This cheese bread is a perfect savory snack, and the way it fills the kitchen with its warm, cheesy aroma while baking is an added bonus.

From October through March, our Sunday afternoons are often spent beagling with Ardrossan Beagles. After a few hours of walking through the countryside, we gather for tea – a tradition that includes plenty of food and drink. When I came across this recipe a few months ago, I immediately saved it, knowing it would be just the thing to bring along. I’m happy to report it was very well received. Someone suggested it would go well with chili – instead of cornbread – I agree.

While I usually gravitate toward white cheddar, I opted for orange cheddar here because I wanted to see those cheesy pockets in the finished bread. Cheddar itself dates back to the 12th century in Cheddar Village, Somerset, England. According to legend, a milkmaid left a pail of milk in a cave too long, and it eventually hardened into cheese. But why is cheddar cheese orange? Centuries ago, cows consumed a diet rich in beta-carotene (the same nutrient that gives carrots and pumpkins their color), which tinted their milk. Since American cows don’t eat the same diet, a farmer started adding annatto – a natural coloring from the seeds of the achiote tree – and the tradition stuck.

For the best flavor and texture, always shred your own cheese rather than buying pre-shredded. Packaged shredded cheese contains anti-caking agents (which sometimes even include gluten), affecting how it melts. I used Cabot Creamery’s Vermont Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese for its bold flavor and perfect shredding consistency. While I love Cabot’s Seriously Sharp Cheddar, it tends to be more crumbly, making it trickier to work with in this recipe. If Cabot isn’t available near you, look for your favorite sharp orange cheddar.

Another key ingredient? ‘Good butter’ – which, in our house, means European-style unsalted butter like Kerrygold (Irish) or Président Butter (French). With its higher fat content, it adds richness to both the bread and the topping. That said, regular unsalted butter will work just fine too.

If you’re curious to learn more about beagling, check out my Boursin Stuffed Red Peppers post! And, isn’t my bunny rubber stamp so cute?

Cheddar Cheese Bread

 

Cheddar Cheese Bread
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Recipe type: Bread
Author:
Serves: 1 loaf
Ingredients
Bread
  • 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon white sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 3 cups (12 ounces) shredded yellow sharp cheddar cheese (see Notes)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh minced parsley
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 large egg
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted (see Notes)
Topping
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted (see Notes)
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ⅛ teaspoon onion powder
  • ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Coat a 9x5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
  3. Add cheddar cheese and stir with a wooden spoon until the cheese is coated in the flour mixture.
  4. Add the parsley and stir well.
  5. In a small bowl, whisk together milk and egg. Mix it into the dry mixture until just combined.
  6. Mix in the melted butter until the dough is evenly moistened.
  7. Transfer the dough to the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top.
  8. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  9. Just before the bread is done, prepare the topping. Whisk together the melted butter, garlic powder, onion powder and salt.
  10. Once baked the bread is baked, remove the bread from the oven and immediately brush with the butter topping.
  11. Let the bread cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack.
Notes
* It is always better to shred your cheese rather than purchase it already shredded. Pre-shredded cheese contains ingredients (which sometimes include gluten) to prevent caking. I used Cabot Creamery’s Vermont Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese as I wanted to make sure you could taste the cheese. I also wanted to use an orange cheddar so you could see it in the bread. It was just the right consistency for shredding. I do not recommend using Cabot Creamery’s Vermont Seriously Sharp Cheddar Cheese (the sharpest of their cheeses) for this recipe as it is more crumbly and will not shred as well (although it’s quite tasty!).
* You’ll need one stick of butter, divided. I recommend using European-style unsalted butter such as Kerrygold (Irish) or Président Butter (French) for both the bread and topping. There’s more fat content in European-style butter so it adds a bit of richness. Of course, regular unsalted butter works fine as well.
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