Can I make this bread without a Dutch oven?

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.

How do I store leftover asiago bread?

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! )

Can you freeze asiago cheese bread?

Yes! We recommend slicing bread for easier storage, as opposed to freezing an entire loaf. 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 an hour, or in the fridge overnight. You can also pop frozen bread slices directly into a hot oven or toaster oven to reheat.

Can I use instant yeast?

Yes. If you want to use instant yeast, reduce the total amount of yeast by 25% and keep an eye on the dough since it may rise more quickly.

Have another question?

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!

My bread didn't rise enough.

There's quite a bit of cheese in this dough, which gives us a slightly denser loaf and makes it even more important to build strength into our dough. In this recipe, we primarily do that by folding the dough over on itself while shaping, until the dough feels stiff and begins to resist our folds. This can take some practice, so don't worry if the bread is on the flatter side the first few times! If you're new to baking, we recommend starting with our Easy Crusty Bread to get a feel for the shaping technique. We also share some of our favorite techniques for taller, stronger loaves in our free Bread Bootcamp Webinar . And of course, you can skip the learning curve entirely and let us take you through homemade bread A to Z in our Everyday Artisan Bread course - we share a ton of recipes and best practices in that course to help you get tall, airy loaves of bread!

Can I use a stand mixer?

We love mixing this dough by hand in a large bowl, but you can certainly use an electric mixer (like a KitchenAid stand mixer) fitted with the dough hook if you prefer! Just keep an eye on it as the mixer runs: Stand mixers can often trap pockets of flour on the very bottom of the bowl, which makes the mixing process take a lot longer. If your mixer feels like it's not really making progress, turn it off, remove the bowl, and flip the dough over a few times by hand to help it get back on track!

Asiago Bread (No Kneading!)

Name: No Knead Asiago Bread
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 2 h 40 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 9 grams active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons); 4 grams honey or sugar (1 teaspoon); 300 grams warm water (about 1 1/4 cups); 8 grams kosher salt (1 1/4 teaspoon); 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper; 400 grams all purpose flour (2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups), plus extra for dusting (see recipe notes); 100 grams shredded Asiago cheese (1 cup) divided (you'll save some for topping the bread)

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

Scale

9 grams active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
4 grams honey or sugar (1 teaspoon)
300 grams warm water (about 1 1/4 cups)
8 grams kosher salt (1 1/4 teaspoon)
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
400 grams all purpose flour (2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups), plus extra for dusting (see recipe notes)
100 grams shredded Asiago cheese (1 cup) divided (you'll save some for topping the bread)

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Instructions

Mix the dough (1o minutes):

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, pepper, and all purpose flour to bowl.
Add 3/4 cup of the asiago cheese to the bowl - save the extra 1/4 cup of cheese for topping the bread later!
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!

First rise (1 hour):

Cover dough with a tea towel and let rise on the counter for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Shape the dough (10 minutes):

Preheat the oven. Place an empty dutch oven (with the lid on) in your oven and heat to 460° Fahrenheit.
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. Pull each corner of the dough in towards the center (like folding an envelope) a few times, until you feel the dough tighten up and start to resist your folds. Flip the dough over and gently pull it towards yourself to tighten it into a nice round loaf. (Watch the video above to see exactly how to do this!)

Final rise (30 minutes):

Line a proofing basket or a small mixing bowl with a clean linen napkin and dust with flour. Place your loaf into the basket, seam-side down.
Cover with a tea towel and let rise another 30 minutes, until not quite doubled in size.

Bake:

Gently tip your bread dough onto a piece of parchment paper.
Sprinkle the remaining asiago cheese over the top of the bread.
Use oven mitts to pull the dutch oven out and remove the lid. VERY CAREFULLY (without burning yourself!) lift the bread loaf by the edges of the parchment, and place it into the hot dutch oven.
Put your oven mitts back on, return the dutch oven lid to the pot, and slide the whole thing back into the centermost rack of your hot oven.
Cook bread for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, use an oven mitt to remove the lid from your dutch oven. The bread should be crusty and very lightly browned.
Continue cooking the bread, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes more, until the bread has deepened in color and you have a beautiful brown crust. Carefully remove bread to a cooling rack, and let cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

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.

Great bread takes practice. Please read through the post above before you start baking - it's packed with step by step photos and our best tips for success!