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Gluten-Free Cheddar Cheese Bread

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on May 24, 2019

Time

1¼ hours, plus 1 hour cooling

Yield

Makes 1 loaf

Gluten-Free Cheddar Cheese Bread

Ingredients

3 ounces (85 grams) Parmesan cheese, grated on large holes of box grater (1 cup)12 ½ ounces (354 grams/2 ¾ cups) America's Test Kitchen All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour Blend 1 tablespoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt ⅛ teaspoon pepper ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper 4 ounces (113 grams) extra-sharp cheddar cheese, cut into ½-inch cubes (1 cup)1 ¼ cups sour cream 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Before You Begin

A mild, soft Asiago cheese, crumbled into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces, is a nice substitute for the cheddar. Grate the Parmesan on the large holes of a box grater; do not grate it fine or use pregrated Parmesan. The texture of the bread improves as it cools, so resist the urge to slice the loaf while it is piping hot.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 81/2 by 41/2-inch loaf pan with vegetable spray, then sprinkle 1/2 cup Parmesan evenly in bottom of pan.
  2. Whisk flour blend, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pepper, and cayenne together in large bowl. Stir in cheddar, breaking up any clumps, until coated with flour mixture. In separate bowl, whisk together sour cream, melted butter, and eggs until smooth. Using rubber spatula, stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture until thoroughly combined (batter will be heavy and thick).
  3. Scrape batter into prepared pan, smooth top, and sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan evenly over loaf. Bake until deep golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking.
  4. Transfer to wire rack and let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove loaf from pan and let cool on rack for at least 1 hour before serving. (Once cooled, bread can be wrapped in double layer of plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 1 day. To serve, warm in 300-degree oven for 10 minutes.
Gluten-Free Cheddar Cheese Bread
Styling by Marie Piraino.

Gluten-Free Cheddar Cheese Bread

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Time

1¼ hours, plus 1 hour cooling

Yield

Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients

3 ounces (85 grams) Parmesan cheese, grated on large holes of box grater (1 cup)
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 ounces (113 grams) extra-sharp cheddar cheese, cut into ½-inch cubes (1 cup)
1 ¼ cups sour cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

3 ounces (85 grams) Parmesan cheese, grated on large holes of box grater (1 cup)
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 ounces (113 grams) extra-sharp cheddar cheese, cut into ½-inch cubes (1 cup)
1 ¼ cups sour cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

3 ounces (85 grams) Parmesan cheese, grated on large holes of box grater (1 cup)
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 ounces (113 grams) extra-sharp cheddar cheese, cut into ½-inch cubes (1 cup)
1 ¼ cups sour cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

These loaves are typically dense, so we knew we were going to rely heavily on leaveners. Baking powder alone wasn’t enough to give this springy dough the right lift, but the addition of a small amount of baking soda did the trick. Tangy sour cream along with cayenne and ground black pepper complemented the sharp cheddar perfectly. 

Before You Begin

A mild, soft Asiago cheese, crumbled into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces, is a nice substitute for the cheddar. Grate the Parmesan on the large holes of a box grater; do not grate it fine or use pregrated Parmesan. The texture of the bread improves as it cools, so resist the urge to slice the loaf while it is piping hot.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 81/2 by 41/2-inch loaf pan with vegetable spray, then sprinkle 1/2 cup Parmesan evenly in bottom of pan.
  2. Whisk flour blend, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pepper, and cayenne together in large bowl. Stir in cheddar, breaking up any clumps, until coated with flour mixture. In separate bowl, whisk together sour cream, melted butter, and eggs until smooth. Using rubber spatula, stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture until thoroughly combined (batter will be heavy and thick).
  3. Scrape batter into prepared pan, smooth top, and sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan evenly over loaf. Bake until deep golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking.
  4. Transfer to wire rack and let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove loaf from pan and let cool on rack for at least 1 hour before serving. (Once cooled, bread can be wrapped in double layer of plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 1 day. To serve, warm in 300-degree oven for 10 minutes.

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