This simple asiago bread is ready in just a few hours! Easy no knead asiago cheese bread baked in a Dutch Oven for a crispy crust and chewy interior.
STEP ASIDE, plain ol' easy crusty bread. There's a new game in town, and it's packed with sweet, buttery, nutty asiago cheese.
(but also jk original crusty bread, you know I can't live without you).
We love playing with different bread flavor combinations (check out our Everyday Artisan Bread course for even more recipes!), and this asiago bread is always at the top of our "favorites" list.
If you've made our Dutch Oven bread before, you'll recognize this baking technique, but we're amping up the flavor here by adding a dash of fresh ground pepper and a boatload (<-- actual measurement. sort of) of asiago cheese.
This bread packs a punch (grilled cheese sandwiches with this cheese bread? They are NEXT. LEVEL) but is still ready in just under three hours. No waiting for anything to rise overnight, and no kneading necessary!
How to make asiago cheese bread
This bread is ready in about 2 ½ hours (and most of this is inactive time!) Here's what to expect:
Mix the dough (15 minutes)
Mix active dry yeast with a bit of sugar and warm water, let the yeast proof until it's nice and foamy, and then stir in the rest of your dough ingredients (flour, salt, pepper, and plenty of asiago cheese). Mix until no dry flour remains - the dough should be a bit shaggy and slightly sticky, but that's ok!
Let it rise (1 hour)
When the dough is mixed, cover it with a clean tea towel and let it rise in a warm place for about an hour or until it's doubled in size.
Shape your loaf & rise again (30 minutes)
Shape the dough into a round boule (see the video below for a tutorial on shaping!) and let it rise for another 30 minutes or so in a small mixing bowl or proofing basket while you preheat the oven and your Dutch oven.
Top with cheese & bake! (40 minutes)
Turn your dough out onto a piece of parchment paper (this makes it easier to lift the bread in and out of a hot pot!) and top it with another handful of asiago cheese.
Transfer the loaf to your hot dutch oven (or use one of our other methods!) and bake for 30 minutes with the lid on, then remove the lid and bake another 10-20 minutes to give the crust some deeper color.
Tips for the best homemade bread
Our #1 tip: Use a kitchen scale!
Measuring by weight with a kitchen scale is much more accurate than measuring by volume (with cups). Because each person measures a cup of flour a little bit differently, it’s easy to end up using too much flour in a recipe – which results in dry, dense bread!
When you measure your flour in grams with a kitchen scale, you can measure flour perfectly every time. So if you have a kitchen scale, please use it!
No kitchen scale? Measure your flour with the scoop and level method for best results!
Use high-quality flour.
The type of flour you use matters. A LOT.
We recommend King Arthur Flour or Bob’s Red Mill flour for best results – these flours are the most consistent, and they both have a high protein content (which gives you a stronger, more elastic, less sticky dough!) All purpose flour and bread flour are both great in this recipe.
Make adjustments if you need to.
Bread baking is notorious for having a ton of different variables that can affect your final loaf: don't be afraid to trust your instincts and adjust for your own kitchen!
If your kitchen is especially chilly, you may need to extend the rise time for your bread (and if it's especially warm, it may not take the full hour!)
This cheesy french bread uses a slacker (wetter) dough than many folks are used to, but that's what makes it so light and chewy! If you're brand new to bread baking or a little nervous about working with such a slack dough, feel free to add a little bit of extra flour (it will still taste great!)
These photos should give you a general idea of what you're looking for, and be sure to read through our full FAQs and notes for best results!
More tips and FAQs
Read through our baking tips in this post or join our Everyday Artisan Bread course for extra help!
Additions and Substitutions
We recommend making this recipe at least one time as written so you can get a feel for what the dough should look and feel like at every step. That said, there are a few fun ways to customize this crusty bread if you like!
- For extra flavor, add fresh or dried herbs, roasted garlic, olives, or sun-dried tomatoes to the mix.
