Bacon Cheddar Bread
Filled with crumbled bacon and cubes of cheddar cheese, this no-knead Bacon Cheddar Bread is a fantastic way to enjoy fresh bread at home!
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In the words of my blog friend Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop, “I’ve never met a bread that I didn’t love.” Truth. I love bread. I love baking it. I love eating it. There is just something so alluring and intoxicating about the smell of fresh bread baking in the oven! Heck, even stale bread can be turned into something tasty – like panzanella.
However, when that freshly baked loaf of homemade bread also involves crumbled bacon and cubed cheddar cheese? That’s it. I’m in heaven! This Bacon Cheddar bread is packed (and I mean packed!) with bacon and cheese. I don’t even have the words to describe how much flavor is in this bread!
Bacon Cheddar Bread
The inspiration for this Bacon Cheddar Bread comes from our local grocery store. They have a good bakery department, and one of their specialty breads is…you guessed it…Bacon Cheddar Bread. I occasionally pick up a loaf of that bread when doing my weekly shopping trip, and I swear that loaf never lasts more than 2-3 days. I eat it plain while it’s fresh. Then I use for sandwiches. Then when it starts to dry out, I butter it and toast it lightly. And the next thing I know, it’s gone.
Since I don’t have that grocery store’s recipe, I set out to make my own version of this delicious bread. The bacon and cheese are obvious. I used way more bacon in this loaf than the grocery store uses in theirs…but more bacon is more better, right? I went with about ~10-12 oz. of bacon which got cooked and crumbled into this bread dough.
For the cheese, I selected Cabot’s medium sharp cheddar cheese. Instead of shredding that cheese like I did in this Cheesy Everything Bread, I kept the cheese in cubes. That’s what led to those really cool pockets of cheese that you see when you slice into this bread. (And the slightly crispy cubes of cheese that were on the outside of the loaf? Amazing!!)
Ok, so we’ve got the bacon and cheese covered, but what about the bread itself? I decided to keep it simple. I went with one of my favorites – a no-knead white bread that gets baked in a Dutch oven. All you have to do is stir the flour, water, salt and yeast together and let it rise. You do need to fold the bread a couple of times, but that literally takes 1-2 minutes. Other than that, the hardest part is not eating all of the bacon and cheese before it goes into the dough!
We enjoyed slices of this bread while it was still fresh from the oven – I’m pretty sure I could’ve made quick work of this entire loaf if I was willing to ride my bike an extra 4 hours! However, I maintained (some) self control and saved the rest of the slices for sandwiches. Hint: Scramble an egg and put it on a lightly toasted piece of this bread. Trust me.
All in all, this Bacon Cheddar Bread was fairly easy to make. I told Laura that I won’t be buying that loaf from the grocery store anymore. It’s homemade all the way from here on out! I hope you enjoy this bread as much as we do here. Happy baking!
Did you make a loaf of this Bacon Cheddar Bread at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog) – I’d love to see your version!
Bacon Cheddar Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups warm water
- 2¼ tsp active dry yeast
- 4½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ tsp salt
- 10 pieces bacon cooked and crumbled
- 8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese cut into ½” cubes
- cornmeal for dusting parchment paper
Instructions
- Using a small bowl, add warm water and yeast; stir until well combined. (Note: The water should be warm to the touch, but not hot.) Let mixture sit for 5 minutes.
- Using a large mixing bowl, add flour and salt; stir until well combined.
- Pour yeast mixture into mixing bowl; stir with a wooden spoon until well combined. (Note: The dough should come together. It will be slightly sticky, but if the dough stubbornly sticks to the side of the bowl, add 2-3 more tablespoons of flour. If dough feels too dry, add 1 more tablespoon of water.)
- Cover bowl and let dough rise until it approximately doubles in size (~1½-2 hours).
- Transfer dough to a floured work surface. Pat dough out into a flat disc. Fold dough into thirds, similar to how you might fold a letter. Rotate dough 90° and repeat process.
