water and cheese. Yep, actually, that’s it!
For the bread dough
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Bread flour is greatest, in the event you can – Use bread flour in the event you can. Bread flour has extra protein in it than regular flour which suggests extra gluten, and this makes the dough extra elastic and yields a extra fluffy but chewy texture contained in the bread, identical to the (expensive!) artisan bread you get out of your favorite bakery.
Nonetheless, this bread remains to be unbelievable made with plain/all-purpose flour. Put it this fashion – I wouldn’t make a particular journey simply to get bread flour if I’ve a hankering for this proper now. However I might go and get it if I used to be making this for firm!
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On the spot yeast – The bottom recipe requires On the spot Yeast (aka Speedy Rise yeast) which doesn’t must be dissolved in water and left to foam. It’s also possible to use regular yeast (“Energetic Dry Yeast” or simply “dry yeast”) – you simply want to alter the order of the steps and dissolve the yeast in water first. The bread will come out the identical!
The cheese
I exploit Colby however you need to use (virtually) any meltable cheese you need (ideas under). However I actually urge you to:
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Don’t skimp on amount. I exploit a complete 250g/8oz (2 1/2 packed cups) on this bread. The early variations began with 1 cup, then simply creeping up and up. For full-on unmissable OMG cheese flavour, 250g/8z is the quantity to make use of! (In case you’re curious, I did creep up a little bit extra nevertheless it began to weight the bread down. Cheese greediness backfired!)
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Shred your individual cheese. Retailer purchased cheese is chunkier (so it weighs the bread down and gained’t rise as properly) and doesn’t soften as a result of it’s coated with anti-caking brokers. For the most effective cheese ribbons and greatest cheese crust, grate your individual! (However, within the occasion of a Cheese Bread emergency – and it may possibly occur – packet shredded cheese will do).
I exploit Colby – I like utilizing Colby as a result of it melts “softly” so it sort of melds into the bread crumb fantastically with out weighing it down or bleeding oil. It additionally bakes up fantastically golden on the crust. For a premium model, I exploit gruyere. However it makes this significantly pricier!
Different cheese – Any cheese (aside from mozzarella) that melts properly will work nice right here, like cheddar, tasty, Monterey Jack, gruyere. I like Colby for it’s melting qualities and it doesn’t weigh the bread down because it rises within the oven, and it’s not greasy (like Tasty cheese). Re: mozzarella – it’s going to work nice nevertheless it doesn’t have sufficient flavour in it in comparison with different cheeses.
For these acquainted with the beloved no-knead Crusty Artisan Bread – the strategy is identical besides with cheese folded in and piled on prime!
1. The no-knead bread dough
Dump all the things in a bowl and blend. No kneading!
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Shaggy dough – Utilizing a rubber spatula, combine flour, salt and yeast in a big bowl. Add water, then combine utilizing the deal with of the spatula till you’ll be able to not see flour.
Why the deal with of the rubber spatula? Form of mimics the dough hook of stand mixers. Much less floor space to wipe gummy dough off.
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Rise – Cowl with cling wrap and go away to rise in a heat place for 1 to 2 hours till the dough doubles in quantity. The floor needs to be bubbly, and the combination ought to jiggle once you shake the bowl.
What’s a heat place? 25°C/77°F+. Hotter = sooner rise. Keep away from direct daylight, it dries out the floor of the dough. In winter, I sit the bowl subsequent to a heater. In summer time, anyplace in the home! TIP – your dryer Run it (empty) for a couple of minutes. Put bowl in, shut door. Good and heat inside = good draught free dough rising location!
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The proofed dough (ie rising the dough) – Goal for round double for the most effective bread rising. If it rises an excessive amount of (eg triple) or not sufficient, then the bread is not going to rise sufficient or will collapse.
Dough, executed – and also you didn’t even get your arms soiled! Onto shaping, cheesing and baking.
2. Shaping and cheesing
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Pre-heat pot – half-hour earlier than the dough is prepared, put a 24-28cm / 4.5-8 quart heavy based mostly pot with a lid within the oven. Then preheat the oven to preheat to 240°C/450°F (220°C fan-forced). We would like that pot scorching!
Curious why a scorching pot? Learn the Q&A within the No-Knead Crusty Artisan Bread. No dutch oven? That’s okay! Use a pan of water within the oven as a substitute. Directions in recipe notes.
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Scrape dough out – Sprinkle a 30cm/12″ space with ~1 tablespoon flour. Scrape the dough out onto the flour utilizing the rubber spatula.