- Adjust the flours. We call for All Purpose Flour in this recipe because that's what most people tend to have on hand, but you can replace some or all of the AP flour with Bread Flour if you like. Bread flour is a little bit higher in protein, which means it will give you a smoother, more elastic dough and a slightly taller loaf. You can also replace up to 100 grams of the flour in this recipe with whole wheat flour if you like. We don't recommend using more whole wheat flour than that, because it will change the texture of the loaf and give you a denser crumb.
- Tweak the shape of your loaf. While we love using a Dutch Oven for a crispy crust in this recipe, you could also totally shape this bread into baguettes or bread bowls. (Side note: an asiago bread bowl? YES, PLEASE).
- Switch up the cheese. Use parmesan, white cheddar, or gruyere instead of asiago if you like!
Asiago Bread FAQs
Definitely! We love using a Dutch oven to create a crispy, crackly crust on our bread, but it’s not the only way to bake great bread at home. Check out this post about baking bread without a Dutch oven for our favorite alternative methods.
Store leftover bread in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. To reheat, pop bread into a 350°F oven for 5-10 minutes until it is crisp and warmed through. You can also pop individual slices right from the fridge into a toaster or toaster oven. (You might remember we usually don't recommend storing bread in the fridge, but we make an exception for this loaf: it needs to stay cold since it's packed with cheese!)
Yes! Store sliced bread in an airtight container (we love using Stasher Bags for this!) and freeze for 2-3 months. When you're ready to use it, let bread defrost on the counter for a few hours or in the fridge overnight. You can also pop frozen bread slices directly into a toaster or oven.
See even more detailed FAQs about bread baking in our Easy Crusty French Bread post, or enroll in our Everyday Artisan Bread course for step-by-step training lessons that take you through every technique, buzzword, and more!
More of our favorite bread recipes:
- Easy Crusty French Bread
- Roasted Garlic & Rosemary Bread
- Whole Wheat Bread Bowls
- Small Batch Crusty Bread (perfect for two people!)
How to shape a loaf of bread (video)
This video is an excerpt from our Everyday Artisan Bread online course, which houses dozens of exclusive recipes and training videos for our favorite loaves and techniques.
Easy Crusty Asiago Bread
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Inactive Time: 90 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 min
- Total Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
- Yield: Makes 1 loaf (about 8-12 slices, depending on how thick you cut it) 1x
- Category: Bread
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This simple asiago cheese bread is ready in just a few hours! No-knead asiago bread loaf baked in a Dutch Oven for a crispy crust and chewy interior.
Ingredients
- 9 grams active dry yeast (2 ¼ teaspoons)
- 4 grams sugar or honey (1 teaspoon)
- 300 grams warm water (about 1 ¼ cups)
- 8 grams kosher salt (1 ¼ teaspoon)
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 cup shredded Asiago cheese, divided (you'll save some for topping the bread)
- 400 grams all purpose flour (2 ½ to 3 ½ cups) plus extra for dusting (see recipe notes)
Instructions
MIX THE DOUGH & FIRST RISE (1 HOUR):
- Combine yeast, sugar, and warm water in a large mixing bowl.
- Let the yeast proof for about 5 minutes, until the mixture looks nice and foamy.
- Add kosher salt and pepper to bowl.
- Add ¾ cup of the asiago cheese to the bowl - save the extra ¼ cup of cheese for topping the bread later!
- Add flour a bit at a time and stir gently with your hand or a sturdy spatula until all flour is incorporated and dough has come together and pulled away from the sides of the bowl. The dough won't be completely smooth and may even look slightly shaggy - that's ok!
- Cover dough with a tea towel and let rise on the counter for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
SHAPE THE DOUGH & FINAL RISE (30 MIN):
- When dough has doubled in size, lightly flour a large cutting board.
- Tip the dough out of the bowl and onto the cutting board. DON'T PUNCH THE DOUGH DOWN – you want to keep all those nice air bubbles intact so you have an airy, delicious loaf of bread. (Tip: If the dough is sticking to the bowl a little bit, just wet your hand with a bit of cold water and gently separate the dough from the bowl to get it all out).
