No Yeast Bread with Herbs and Cheese
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Are you looking for a delicious loaf of bread without yeast? I have a no-yeast bread recipe that makes a soft yet satisfyingly dense loaf – it’s perfect for when you want a loaf without waiting around for the yeast to rise. You’ll be amazed at how straightforward and reliable this recipe is. Plus, it’s ready in just an hour, using just five staple ingredients! Let me show you how it’s done.
I’ve been making variations of this bread recipe for years. You might remember my whole wheat Irish soda bread from way back — this recipe is based on that one. It’s incredibly easy to make and welcomes different add-ins, so it never gets boring. This cheese and herb version just happens to be my favorite.
What I love about this no-yeast bread is how much flavor you get with so little effort. The golden crust is flecked with crispy, baked-on cheese, and inside you’ll find a dense yet soft crumb that’s begging for a swipe of butter. With just five pantry-staple ingredients and about an hour of mostly hands-off time, you can pull this beauty from the oven and feel very proud of yourself.
What to serve with this easy no yeast bread
This bread is great sliced thick and used for hearty open-faced sandwiches. But I love it best with soups, stews, and chilis. Here are a few of my favorite dunk worthy recipes:
WATCH: How to make bread without yeast
Easy Bread Recipe (No Yeast)
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 cups buttermilk (see notes)
- ¼ cup melted butter
Herb and Cheddar
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
- 1 ½ tablespoons Italian seasoning (or favorite dried herbs)
Olive and Feta
- ½ cup chopped black olives
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 2 teaspoons rosemary
Oat and Honey
- ½ cup oats (save a few to sprinkle on top)
- ¼ cup honey
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. (Use a bowl that is bigger than what you see in the video!)4 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon sea salt
- Pour the buttermilk and butter into the bowl and mix with a wooden spoon.2 cups buttermilk, ¼ cup melted butter
- Add the cheddar cheese and Italian seasoning and mix until they are incorporated. (You can skip this step for a plain version or add either the olive and feta or oat and honey variations.)1 cup grated cheddar cheese, 1 ½ tablespoons Italian seasoning
- Dump the dough onto a sheet of parchment paper and shape it into a ball with your hands. Using the parchment paper, lift the dough and place it into a pot. Score the top with a knife (this is so that the bread cooks properly), and put the lid onto the pot.
- Bake the bread for 45-55 minutes. When it's cooked, the crust will be golden brown, and the bread will sound hollow when you knock on the top. Lift the bread out of the pot using the parchment paper, then wait 30 minutes before slicing it.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
If you don’t have the stock pan with cover and use a cake pan or bread pan, am I still covering it with foil or something
When I’ve made this on a pan, I haven’t covered it, but the results are better in a covered pot. Covering it on a pan is a great idea!
Any ideas on using Einkorn flout? What modifications would I need to made? Thx!
It will likely make it denser as it is more similar to whole-wheat flour. But you should be able to use it.
This bread smells delicious, tastes great and is so EASY!!! Thank you for the recipe! I am trying your cashew chicken tomorrow I discovered while the bread was baking. You have a new fan! LOL
I don’t know what happened, I baked the loaf for 1 hour at 400, lid off, as the directions
didn’t mention to put lid on. Unfortunately it is not cooked in the middle, I didn’t test it
when I removed it from the oven as I make Irish soda bread all the time. My question is
could I cook it more, if so what temp and for how long? Thanks
I’m sorry, Gail. We’ve done some more recipe testing and found that we prefer this bread when it’s baked with the lid on.
Can you make this as a sweet bread using nuts and fruit?
I haven’t tried it but it should work. Just remember that the dough isn’t sweet!
I love this recipe and so does the fam! It’s such a versatile recipe that I started putting a little more cheese and adding chives to the mix. Then tried a cheddar and chopped jalapenos version. So easy to just throw together and then make the rest of dinner, thank you for sharing! 🙂
Did the herb and cheese version. My wife was amazed 🙂 lol. Very simple and very good. ty.
I’m confused. In one reply (5/13/21) you say you bake this with the lid on. Further down in an older reply (4/192020) you say you prefer to bake it with the lid off. Which method should I follow?
Sorry about the confusion. We’ve done further recipe testing and have found that the bread turns out the best when baked with the lid on.
Just made this easy Italian herb and cheese bread iny Dutch oven, perfectly wonderful! Wish I could show a picture.
do you leave the lid of the dutcg oven on or off when baking the bread
I find that baking it with the lid on gives the best results. 🙂
I made this recipe,loved it. Can you add sundried tomatoes in oil to recipe?
I think that would work! Just make sure to remove most of the oil before chopping them and adding them to the dough.
Cheese and herb version was delicious with pea soup!
I just pulled this bread out of my oven! AWESOME!!!!! I used fresh rosemary and cheddar. Turned out beautiful…….however………I am having about a dozen people over on January 1 and would like to bake it in loaf pans since the rounded shape will be a bit too hard for my older folks (of which I’m one!) to cut up. Would loaf pans work? Thanks!
Sorry for the late reply! I think it should work well!
I cannot believe how easy this is and how ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS it came out. So dense and flavorful. Made it for my family and they loved it, too!
Could his be made in a crockpot? I don’t own a dutch oven, and I just moved into a new apartment so I don’t have many pans right now.
I’ve never tried it, but I don’t think it would work. I’ve made it successfully on a baking sheet before. It doesn’t rise quite as good but the bread still turns out very nice. 🙂
Can the uncooked bread be frozen for later use? How long would you recommend freezing?
Yes! I’d recommend slicing it first to make it easier to have a piece when you want one. It will keep for 3 months if wrapped tightly in your freezer.