A no yeast bread that is super quick to prepare! With swirls of herbs and ribbons of melted cheese, this is a wonderful afternoon tea served with lashings of butter, or for dipping into soups.
I like to wedge chunks of cheese in the batter so you get lovely pockets of cheese and the lovely textured crust on top. But you could just mix it through – even faster to prepare!!
A terrific no yeast bread recipe
I don’t often bake with yeast because it requires patience for the dough to rise.
Oh, and the kneading.
I’ve actually got reasonable upper body strength. My challenge is my height. Sigh. OK, there you have it. I haven’t admitted this on my blog before but not only do I have abnormally small Baby-Hands, I am also vertically challenged.
For those of you also in the same boat, you will understand when I say that kneading is much harder for short people because the work surface is higher and you don’t get the benefit of being able to push down with your body weight.
I can’t believe I just wrote that. How embarrassing.
So. I love no yeast breads that don’t call for kneading – quick breads like this recipe, and these No Knead Dinner Rolls.
The ingredients of this no yeast bread are similar to a muffin but I altered the recipe to make it less crumbly, making it suitable to slice and even to toast. It is light, fluffy and super moist.
I like to add the herbs and slices of cheese in after pouring the batter into the bread tin so that you get “swirls” of herb and pockets of cheese in the bread, rather than almost invisible bits of herb and grated cheese all throughout which you can’t really see. But this step is optional. The easier and faster way to make this is to mix grated cheese and herb into the batter, then just pour it all into the tin.
This bread lasts quite well – really fresh for 3 days in a very airtight container, up to 4 is ok. Beyond 4 I would toast it and store it in the fridge.
Serve this as a side for meals, or for afternoon tea served with lashings of butter. It’s also fantastic for dipping into soups and slow cooked stews!
– Nagi x
More quick bread recipes
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No Yeast Cheese, Garlic and Herb Bread
Ingredients
Cheese and Herbs
- 4 tbsp fresh herbs , finely chopped (I used a mix of dill, rosemary, parsley and thyme) (Note 1)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 5 oz / 150g block cheese (cheddar or tasty), cut into 2mm / 0.1" thick slices (about 10 to 12 slices) (Note 2)
- Butter for greasing
Dry Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups buttermilk (See Note 3 for substitute)
- 2 eggs
- 2 small garlic cloves , crushed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
- Grease a bread tin (21 x 11 cm / 8" x 4") or small cake tin with butter.
- Mix the herbs and olive oil in a small bowl.
- Sift the Dry Ingredients into a bowl.
- Combine the Wet Ingredients into a bowl and whisk to combine.
- Make a well in the centre of the Dry Ingredients. Pour the Wet Ingredients in and mix until just combined.
- Pour 1/3 of the batter into the bread tin. Dollop half the herbs across the top then use a knife to "swirl" it into the batter up and down, and also turning the batter over (refer photo below).
- Use half the cheese slices and push them randomly into the batter. Push some all the way in and leave some poking out of the batter.
- Pour the remaining batter over the top. Dollop and swirl the remaining herbs, then randomly wedge in the remaining cheese, pushing most of it below the surface of the batter. Even out the surface.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden. Remove from oven and cover with foil, then bake for a further 15 to 20 minutes (total baking time of 45 to 50 minutes). Check to make sure the centre is cooked by inserting a skewer - it should come out clean.
- Turn the bread out onto a cooking rack. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting.
Recipe Notes:
1 tbsp vinegar. Set aside for 10 minutes until the surface of the milk curdles. Then use the milk, including the curdled bits, as the buttermilk in this recipe. 4. Store in an airtight container for 3 days (4+ days, keep it in the fridge and toast to freshen up). 5. Nutrition per serving.
Nutrition Information:
If you enjoyed this recipe, I think you’ll LOVE my Cheese & Garlic Crack Bread!
Haha, Nagi I hear you. At 5ft im also vertically challenged and avoid recipes where I have to knead long so this was perfect for me and very easy to follow. Recommend to other shorties (or anyone else for that matter) to go for it!
I just made this load of bread and it was simply amazing. I can’t wait to make it again for tomorrow when friends will be over for dinner. Thank you so much for sharing all your great recipes! Cheers****
Nagi, Is it correct that there is no butter or oil in the actual dough?
Plain flour…. Is it all purpose or self rising?
Hi Natalie – plain flour is the same as all-purpose. If it calls for self-rising (self-raising) then I will say that in the recipe. N x
This was delicious and the recipe worked perfectly!
Has anyone made this with sliced green olives and peppers?
What about 2% LF Greek yogurt in place of buttermilk? Is it a 1:1 rato?
Great recipe! Thanks, Nagi.
Hey I made this delicious bread and found it too salty for my liking. Do you have to have salt in the recipe?
Hello! Do you have the metric measurements for this recipe? Thank you!
Hi Vanessa – almost all of my recipes have a toggle button at the top for metric or cups. N x
Fantastic!
I used gluten free flour and made my buttermilk with evaporated milk. So 😋 yummy!
I am so glad you enjoyed it Janet! N x
Made this yesterday and like every Nagi recipe I’ve tried so far, it worked a treat. As I am baking in a toaster oven and it can be a bit unpredictable, I was a little concerned the centre may not be cooked thoroughly, so a put in back in for an extra 10 minutes at a slightly lower 160 and there were no problems. Next time I think I’ll trust the process and not worry about the extra time.
Hi Nagi, I’d just like to thank you for your absolutely brilliant recipes. Yours is without a doubt my most trusted online recipe hub, you write beautifully and provide the additional details other sites leave out. I cook from online recipes several times a week & very rarely go past one of yours when available. At my 50th in 2019 I included one wet dish to compliment the tapas / finger food menu which was your Asian Beef bowls served over rice. Needless to say it was a huge hit with my 110 guests & I’ve shared that recipe repeatedly. I’m about to make the cheese garlic & herb bread & know it will be amazing!! Thanks so much for all of your work & research that makes cooking your food an absolute joy. Cheers Georgia-Lee
Yummo! Will definitely be making this again. Went perfectly with Pumpkin Soup tonight. Warm tummies all around. Might cut down on the herbs next time though. 🙂
Very tasty, but, when I removed it from the oven it went flat! It was still very tasty with Leek and Potato soup. Any idea why it went flat?
Oh no, do you mean it sunk Debbie? N x
i have used full fat natural greek yoghurt instead of buttermilk, worked well and found it to be a bit lighter.
I have used full fat natural greek yoghurt instead of buttermilk, it gives it a lighter texture.
! cup is 128 grammes
Lovely bread recipe
Can you make this with marmite/vegimite?
Hi would you be able to do a conversion table. I’m in the UK and love your Recipies but struggle with what a cup amount is in both dry and wet ingredients. Thanks.
Hi Sharon, sorry this is one of my older recipes, I’ll get the metric measurements on there (all my new ones have a toggle where it’s easily converted) N x
Hi Nagi, this recipe sounds delicious! I’m hoping to make this for my family soon, but my sister can’t eat cheese. I’m wondering if I can omit the cheese and use just the garlic and herbs instead? Thanks!
Hi there. Can this recipe be altered to make buns vs a loaf for a quicker bake time?