Description
If warm, buttery cheese bread makes your heart skip a beat, you’re about to meet your new favorite bake. This loaf is soft, cheesy, and golden — the kind of homemade comfort food that feels straight out of a cozy 1970s kitchen. Think Red Lobster’s Cheddar Bay Biscuits, but in loaf form and way easier to make.
The best part? No yeast, no kneading, and no fancy gadgets. Just mix, pour, bake, and enjoy.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Bread:
- 1 & 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled — no heavy-handed scooping here)
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 cups freshly shredded cheddar cheese (sharp cheddar gives the boldest flavor!)
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
For the Topping:
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Prep the Pan & Oven
- Start by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving a little overhang on the sides so you can lift the loaf out easily later. Give the paper a quick spritz of nonstick cooking spray for good measure.
- Mix the Dry Ingredients
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together your flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until everything’s evenly distributed.
- Now, toss in your shredded cheddar cheese and stir it around until each cheesy strand is lightly coated in flour. This step helps the cheese stay suspended in the batter instead of sinking to the bottom during baking.
- Add the Wet Ingredients
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, and melted butter.
- Pour this wet mixture over your dry ingredients and stir gently until everything’s just combined. You don’t need a perfectly smooth batter — a few streaks of flour are totally fine! Overmixing can make your bread dense, so keep it light-handed.
- Bake It Up
- Spoon the batter into your prepared pan and smooth out the top. Pop it in the oven and bake for 35–40 minutes, or until the loaf turns beautifully golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- While your bread bakes, go ahead and mix up the buttery topping — it’s what gives this loaf that irresistible Red Lobster-style finish.
- Make the Butter Topping
- In a small bowl, combine melted butter, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. Give it a quick stir — it should smell amazing already.
- When the bread is done baking, place the loaf pan on a wire rack and immediately brush that buttery mixture over the hot bread. Doing it while it’s warm helps the flavors soak right in.
- Cool, Slice & Serve
- Let the loaf rest in the pan for about 5 minutes, then lift it out using the parchment overhang and transfer it to a wire rack. Let it cool a bit more before slicing — though if you sneak a warm slice (or two), I won’t tell.
- Serve it plain, with a pat of butter, or alongside a cozy bowl of soup. It’s just as delicious at room temperature, too.
Notes
- Grate your own cheese! Pre-shredded cheese is coated with anti-caking agents that prevent it from melting perfectly. Freshly grated makes all the difference.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Stir just until everything is combined — it keeps the bread light and tender.
- Add butter topping immediately. The warm bread will soak up all that garlicky, herby flavor better than if you wait.
- Use sharp cheddar for that classic old-school flavor punch.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 271 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 314 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 11 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 17 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Cholesterol: 68 mg