- Transfer dough back into bowl, cover and let rise until approximately doubled in size (~1-1½ more hours).
- Transfer dough back to a floured work surface. Gently press air out of dough. Place bacon crumbles and cheese cubes on top of dough and fold dough several times until bacon and cheese are incorporated into the dough.
- Generously sprinkle cornmeal onto a piece of parchment paper. Shape the dough into a ball and place onto parchment paper. Place dough (on parchment paper) back into mixing bowl.
- Cover bowl and let dough rest for 30-40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450°F. Place a covered enameled Dutch oven into the oven as it preheats.
- Remove Dutch oven from oven.
- Uncover dough. Using a sharp knife, score dough lightly. (Note: I like to make 4 cuts in a square on top of the dough. Each cut is ~½” deep into the dough.)
- Lift parchment paper with dough on it out of mixing bowl and carefully lower them into the hot Dutch oven.
- Cover Dutch oven and place in oven. Bake for 45 minutes.
- Remove cover from Dutch oven and continue baking for 5-10 more minutes or until top of bread is golden brown in color. (Tip: If you have an instant read thermometer, remove the bread from the oven once it reaches 200°F.)
- Let bread cool before slicing.
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Cant wait to make this soon can i use mushrooms and vegan cheese i never had bacon cheddar bread before perfect for my after office snacks love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
Making this on sat first thing as soon as i wake up in the morning and will be using vegan tuna and cheese for this and will use my air fryer for this
Hey Ramya! Tuna would be an interesting way to mix this recipe up a bit. (Make sure to refrigerate any leftovers!) Just make sure to pat the tuna down so that it doesn’t contain too much liquid before you add it to the dough. (For the same reason, I don’t recommend mushrooms here as I think they would contain too much liquid for a bread like this.) Let me know how it turns out!
Yep, like Kathy, I love all sorts of bread. There’s nothing quite as satisfying as making (and then devouring) homemade bread, is there? And this one with bacon and cheddar? Whoa! Sounds and looks so so good, and I bet it would be awesome used in a sandwich! I’m pretty sure I could polish off the entire loaf myself!!
You said it, Dawn – there is just something so calming and satisfying about watching a dough rise, baking it and then of course eating a warm slice of homemade bread. But then go and add bacon and cheddar? Count me in!! And I have it on good advice that this bread makes for fantastic sandwiches. 🙂
Well I certainly love this bread! I can see it with eggs, with chili, for sandwiches…. It’s flavorful and versatile.
Yes! This bread can be used in so many ways, Mimi. It’s fantastic when it’s fresh, but you can lightly toast it for sandwiches – oh man, SO good!! 🙂
You know me well!!! The second I saw this recipe, I was already thinking, “Oh, that looks amazing!” All that cheese and BACON!!! You know what I’ll be baking today, bacon cheddar bread! Can’t wait!!!
Haha – you and I definitely share the bread-baking love, Kathy. I truly don’t mind breads that are “harder” to make, but this one is so darned easy. And it’s so darned delicious, too! Definitely put it on the list to make!!
There is nothing better than homemade bread and this one with bacon and cheddar sounds incredible. Perfect with soup and I’d love it toasted and slathered with butter alongside a fried egg for breakfast too!
Toasted with butter and a fried egg? You just described my lunch for like a whole week when I made this bread, Marissa. (Yes, I love an egg and toast for lunch…call me strange!) Now I need to make another loaf!!
Unfortunately, I’ve never met a bread that I didn’t love. And quite often. That’s usually store-bought breads that are claimed to be baked in their own bakeries – and their quality isn’t always on point. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s decent, but sometimes it’s just not right (Like underbaked, gummy!) But as you mentioned, it’s quite easy to fix even an average bread.