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Form into disc – Sprinkle the floor with 1 teaspoon flour so you’ll be able to pat it down into an approximate 20cm/8″ disc with out the dough getting caught throughout your arms. No must be meticulous about an ideal form or measurement, simply approximate is okay.
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Cheese it – Put aside 1/3 of the cheese for topping. Cowl floor with half the remaining cheese, leaving a 2cm/3/4″ border.
Folding the cheese contained in the loaf
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Fold inwards – Utilizing a dough scraper or something of comparable form (cake server, massive knife, spatula), fold the edges inwards 4 instances to roughly kind a roundish form. Sprinkle the scraper as wanted to cease the dough from sticking to it.
Cheese every layer – After every fold, prime the bare dough with among the remaining cheese, however maintain the ultimate layer cheese-free as this would be the base of the bread.
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Wonky is okay! Don’t fear in regards to the form at this stage. The aim of the folding steps is to deflate the air bubbles within the dough and bury the cheese contained in the bread.
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Paper switch – Place a 40cm/16″ sheet of baking/parchment paper subsequent to the dough then flip it onto the paper so the seamside is (largely) facedown.
Tidy the form roughly, utilizing the dough scraper, into an excellent spherical or oval form. Don’t trouble being too fastidious right here as a result of it doesn’t matter what form the dough is, it at all times expands and rises into an ideal spherical form, as dictated by the pot.
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Cheese crown – Pile the reserved cheese on. It piles up excessive. Such a satisfying imaginative and prescient!
Baking time!
3. Baking (& consuming)
Not like the bread shaping, this half is delightfully quick to elucidate in phrases!
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Take out scorching pot – Take away scorching pot from the oven.
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Switch dough – Maintain the paper to switch dough into the pot, preserving it on the paper. Put lid on.
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35 minutes lined – Bake 35 minutes with the lid on.
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10 minutes uncovered – Take away lid. Bake uncovered for 10 minutes to color the floor.
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Switch to cooling rack – Take away pot from oven. Use paper overhang to switch bread onto a cooling rack. Slide paper out from beneath.
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Relaxation for not less than 10 minutes earlier than slicing. Resting is vital for breads! On this step, the within finishes cooking and dries out. In the event you’re impatient and minimize bread straight out of the within, the within will smear prefer it’s raw dough – even when it’s not. Yep, been there, executed that. Persistence shouldn’t be my advantage – and I get punished for it!
Now, it’s time to EAT!
Word: The art work of the cheese ribboned all through is completely different each time. It’s like a surprise-inside!
This bread, when scorching and contemporary, wants nothing to accompany it to be loved. The cheese is molten, the bread is gentle, the crust is salty and crispy.
Nonetheless, you and I each know {that a} slathering of butter would solely elevate the consuming expertise!
It stays contemporary sufficient to eat un-toasted for round 24 to 36 hours. After this, simply give them a fast toast in your toaster then slather with butter. The cheese on the floor of every slice goes golden and crusty, and also you additionally get molten bits. It’s so good, you’ll perpetually hope for extra cheese bread leftovers. – Johnsat x
Ingredients
- 3 cups bread flour (Note 1 re: plain/all-purpose flour)
- 2 tsp instant yeast aka rapid rise (Note 2)
- 1 1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups very warm tap water (Note 3)
- 2 1/2 cups (tightly packed) Colby cheese , freshly shredded (or other cheese of choice – Note 4)
Instructions
- Mix dry ingredients, mix in water. Rise 2 – 3 hrs until doubled.
- Preheat pot 240°C/450°F (220°C fan). Turn dough out. Reserve 1/3 cheese for topping. Fold inwards 4 times, stuffed/layered with remaining cheese. Flip onto parchment paper. Pile reserved cheese on top.
- Bake 35 minutes covered, 10 minutes uncovered. Rest 10 minutes. Eat!
- Shaggy dough – Using a rubber spatula, mix flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Add water, then mix using the handle of the spatula until you can no longer see flour. The dough should be too sticky to knead by hand, but not pourable like cake batter (see video at X seconds).
- Rise – Cover with cling wrap and leave to rise in a warm place for 2 to 3 hours until the dough doubles in volume (Note 5). The surface should be bubbly, and the mixture should jiggle when you shake the bowl.
- Preheat pot – Half an hour before the dough is ready, put a 24-28cm / 4.5-8 quart heavy based pot with a lid in the oven to preheat to 240°C/450°F (220°C fan-forced). Note 7 for no dutch oven method.
