This Asiago Cheese Bread recipe comes to you from my friend at Bella's Breadbox. Made in a Dutch Oven, it's full of flavor, soft on the inside and has the perfect crisp crust.
I can't very well serve you all of the salads we've been making this week without a delicious, rustic, crusty loaf of bread to go along with them!
And this bread, my friends, is not to be missed!
Inspiration
My dear friend Elizabeth of Bella's Breadbox has done it again.
Remember her story about how she became the amazing baker that she is, and her oh-so-yummy Bittersweet Chocolate Coconut Bread (below)?
This Asiago bread is every bit as delicious as that one was.
Just look at it! Not easily forgotten, I know.
We are so fortunate that she is sharing her Aisago Cheese Bread with Cooking On The Weekends today! It's beautiful and incredibly tasty.
What's in this recipe?
- Asiago cheese
- bread flour
- salt, pepper
- yeast
- water
- cornmeal
That's it!
So here's the plan. . .
Winter Persimmon Salad with Honey Glazed Pistachios would be delicious with this bread.
Then, start Elizabeth's Asiago Cheese Bread recipe.
Oh, and please call your friends and/or family and invite them to partake in all of this deliciousness! (Maybe one of your guests will bring the wine and dessert?)
A big XO to Elizabeth and Bella for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Elizabeth's notes on Asiago Cheese Bread
I like moist bread, plus my oven runs hot, so my initial bake is for 24 minutes, with the lid on, and then another 10 minutes with the lid off.
For the first rise for Asiago bread, I always go the full 18 hours for a more intense flavor.
Oh and of course sweet Bella of Bella's Breadbox sends her love. (We better get her some bread. And fast! ;-))
We hope you love this Asiago bread as much as we all do!

Asiago Cheese Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups bread flour
- 2 cups Asiago cheese, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon table salt (not kosher salt)
- ¾ teaspoon instant or other active dry yeast
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1⅓ cups cool water
- wheat bran or cornmeal for dusting
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the flour, cheese, salt, yeast and pepper. Add the water and use a wooden spoon, or your hand, to mix until you have a wet and sticky dough, about 30 seconds. Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature until the surface is dotted with bubbles, and the dough is more than doubled in size,12 to 18 hours.
- When the first rise is complete, generously dust a work surface with flour. Use a bowl scraper or rubber spatula to scrape the dough out of the bowl in one piece. Use lightly floured hands to lift the edges of the dough in towards the center. Nudge and tuck in the floured hands to lift the edges of the dough in towards the center. Nudge and tuck in the edges of the dough to make it round.
- Place a tea towel on your work surface and generously dust it with cornmeal flour or wheat bran. Gently place the dough on the towel, seam side down. If the dough is tacky, dust the top lightly. Fold the ends of the tea towel over the dough to cover it. Place in a warm, draft-free spot to rise for 1 to 2 hours. The dough is ready when it's almost doubled in size. (If you gently poke it with your finger, if should hold the impression. If it springs back, let it rise for another 15 minutes.)
- Half an hour before the end of the second rise, preheat the oven to 475 degrees F with a rack in the middle. Place a covered 4 to 5 quart heavy pot on the rack to preheat. (I use a 5-quart Dutch Oven.)
- Use pot holders to carefully remove the preheated pot from the oven and uncover it. Unfold the tea towel and quickly but gently invert the dough into the pot, seam side up. Use caution -- the pot will be very hot! Cover the pot and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove the lid and continue baking until the bread is a deep chestnut color, about 15 to 30 minutes. Use a heatproof spatula or pot holders to gently lift the bread out of the pot and place it on a rack to cool thoroughly, about 1 hour.
Notes
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Lana
It;s enough just to look at the crust on that bread to know that it's amazing! Thanks to your friend for the wonderful recipe (baking bread is like therapy for me and I love trying out new ideas:)
valentina
I feel the same way Lana. Thanks you so much for the comment. 🙂
Tilly
Love how crusty and cheese this bread is!
valentina
Thanks! It's all Elizabeth. 🙂
Cathy
I love trying new bread recipes and always searching for something totally new, this one made the cut! LOL Looks delicious, can't wait to try it!
valentina
Yay! Happy to hear it. Hope you love it. 🙂
Lisa Huff
Asiago is one of my favorite cheeses! Can't beat it in bread!
valentina
Agree. Thank you!
Jillian
This cheese bread looks absolutely incredible, like it came from a bakery!
valentina
Thanks Jillian! Yes, my friend Elizabeth is the best! 🙂