- Begin shaping the dough into a round loaf. I like to pull each corner of the dough in towards the center (like I’m folding an envelope) a few times, then flip the dough over and tap it into a nice round loaf. (Watch the video above to see exactly how to do this!)
- Flour a proofing basket or a small mixing bowl and place your loaf into it seam-side down. Cover with a tea towel and let rise another 30 minutes or so, until not quite doubled in size.
HEAT THE OVEN:
- While bread does its final rise, place an empty dutch oven (with the lid on) in your oven and heat to 460° Fahrenheit.
BAKE!
- When the oven is hot, you’re ready to go! Use oven mitts to pull the dutch oven out and remove the lid.
- Tip your bread dough gently out of the proofing basket back onto your floured cutting board. The seam side should face up this time - that's what gives it a nice crackly look on top! If you'd like, you can tip the bread onto a piece of parchment paper to help you lift it in and out of the pot easily.
- Sprinkle the remaining asiago cheese over the top of the bread.
- VERY CAREFULLY (without burning yourself!) lift the bread loaf and place it into the hot dutch oven.
- Put your oven mitts back on, put the dutch oven lid back on the pot, and slide the whole thing back into the centermost rack of your hot oven.
- Cook bread for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, remove the lid from your dutch oven. The bread should be crusty and very lightly browned.
- Continue cooking the bread, uncovered, for 10-20 minutes more until the bread has deepened in color and you have a beautiful brown crust.
- When bread is done, use oven mitts to pull the pot out of your oven.
- Use a long spatula to lift the bread out of the dutch oven and onto a cooling rack.
- Let cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting into it.
- Slice, slather with butter, and enjoy!
Notes
How to measure flour: If you have a kitchen scale, please use it! If you don't have a scale, use a large spoon to stir and aerate your flour, then scoop it into a measuring cup and use a knife to level off any excess.
Equipment. We recommend a 4 to 5 quart dutch oven for best results. Please make sure that your Dutch oven is fitted with a metal (rather than plastic) knob on its lid, and always check the care instructions for your unique equipment before baking.
If you don't have a Dutch oven, you can still make great bread! See this post on baking without a dutch oven for our favorite alternatives.
Additions and substitutions. Replace some or all of the AP flour with Bread Flour if you like. You can also replace up to 100 grams of the flour in this recipe with whole wheat flour. Use parmesan, gruyere, or white cheddar in place of asiago. Add herbs, olives, roasted garlic, or sun-dried tomatoes when you mix the dough for an extra pop of flavor.
The cheese on top of this loaf can get very crispy. If you don't like extra crispy cheese, you can fold all of the cheese into the dough when you mix it, or you can add the cheese topping during the last 10 minutes of cooking so that it just barely melts.
Adjustments. If your kitchen is cold, you may need to extend the rising/proofing time by a few minutes. If your kitchen is especially warm, you may need to reduce the rising time. If you're baking at high altitude, add an extra 7-14 grams of flour (1-2 Tablespoons) to your dough for best results.
Keywords: fall, baking, cheese
Christina
Made this yesterday and it was seriously the best bread I have ever made. I used a blend of Asiago, Romano, and Parmesan cheeses and the bread flour. I think the star is really the cracked black pepper. That really is delicious in this bread. Thanks for posting this!
Team Life As A Strawberry
WAHOO! We're SO happy you loved it!
Cassandra
Just made my first loaf. It is absolutely amazing! I will be making this often. Thank you, thank you!
Team Life As A Strawberry
WAHOO! So happy to hear that you loved it!
Phil
Can you confirm the yeast quantity 9 gms (2 1/4tsp) active dry yeast. I calculate that 2 1/4 tsp ADY equals 6.38gms ADY. How much should we use? Thank you
Team Life As A Strawberry
Hi Phil! We use 9 grams of active dry yeast when making this bread recipe. Using 6 grams will still work, but will likely take longer to rise!
Carol
I made this recipe last weekend, it tasted good but my dough was not as good as I think it should but due to my prepping it wasn't great but I certainly will try again this week! Thankyou for recipe!
