Description
A simple, no‑knead cheese bread loaf — rustic crust, soft interior, with melty cheese throughout. Great for casual baking when you don’t want to knead dough.
Ingredients
- 3 cups (360 g) all‑purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
- 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) warm water
- 1 1/2 cups (about 170 g) shredded cheddar cheese (or your favorite cheese)
- Optional: 1 teaspoon dried herbs (e.g. oregano, thyme) or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder for flavor
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and instant yeast.
- Add the warm water to the dry ingredients and stir until a shaggy, sticky dough forms.
- Add the shredded cheese (and optional herbs/garlic powder) to the dough, folding gently until evenly distributed. The dough will be sticky and loose — that’s normal.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel. Let it rest at room temperature for 12–18 hours (overnight is ideal). The dough should double in size and become bubbly.
- After the rise, preheat your oven to 230 °C (450 °F). Place a heavy lidded pot (like a Dutch oven) with its lid in the oven while it heats up.
- Carefully turn the dough out onto a well‑floured surface. Shape it gently into a round loaf — no kneading, just tuck the edges beneath to form a rough ball.
- Sprinkle a little flour on top (optional). Carefully remove the hot pot from the oven, place the dough inside, cover with the lid, and bake for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, remove the lid and bake for another 10–15 minutes, or until the crust is deep golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.
- Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing. This helps the crumb set properly.
Notes
- This is a “no‑knead” recipe — you rely on a long rest instead of working the dough.
- You can swap in other cheeses (like mozzarella, gruyère, or a mix) — stronger cheeses will give more flavor.
- Add herbs or spices (rosemary, garlic powder, cracked pepper) for variety.
- Make sure your dough is bubbly and doubled in volume before baking — that long rest develops both flavor and structure.
- If you like a softer crust, you can wrap the loaf in a clean kitchen towel after cooling instead of leaving it exposed to air.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (~60 g)
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 250 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 1.5 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
