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What is Cheese Bread?

Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

Cheese bread refers to any bread that includes cheese or upon which cheese is topped. In its loosest definition, most pizzas would fall into the cheese bread category since they are topped with cheese, and some even contain cheese in the dough. Traditionally, cheese bread is really bread with cheese baked inside it, which can give a burst of flavor to any bread.

There are numerous recipes for cheese breads. Some of these are strictly Italian like parmesan or asiago cheese bread. These may feature hard crusts, and include a small amount of grated cheese in order to flavor up the bread. Other versions of cheese bread add garlic jack, cheddar, blue cheese, and virtually any other cheese you can think of.

Grated Parmesan cheese is often used to make cheese bread.
Grated Parmesan cheese is often used to make cheese bread.

A few cheeses don’t lend themselves well to cheese bread. Most soft cheeses like brie, or camembert are difficult to mix in with bread dough. You will see a few cheese breads that are either topped with cream cheese or include it as an ingredient. Most of these breads tend to rely on hard to semi-hard cheeses, which will melt nicely into the dough when baked and produce a lot of flavor.

Sharp cheddar cheese can make a good addition to cheese bread.
Sharp cheddar cheese can make a good addition to cheese bread.

When you make cheese bread, you frequently need to lower the salt levels in your bread recipes. Also, when you eat cheese bread, you should check sodium levels in the bread if you’re on a reduced sodium diet. Most of these bread styles will be quite high in sodium. You can’t completely eliminate salt from cheese bread since salt is needed to inhibit the growth of the yeast. You should use the minimum amount, in order to keep the bread from tasting too salty.

Varieties of hard cheese are traditionally used to make cheese bread.
Varieties of hard cheese are traditionally used to make cheese bread.

Many simple recipes for various kinds of cheese bread exist on the Internet. While you can bake these in your bread maker, these breads may be better mixed and risen in the bread maker and then formed into loaves for baking. Most recipes for cheese breads for bread makers merely add grated cheese, and often a few herbs to produce delicious loaves or buns. Some recipes also suggest adding a little grated cheese to the top of a loaf.

A recent trend at many pizza restaurants is to make a simple cheese bread to serve as an appetizer. These tend to be made with regular pizza dough, which may include parmesan, and then they are topped with a variety of cheeses. "Take and bake" chains like Papa Murphy’s® top their bread with a mix of mozzarella, cheddar and jack. These styles of bread look very much like a pizza and are made in rounds. They don’t contain as much cheese as would a cheese pizza. Yet if you’re looking for a warm, doughy bread, this style is a cheaper alternative than a regular pizza and can make for a good snack.

Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

Tricia has a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and has been a frequent WiseGEEK contributor for many years. She is especially passionate about reading and writing, although her other interests include medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion. Tricia lives in Northern California and is currently working on her first novel.

Learn more...
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

Tricia has a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and has been a frequent WiseGEEK contributor for many years. She is especially passionate about reading and writing, although her other interests include medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion. Tricia lives in Northern California and is currently working on her first novel.

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Discussion Comments

turquoise

I had Brazilian cheese bread last night at a Brazilian steakhouse. I had to have the cheese bread when I heard that it's gluten-free. They are basically bread rolls made from tapioca flour and filled with cheese. I think it was the most delicious cheese bread I've had. I'm definitely going back for more.

SteamLouis

@ysmina-- You don't have to bake your own bread to make cheese bread at home. You can buy some fresh French or Italian bread from the bakery aisle, slice it at home and top it with your choice of cheeses. Then, put the slices in the oven for a few minutes, just long enough to melt the cheese. This is a very easy way to make cheese bread at home. The best part about it is that you get to choose which cheeses you use and how much cheese.

I do this all the time, especially for the kids. It's a nice snack when they come home from school.

ysmina

I love cheese bread. It's my go-to food when I have an upset stomach or if I have a cold. It's filling, comforting and settles my stomach.

Unfortunately, I can't bake. So I either buy it ready-made from a pizza restaurant or I buy the frozen ones from the grocery store and bake it in my oven. Both taste very good, but the frozen type seems to have more cheese on it. The mini frozen cheese breads make nice appetizers too.

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    • Grated Parmesan cheese is often used to make cheese bread.
      By: Bert Folsom
      Grated Parmesan cheese is often used to make cheese bread.
    • Sharp cheddar cheese can make a good addition to cheese bread.
      By: Bert Folsom
      Sharp cheddar cheese can make a good addition to cheese bread.
    • Varieties of hard cheese are traditionally used to make cheese bread.
      By: Studio Barcelona
      Varieties of hard cheese are traditionally used to make cheese bread.