Team Life As A Strawberry
We're SO happy you liked your bread and are going to make it again!
Pam Schweitzer
Awesome! Thank you soooo much for your advise along the way as I am a beginner. I have to be honest, I didn't use the cheese or pepper, instead I used dried fruit and walnuts. But still, it turned out wonderful (if I must say so myself). Thanks again! Pam
★★★★★
Team Life As A Strawberry
AMAZING! We're so happy you loved this recipe! Our Easy Crusty French Bread recipe is a great blank canvas for your favorite additions and toppings and includes a lot of extra tips and tricks to make your perfect loaf!
Diane nicholson
I have baked many different breads in my 68 years. I’ve had a problem now and again with rising but not often. I make English muffin bread it raises perfectly I make loaf bread in a loaf pan it raises perfectly I make dinner rolls they raise perfectly but this is the third time I have tried a crusty bread recipe and it will not rise. I have tried the one where you let it sit on the counter overnight it didn’t raise I’ve tried the one where you let it sit for two hours on your counter it didn’t raise I checkedYour recipe after an hour it did not raise I let it sit another hour it’s still did not raise it is now been sitting for five hours and still has not risen. I am beginning to think I am just jinxed for crusty bread. So disappointing
Team Life As A Strawberry
Hi, Diane! We promise you're not jinxed for crusty bread - we'd love to help you troubleshoot! The first thing to know is that with these quick bread recipes, the dough may not rise as much as you might think on the counter, most of the rise happens while it's baking (that's called oven spring). We have videos for our Easy Crusty French Bread recipe that show what to expect with each rise. It's hard to say without being in the kitchen with you what is causing your bread not to rise, but the most likely culprit is a problem with yeast. If it has expired or if too hot water is used, your yeast won't work as expected. We recommend reading through all the tips and tricks in the Easy Crusty French Bread recipe to that crusty loaf of your dreams!
Chris
I love ALL her bread recipes and they are the only ones I ever use now. Never had success with others. Wish she had a Ciabatta recipe!
★★★★★
Team Life As A Strawberry
WOW thank you so much, Chris! We're planning to release a ciabatta recipe in a later edition of Everyday Artisan Bread!
Lily
Love this recipe but the cheese on top always seems to get burnt, any suggestions? I’ve made it 3 or 4 times now. Oven temp too hot maybe? Thanks!
Team Life As A Strawberry
Hi Lily! A few things could help keep the cheese on top from burning! First, try moving the rack in your oven lower, because the top of the oven is often the hottest. It may also be worth getting an oven thermometer in case your oven temperature could be hotter than you intend! Another strategy is to keep a close eye on your bread during the last 10-20 minutes when the bread bakes with the lid off. We hope that helps!
Craig
My wife and I enjoy this recipe very much. I will start making it for guests!
Team Life As A Strawberry
We're SO happy to hear you both enjoyed it!
Lydia Neufeld
I love this recipe and have made this bread, with great success, several times. However - the bottom crust is very dark and hard. Any suggestions on how to change that? I tried a pizza stone on the oven rack below the dutch oven and that did not have an impact.
Team Life As A Strawberry
Hi Lydia! There are a bunch of ways to adjust if the bottom of your bread is burning and we're happy you help you troubleshoot! First, be sure to use parchment to lift the bread in and out, which creates a barrier between the bread and hot Dutch oven. Other things to try are:
1. Use an oven thermometer to check the true temperature of your oven (we’ve had ovens that are off by as much as 40 degrees in one direction!)
2. Preheat your Dutch oven for half the time.
3. Dust the bottom of your loaf with a thin layer of cornmeal before placing it into the Dutch oven to form a barrier between the dough and the hot surface.
4. Try preheating and baking at a slightly lower temperature (between 425 and 450 degrees F) OR preheating at the suggested temperature of 460 and then turning the oven down to 425 degrees F once you put the bread in.
Don’t worry if it takes a few tries to find your sweet spot – ovens and equipment can vary wildly when it comes to heat distribution, and a big part of bread baking is figuring out your oven’s own unique quirks so you can consistently get the results you want!