- Pat into disc – Sprinkle work surface with 1 tbsp flour. Scrape dough out, sprinkle surface with flour, pat into a ~20cm/8" disc.
- Cheese it – Set aside 1/3 of the cheese for topping. Cover surface with half the remaining cheese.
- Fold inwards stuffed with cheese – Using a dough scraper or anything of similar shape (cake server, large knife, spatula), fold the sides inwards 4 times to roughly form a roundish shape, topping each layer of with the remaining cheese (but keep the final layer cheese free, it will be the base of the bread). (Note 6 for tips)
- Paper transfer – Flip the dough onto a sheet of parchment/baking paper so the seamside is (mostly) facedown. Tidy the shape if desired. (Note 6)
- Cheese crown – Pile the reserved cheese on.
- Hot pot transfer – Remove hot pot from the oven. Use paper to transfer dough into the pot, keeping it on the paper. Put lid on.
- Bake 35 minutes. Remove lid. Bake 10 minutes to colour the surface.
- Cool – Remove pot from oven. Use paper to transfer bread onto a cooling rack. Remove paper. Cool at least 10 minutes before slicing! (Note 8)
Notes
Read in post for more details on each point below.
1. Bread flour – more chewy result like your favourite (expensive!) artisan bakery bread. Plain/all-purpose flour works fine but not quite as chewy.
2. Instant yeast – Doesn’t need to be frothed in warm water, just mix straight into dry ingredients. Comes in canisters, labelled as “instant yeast”. Active dry yeast (ie normal yeast) – Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup of the warm water first (no need to let it foam). then mix in remaining water. Immediately add flour and salt, then mix. Proceed with recipe as written.
3. Water – Not boiling (kills yeast), not lukewarm (inhibits dough rising). Stick your finger in. Happy to bathe in it? Perfect temp! (If you want to be accurate, 35C/95F is a good target, but the acceptable range is fairly broad. This bread is forgiving!)
4. Cheese – Freshly grated is best because it melts better (store bought shredded = anti-caking agents = inhibits melting) and the strands are finer so it doesn’t weigh the bread down. However, in the event of an emergency, pre-shredded will work just fine, your bread will be springy and soft and have the same wicked crust. It just won’t rise quite as well as pictured.
Other cheeses – Any cheese (other than mozzarella) that melts well will work great here, like cheddar, tasty, Monterey Jack, gruyere. I like Colby for it’s melting qualities and it doesn’t weigh the bread down as it rises in the oven, and it’s not greasy (like Tasty cheese). Re: mozzarella – it will work fine but it doesn’t have enough flavour in it compared to other cheeses.
5. Warm place = ~25°C/77°F+. Warmer = faster rise. Avoid direct sunlight. Neat trick – your dryer! Run it (empty) for a few minutes. Put bowl in, shut door. Nice and warm inside = perfect draught free dough rising location!
6. Folding inwards – Dust the dough scraper with flour as needed. No need to worry about being meticulous here, we can reshape it later, this is more about deflating the dough and enclosing the cheese inside the dough.
Shaping dough – The dough expands so much in the oven and the pot defines the shape so there’s not much point shaping it. You don’t even need to tidy it that much. Just roughly shape it into a uniform round or oval.
7. No dutch oven method – use 20cm/8” square metal pan (NOT glass, may shatter). Place in oven on middle shelf where bread will bake (or shelf under if tray won’t fit on same shelf), preheat oven. Boil kettle. Place paper with shaped dough on a baking tray. When you put the bread in, work fast as follows – place bread in oven next to (or on the shelf above) the pan, fill pan with about 2cm/1″ boiling water, shut oven door = makeshift dutch oven steamer effect! Bake for 40 minutes until it’s a deep golden brown (if it gets too brown because of the cheese, cover loosely with foil).
8. Resting bread for at least 10 minutes before cutting is essential as it will finish cooking and dry the crumb out. If you slice before then, the dough will look raw (it’s not, but it will seem like it is).
9. Make-ahead – Overnight refrigeration of the Crusty Artisan Bread on which the Cheese Bread dough is based not only works 100% (re: rising) but the bread develops more flavour. As yet untested for cheese bread! Concerned the amount of cheese in this might affect the rising ability. Will update once tested.
10. Storage – The bread is at its prime freshly made, still great for 24 – 36 hours. After this, toast and slather with butter. So good, you will forever hope for leftover cheese bread!
Nutrition per slice, assuming 10 slices.
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