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Making warm and crusty homemade bread is easier than you’d imagine with this no knead skillet cheese bread. Perfect for dunking in warm soup, the cheese and parsley add extra yummy goodness!
For those who love bread-making, you’ll also want to try my popular flatbread recipe or this creamy spoon bread! I’m confident that both will be your new favorites!
Why I Love No Knead Bread
- Easy. If you’ve ever felt intimidated by the idea of making your own artisan bread, this is the bread to try. You don’t need a fancy bread maker or any tools other than a mixing bowl, wooden spoon, and a skillet.
- Cheesy. If you are a cheese lover, you will completely fall in love with this homemade bread. It’s cheesy, savory, and 100% satisfying.
- The crust. This cheese bread recipe has the perfect consistency, including a golden and crisp crust with a tender interior.
- Fresh. There’s something special about homemade bread just out of the oven. It’s fresh and fills your entire house with that delicious bakery smell.
What is No Knead Bread?
No knead bread is a simple bread-making method that requires no kneading. The dough is mixed and allowed to rise slowly, relying on time rather than kneading to develop gluten. This results in bread with a hearty crust and soft interior, and it’s perfect for those who want homemade bread with minimal effort.
Recipe Ingredients
- Luke Warm Water: Activates the yeast.
- Active Dry Yeast: Causes the dough to rise.
- Salt: Enhances flavor.
- All-Purpose Flour: For this recipe, I use a little over 4 cups of flour.
- Garlic Powder: Adds a savory, garlicky flavor.
- Onion Powder: Provides a subtle onion taste.
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese: Adds a rich, cheesy flavor and texture. Other melting cheeses like mozzarella or gouda can be substituted.
- Olive Oil: Used to coat the skillet and the dough, adding flavor and a crispy crust.
- Coarse Salt: Sprinkled on top for extra flavor and texture. Flaky sea salt is a good substitute.
- Dried Parsley: Used as a topping for additional flavor and visual appeal. Other herbs can also be used.
How to Make No Knead Cheese Bread
- Make the dough. Combine your water and yeast in a large mixing bowl. Add a cup of flour and salt and stir it all together. Stir in the garlic powder, onion powder, and cheese. Gradually add the remaining flour and stir everything until it is all well combined.
- Rise. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let your dough rise for 1 hour.
- Prepare. Grab a cast iron skillet and coat the bottom and sides with olive oil. Lightly flour your hands and transfer the dough to the skillet. Shape the dough into a round disk, cover it with a towel, and let it stand for 30 minutes.
- Preheat. While the dough rests, preheat your oven to 400˚F.
- Bake. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over the top of the dough and sprinkle it with salt and parsley. Score the top of the loaf with a knife in a criss-cross pattern. Bake it for 30 minutes or until the top is a golden brown.
- Cool and Serve. Remove the cheese bread from the oven and immediately turn it out onto a cooling rack. Let it completely cool. Then, cut it and serve it with this butternut squash soup or a side of beer battered chicken!
Recipe Tips
- Cool it on a wire rack. To keep this skillet bread from getting soggy, remove it from the skillet as soon as you pull it out of the oven and transfer it to a wire rack.
- Skillet options. You do not need a skillet to make this bread. I know, it’s in the recipe title – but trust me, here. If you do not have a cast iron skillet, simply use a round stoneware baking dish instead!
- Use good cheddar. For better flavor, opt for a better quality cheddar cheese. You can even shred the cheese yourself.
- Double the recipe. You can double this cheese bread recipe, but don’t forget you’ll also need a bigger skillet. I recommend a 12-inch skillet for a double batch.
Serving Suggestions
Obviously, this no knead cheese bread goes great with a bowl of our creamy ravioli soup and a side of a salmon blt salad. It’s also great with hearty beef Guinness stew and pot roast. But don’t count it out on the side of a pasta dish, either. This chicken bacon ranch pasta or my creamy seafood pasta is fantastic. Basically, anything that is saucy is a perfect match for this bread.
How to Store Leftovers
The bread can be stored in a zip-top bag in a cool, dry place for up to 3 days. It can also be frozen for about 3 months.
More Homemade Bread Recipes
No Knead Cheese Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups luke warm water
- 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4⅓ cups all purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- course salt
- dried parsley
Instructions
- Combine water and yeast in a large mixing bowl.
- Add 1 cup flour and ½ teaspoon salt to the yeast mixture; stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Stir in the garlic powder, onion powder, and cheese.
- Add remaining flour, one cup at a time, stirring until well combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise for 1 hour.
- In the meantime, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to an 8-inch cast iron skillet and coat the bottom and sides of the skillet with the oil.
- Lightly flour your hands and transfer the dough to the skillet. Shape the dough into a round disk; cover with a towel and let it stand for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400˚F.
- Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the top of the dough and sprinkle it with salt and parsley. Then, score the top of the loaf with a knife.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
- Remove the bread from the oven and immediately turn it out onto a cooling rack.
- Let it completely cool before cutting into it.
Notes
- To freeze the dough: Make the dough as instructed and let it rise for 1 hour, per the recipe. Once risen, form the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and then place it in a freezer-friendly container and keep it frozen for up to a month. When ready, thaw the frozen dough on the kitchen counter, let it rise, and bake as directed.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
I just did this recipe and ended up with a dense, gummy, half raw loaf. I followed the steps and have no idea what went wrong?
Hi!
Gummy or sticky bread is often the result of uncooked bread, or a bread that was cut too soon. Did you let the bread cool before cutting?
Next time I will use a much older (stronger). Cheddar and fresh Russian garlic. Looking for a big wack on the palette. Is the cheese supposed to get crusty like? Is the onion powder supposed to caramalise? Will try again next week. Partly raised in Québec used to strong tastes.
It baked up well, but was bland. Couldn’t taste the cheese or garlic and needed more salt. A good place to start…
This was so easy to make and turned out delicious !!! My dough was rather soft so I was a little worried – but it turned out great. Nice crust and a super soft inside. So delicious and so easy. Didn’t need to use a mixer and no kneading. Love it. I might try a sweet version with cranberries or cherries – and maybe sprinkle with sugar instead of salt ?
I am very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Delicious, easy, and just a great looking bread!
Thank YOU! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Super easy recipe. But mine did not rise and was quite dense. I will use a stronger cheese next time (didn’t have cheddar). And will add more salt and herbs. Perfect cooking time and still made a yummy loaf that’s perfect for dipping!
Easiest yeast bread I’ve ever made. Crunchy exterior, soft and doughy inside. I felt it needed more salt, maybe a full tsp or a tsp and a half, which cost one star for me. When I make this again, I will try with more salt, which I’m sure will make this a 5 star recipe. This was so quick and easy, I was able to make it after work on a weeknight! (Maybe that alone is worth 5 stars!)
I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
I used bread flour and it turned out very dense.
My husband is a “bread machine” so I was really happy to find this easy recipe. The first time I made it, I skipped the cheese and used dried basil, parsley, rosemary, and thyme. It was super good. This time, I’m making it as written except for the garlic, which I used fresh.
Thanks for this great recipe.
I am very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
This bread is so easy to make. Looked better the second time I made it. I did add some summer savory to the dough. This is a keeper.
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