Italian Herbs & Cheese Bread is a soft, easy to make homemade bread bursting with fresh flavors! Herbs and cheese combine in this incredible savory bread recipe.
This Italian herbs and cheese bread is a savory combination of flavors blended together in a soft and light wreath that looks as great as it tastes. Serve it up for holidays, dinner parties, or a fancy weeknight dinner.
What is Italian herbs and cheese bread?
This herbs and cheese bread is a fantastic white bread packed with flavor. Like seasoned bread rolls packed with parmesan cheese, garlic, and herbs like parsley, thyme, basil, and sage you know this bread is going to be as flavorful as it is gorgeous to behold. With the unique wreath shape catching your eye and the flavors bursting in the first bite, every part of this Italian herb and cheese bread recipe is something you’ll want to repeat over and over again.
Herb cheese bread ingredients
-Flour: We need 3 1/2- 4 cups of all-purpose flour for the base of this bread recipe. The actual amount of flour needed will vary.
-Milk: We need 3/4 cups of warm milk (no hotter than 110 degrees F) to help us activate the yeast and add fluffy texture into the bread.
-Yeast: We will need 1 package (.25oz) of fast-acting dry yeast to help our bread with leavening.
-Salt: This is a flavor enhancer and 1 teaspoon of salt will really help to make this bread recipe turn out incredible.
-Honey: Adding in a little sweetness to feed the yeast and make the bread taste even better is 2 tablespoons of honey.
-Eggs: 3 room temperature eggs will bind the bread together and give it great flavor. You can warm eggs quickly by placing them in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes.
-Butter: We will need 6 tablespoons of softened butter to go into the bread recipe and more for brushing on the top (this will give it a nice golden color too).
-Parmesan cheese: 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese will make this bread taste incredible and cheesy.
-Garlic: With two cloves of finely chopped garlic we can really add a lot of flavor into every bite.
-Parsley: Using 1/3 cup of finely chopped fresh parsley will add green to the bread and give it a stronger Italian flavor.
-Basil: We want 2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh basil to help flavor our bread.
-Thyme: One tablespoon of finely chopped fresh thyme will make help to give a little earthy flavor.
-Sage: With one tablespoon of finely chopped fresh sage we can finish off the Italian herb combination and make every slice of bread feel complete.
How to make Italian herbs and cheese bread
Here’s what you need to do:
Make the bread dough
Whisk together the yeast, honey, and warm milk in a large bowl. Whisk in the eggs. Add in one cup of flour and then whisk again.
Add in two tablespoons of the softened butter. Add in another cup of flour and the salt, whisking until the flour is incorporated.
Continue adding in the flour, a little bit at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl when stirred.
Knead & Then First Rise
Knead the dough for about 5-8 minutes, or until a smooth dough forms.
Place the dough into a greased bowl and then cover the dough and allow it to rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 1 hour).
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
Prepare Herbs & Add to Bread Dough
Finely chop the herbs. In a small bowl, combine the remaining butter, garlic, herbs, and parmesan cheese.
Place your dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it for a short while. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle and then spread the herb butter over the top.
Shape the Dough
Roll the dough tightly to form a log.
Using a sharp knife, cut the log lengthwise, leaving the last inch of the dough intact on one end.
Twist the two strands around themselves, and then form into a wreath. Pinch the ends of the bread to seal.
Carefully transfer the bread to your parchment-lined baking sheet.
2nd Rise
Cover the wreath loosely with plastic wrap. Let stand until soft and nearly doubled in size (about 30 minutes).
Bake & Enjoy!
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Bake your bread for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.
Brush the top of the bread with more melted butter. Enjoy!
Garlic Herb and Cheese Bread
Ingredients
- 3 1/2-4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup milk lukewarm
- .25 oz fast-acting dry yeast 2.25 teaspoons
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 eggs room temperature
- 6 tablespoons butter, softened + additional butter to brush the surface
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage finely chopped
Instructions
Make Bread Dough
- In a large bowl, whisk the yeast, honey, and warm milk together. Whisk in the eggs.
- Add one cup of flour, whisk. Add 2 tablespoons of the softened butter. Add another cup of flour, and salt, then whisk until all the flour is incorporated. Continue adding flour, a bit at a time, until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl when stirred.
- Continue kneading for about 5-8 minutes, until a smooth dough forms.
1st Rise
- Place the dough in a greased bowl. Cover the dough and let rise in a warm place for one hour or until doubled in size. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Finely chop the herbs. In a small bowl, combine the remaining butter, garlic, herbs, and parmesan.
Spread Dough with Herbs
- Place the dough on a lightly floured surface & knead for 3-4 minutes. Roll the dough out to a large rectangle. Spread the herb butter over the top.
- Roll up the dough tightly to form a log. Using a sharp knife, cut the log longwise, leaving the last inch of the dough intact on one end. Twist the two strands around themselves, then form a wreath. Pinch ends to seal.
2nd Rise & Bake
- Carefully transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover the wreath loosely with plastic, then let it stand until soft and nearly doubled in volume, about 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven & let cool for 10-15 minutes. Brush the top of the bread with butter & enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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How long is herb and cheese bread good for?
If properly stored in an airtight container at room temperature this bread can last about 3-5 days. That’s assuming it doesn’t get eaten first, as this bread is far too tasty to leave alone for that long!
Do I have to shape the bread into a wreath?
No, you don’t have to, but it does look nice! You can just as easily leave it as a twisted bread on the baking sheet (like challah bread) or tuck the ends and place it in a large bread pan to bake into a loaf. Keep a close eye on the time though as the baking times may vary with the different presentation methods. Your bread should look golden brown on top, sound hollow when tapped, and should register about 200 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.
Can I use dried herbs instead of fresh ones?
Absolutely! If using dry herbs instead of fresh, I recommend reducing the amount used to teaspoons instead of tablespoons as the dried herbs will be much more concentrated and strong in flavor and we don’t want to overwhelm our taste buds.
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This Italian herbs and cheese bread is a savory combination of flavors blended together in a soft and light wreath that looks as great as it tastes. Serve it up for holidays, dinner parties, or a fancy weeknight dinner.
Italian Herbs & Cheese Bread is a soft, easy to make homemade bread bursting with fresh flavors! Herbs and cheese combine in this incredible savory bread recipe.
RaRa says
This looks so, so DELICIOUS. Is there a way to make it without eggs? (We have egg allergies.)
Jessica says
I’m honestly not sure that this bread would turn out well if you omitted the eggs- it helps it have a wonderful soft, feathery texture.