Name: Cheddar Herb Quick Bread
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 65 min
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour (plus 1 tablespoon for coating cheese); 1 tbsp baking powder; 1 tsp fine salt; 1/2 tsp garlic powder; 1/4 tsp black pepper (freshly ground); 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese (freshly shredded, about 6 oz block); 3 tbsp fresh chives or fresh rosemary (chopped fine, or use both); 1 cup buttermilk (well shaken); 1 large egg; 4 tbsp unsalted butter (melted and slightly cooled)

From the roundup: 12 Easy Homemade Bread Recipes for Beginners

Jump to Recipe

This cheddar herb quick bread is what I make when I want something warm and savory on the table without clearing my whole afternoon. No yeast, no rising, no kneading. You stir the batter in one bowl, scrape it into a loaf pan, and slide it into a 350-degree oven. Your actual hands-on time is about 10 minutes. The oven does the rest for just under an hour.

The crumb is dense and moist with pockets of sharp cheddar through every slice. Fresh chives or rosemary, or both if you have them, give it enough flavor that it can stand on its own next to a bowl of soup or a pot of chili. It is not a delicate bread. It holds up, it slices cleanly once it cools, and it tastes better than anything you could grab at the store bakery counter on a Tuesday night.

One thing worth knowing before you start: let the loaf rest at least 15 minutes after it comes out of the oven before you slice into it. I know it is hard to wait, but cutting too early gives you a gummy, collapsed center. Set a timer and step away.

How this loaf became a weeknight regular

The first time I made this, it was a Thursday, I had a pot of tomato soup on the stove, and I had completely forgotten to buy bread. I found a recipe for a savory quick bread, made it mostly from what was already in the fridge, and pulled it out of the oven right as the soup finished. My oldest, who normally ignores bread unless it is a roll, ate three slices. That was enough to convince me to keep this one in rotation.

I have since made it for a church potluck, sliced and wrapped in foil, and it was gone before the main dishes were even touched. Now I usually shred the cheese and measure the dry ingredients the night before so the actual baking on a busy evening takes almost no thought.

Why you will love this

No yeast and no kneading, so there is zero waiting around for dough to rise
10 minutes of actual prep, then the oven handles the rest
Sharp cheddar coated in flour before mixing means the cheese stays distributed through the loaf, not pooled at the bottom
Works alongside tomato soup, chili, or a simple salad without needing anything else on the plate
Slices freeze well individually, so leftover bread does not go to waste

Tips for success

Coat the shredded cheese in that extra tablespoon of flour before folding it in. It sounds fussy but it takes 30 seconds and it genuinely keeps the cheese from sinking during baking.
Stop mixing the moment the dry streaks disappear. The batter should look thick and a little rough. If you keep stirring to smooth it out, the loaf will be tough and dense in the wrong way.
Check the top at the 35-minute mark. If it is browning fast, lay a loose piece of foil over the pan and let it finish baking covered. The inside needs the full 50 to 55 minutes regardless.
Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then on a rack for at least 15 more before slicing. Cutting a quick bread while it is still hot collapses the crumb and makes the center look underdone even when it is not.

Common questions about this bread

Can I use pre-shredded bagged cheese? You can, but freshly shredded from a block melts better and gives a less grainy texture inside the loaf.
My loaf sank in the middle. What happened? Usually this means the batter was over-mixed or the oven door was opened before the 40-minute mark. Give it the full bake time undisturbed.
Can I make this in a muffin tin? Yes. Fill cups about two-thirds full and bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 22 minutes. Check with a toothpick.
Does it taste good at room temperature? Yes, actually. The cheese flavor gets a little sharper as it cools, and the crumb firms up nicely. It does not need to be served warm.

Substitutions

Sharp cheddar is the backbone here, but Gruyere or pepper jack both work if that is what you have. For herbs, dried rosemary or dried chives can stand in for fresh: use 1 teaspoon dried for every tablespoon of fresh called for. If you do not have buttermilk, stir 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice into 1 cup of whole milk, let it sit for 5 minutes, and use it as a direct swap. It will curdle slightly and that is exactly what you want.

For a milder loaf that picky kids will actually eat, use mild cheddar instead of sharp and skip the black pepper. The garlic powder can also be reduced to a pinch without wrecking the recipe.

Make-ahead and storage

You can measure and whisk the dry ingredients together and shred the cheese up to a day ahead. Keep them separately covered on the counter or in the fridge, then combine everything with the wet ingredients right before you bake. The batter does not hold well once mixed, so do not try to make it the night before and refrigerate it.

Wrap the cooled loaf tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 2 days. After that, move it to the fridge where it keeps for up to 5 days. To freeze, slice the cooled loaf, wrap individual slices in plastic, and store in a zip bag for up to 2 months. Reheat slices in a 300-degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or toast them straight from frozen in a toaster oven until warmed through and the edges are a little crisp.

Brittany Stage