I don’t see anything I would like to change in this bead though. It’s perfect. Great texture, amazing crust. Plus it’s loaded with cheese and bacon – so no complaints! 🙂
I’m with ya there, Ben – it had to be a pretty bad bread for me not to love it! And I’m with ya on the store-bought breads. Did you know one of the tricks they use is the in-store bakeries like to say “Baked fresh in store.” That’s true…except what they don’t tell you is the bread is made somewhere else and brought in unbaked and frozen. All they do is stick it in the oven. Ah, but I digress here!
This bread? It’s perfect! The only thing I could see doing next time would be adding in some dried Italian seasonings. Yum!
We love bread in our house too David, and I generally make sourdough these days, however this loaf looks so fast in comparison. I might make this one for a change. Self control is very difficult when it comes to homemade bread. Love the cheese and bacon combo.
Hey Pauline! We definitely went through a sourdough phase for a long time there. But then I kinda forgot about my starter, and it floated to the back of the fridge…and now it’s no more. Oops. I need to get another starter!
This one is fantastic. It doesn’t have the sourdough “tang,” but this bread is fantastic! I hope you give it a try!
Wow! At first, thought it was a bacon cheddar with sourdough bread. I love sourdough bread but, was more excited to find it was a no knead white bread. Makes it’s easier. This would be great with hearty soups and stews.
Velva- Evening with A Sandwich
I do love sourdough bread! But you’re right, this one is even easier thanks to the no-knead white bread. There is so much flavor going on here – and it makes for fantastic sandwiches! Thanks so much, Velva!!
i’m not a massive bread fan but anything with bacon … Hubby and i are not eating it lately for health reasons but oh i do miss bacon!! Your bread looks lovely.
I totally understand about avoiding bacon right now, Sherry. It’s tough to walk past bacon without nibbling on it. Same goes for homemade bread. So when that homemade bread involves bacon? Yeah, it’s downright impossible to ignore!! Good thing looks are free, right? 🙂
Honestly I wont need anything with that bread, looks good already on its own
Haha – I could make a meal out of this bread, too, Raymund!!
Eh Dave, We will try it with the dry Italian seasoning in it.
Yes, that would be a great addition, Teddy!
I used a strong white NY cheddar and added Italian seasoning too…. SOooo worth it. Definitely will be making this bread again band doing other variations of it too …. Like a berry dessert version.
Hello again, Teddy! This bread truly is delicious…and remarkably easy, too. I like your idea of making a sweeter version. That would make for some pretty fantastic toast with butter in the morning!!
This bread is crazy ridiculous! More bacon is definitely “more better.” I can’t imagine how amazing the aroma in your kitchen is while baking in your oven. I think I’ll probably be obsessed with this recipe as soon as I make it. Love your recipes!! ❤️
This bread is truly one of my favorites, Kristy! It’s no-fuss…and it tastes great! I’ve been thinking about getting back in the kitchen and using this recipe as a base for other bread flavors. Maybe some herbed bread? Or I’ve seen some breads here in local bakeries with walnuts and dried cranberries. I’m intrigued – especially if you slice that and use it for turkey sandwiches! Either way, happy baking, my friend!
What can i use if I don’t have a covered enamel dutch oven pan?
Hey Susan! That’s a good question. I’ve never tried it myself, but I’ve heard you can use a large stockpot or saucepan…but you do want to confirm that the cookware is safe up to 460 degrees. Alternatively, I read this article a while back, too. I’d like to try out this option as it’s inexpensive and it sounds pretty cool – but I haven’t tried it myself yet.
https://www.bonappetit.com/story/bake-bread-without-a-dutch-oven
Let me know how it turns out!
So I made this recipe in two variations, one with and one without jalapenos. Both were amazing. Since I made them on Saturday and its now Tuesday, they are going into the fridge today but anything left over after Thursday will be cubed and baked on a low temp to make croutons or breadcrumbs. So delicious!
I’m so glad you enjoy this bread! It’s definitely one of our favorites around here, too. And that’s a great idea to turn the leftovers into breadcrumbs/croutons. I need to do that next time I bake a loaf!