Cheesy Herb Quick Bread Loaf
A no-yeast, no-knead loaf packed with three cups of sharp cheddar and brushed straight from the oven with garlic-herb butter. No rising, no special equipment, no waiting — just a deeply flavourful cheese bread ready in 50 minutes, perfect alongside pasta, soups, or simply warm with butter.
Bread
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
Herb Butter Topping
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
- pinch onion powder
- pinch dried parsley flakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Thoroughly coat the inside of a 9×5-inch loaf pan with baking spray, using a pastry brush to work it into the corners and sides so the bread releases cleanly after baking. Set the pan aside. While the oven heats, combine the herb butter topping: whisk together the melted butter, garlic powder, salt, onion powder, and dried parsley flakes in a small bowl until blended. Set this aside — it goes on the bread the moment it comes out of the oven.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined. Add 2½ cups of the shredded cheddar (reserving ½ cup for the top) and stir it through the flour mixture until each piece of cheese is fully coated. Coating the cheese in flour prevents it from sinking to the bottom of the loaf during baking and helps it distribute evenly throughout the crumb.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the whole milk and egg until smooth and well combined. Pour this wet mixture into the flour and cheese bowl and stir until just combined — a few small dry patches remaining is fine at this stage. Add the melted butter and stir everything together until the batter is fully unified with no dry streaks or dry patches remaining. The batter will be quite thick; this is correct. Do not overmix — stirring quick bread batter beyond the point where the ingredients are just combined develops gluten and results in a dense, tough loaf.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with the back of a spoon or a spatula. Scatter the reserved ½ cup of shredded cheddar evenly over the surface — this creates the golden, slightly crisped cheese crust on top of the finished loaf. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the top is deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the centre of the loaf comes out clean with no wet batter clinging to it.
- As soon as the bread comes out of the oven, brush the hot top generously with the prepared herb butter — work quickly, as the butter absorbs most effectively while the loaf is still very hot. Allow the bread to rest in the pan on a wire rack for exactly 5 minutes, then run a thin knife around the edges and turn the loaf out onto the rack to cool completely before slicing. Cutting a quick bread while it is still hot will compress the crumb and make it seem dense and gummy; letting it cool fully gives it the best texture and the cleanest slices.
Chef's Note: The most common question about quick breads is why they sometimes come out dense, and the answer is almost always the same: overmixing, or baking powder that has lost its potency. Quick breads rise entirely from the carbon dioxide produced by baking powder reacting with the liquid in the batter — unlike yeast-leavened breads, there is no second chance for structure to develop, so fresh baking powder is genuinely important. To test yours before baking: drop a teaspoon into a cup of hot water. If it fizzes vigorously, it is still active; if it barely reacts, replace it before you start. The overmixing issue is equally significant — once the liquid hits the dry ingredients, gluten begins developing, and every additional stir from that point makes the loaf progressively tougher. Stir only until the flour disappears into the batter, then stop immediately. A few lumps or small dry patches will sort themselves out in the oven.
Three cups of cheddar sounds like a lot for a single loaf, and it is — that generous quantity is what gives this bread its intensely cheesy, moist interior and what puts it in the same territory as those famous restaurant bay biscuits. Freshly grated cheddar from a block is essential; pre-shredded cheese contains anti-caking powder that affects how it melts and integrates into the batter. This loaf is outstanding the day it is made, good the following day toasted or warmed briefly in the microwave, and keeps well wrapped at room temperature for 3 to 4 days. It also freezes beautifully: slice the whole loaf, wrap the slices individually, and freeze for up to a month. Slices can go directly from the freezer to a 325°F oven for about 5 minutes without defrosting.
A few tools that make this recipe easier to get right.
As an Amazon Associate, Salt & Simmer earns from qualifying purchases made through these links, at no extra cost to you.