This savory quick bread is a flavorful and cheesy herbed quick bread, which means it’s made without yeast. You’ll cut cold butter into dry ingredients, which is the same technique used to make scones, pie crust, and biscuits—this helps promise a deliciously flaky exterior. I usually make it with asiago or parmesan cheese and fresh basil and parsley. Use your favorite cheeses, herbs, and even swap out the sun-dried tomatoes for corn, olives, bacon, and more. See flavor options below.
I originally published this recipe in 2021 and have since added new photos and more success tips.
A savory bake, but without a big time commitment! You’ll appreciate that this versatile recipe delivers big as a bread and that there’s no dough rising or overly complicated steps required.
One reader, Megan, commented: “This might be my favorite bread recipe of yours! All of your recipes are so good so it’s a tough call, but this bread is delicious!! It was so quick and easy to make. And heavenly to eat! I am making this again! ★★★★★”
Savory Quick Bread Details
- Flavor: The flavor in today’s bread can really be whatever you make it. The batter is very forgiving and we’ve tried it with plenty of add-ins including bacon, olives, feta cheese, and more. The base flavor is buttery and savory, with a hint of fresh pepper and garlic (feel free to add more!). Nutty parmesan or asiago cheese fits right in if you want to try either of those first.
- Texture: It may be difficult to wrap your head around a savory quick bread, especially when you’re used to banana bread and orange cranberry bread. But despite its loaf shape, this quick bread isn’t really like either. The bread’s crumb is more similar to cornbread—though there’s no cornmeal in the batter—and its exterior reminds me of biscuits or scones. It’s soft, moist, and slightly dense.
- Ease: This is a quick and easy recipe, but the butter step could be new to some beginner bakers. A pastry cutter or food processor makes this step quicker and more manageable.
Plus, it’s wonderful as a side dish for most dinners including soup, chili, chicken meatballs, lemon salmon, and more.
Recipe Testing This Savory Quick Bread
When I began working on this recipe back in 2021, I started by using olive oil as the fat in the batter. The resulting texture was too cake-like—honestly, it was just a confusing piece of bread because the texture screamed “sweet!” but the flavor was salty. It didn’t go over well with many taste testers, either. I tried melted butter, but the results were mediocre at best—still a lot of that contradicting flavor and texture.
Like a salty piece of cake. It was odd!
*Cut in Cold Butter: Using the same amount of butter but adding it in a different way was the fix the bread (and all of us!) craved. The texture had an instant improvement. Oh, the magic of butter. Make sure it’s extra cold and work the butter into the dry ingredients until coarse crumbs form, just like we do with pie crust and biscuits.
Here are all of the ingredients you need for the pictured loaf:
After you cut the butter into the dry ingredients, mix in the cheese and add-ins (I use sun-dried tomatoes), then mix in your wet ingredients. The batter is thick, chunky, and sticky. You cannot bake this batter on a baking sheet because it’s quite loose. For a savory drop biscuit with similar flavors, try my zucchini biscuits.
(And for other pan options, see the recipe Notes below.)
Since first publishing the recipe in 2021, one tweak I’ve added is pouring a bit of melted butter over the batter before baking. This is something I picked up after working on a beer bread recipe for my cookbook Sally’s Baking 101.
It adds the most delightful crisp-crunchy exterior:
You can bake this bread in a 9×5-inch loaf pan or an 8.5×4.5-inch loaf pan (what I used here).
Flavor Options
Think of this bread as having 3 add-ins including (1) cheese, (2) herbs, and (3) extras like sun-dried tomatoes. You can swap and substitute your favorites as long as you stick with the base recipe including buttermilk, eggs, flour, baking powder & soda, sugar, salt & pepper, and cold butter. Here are some variations:
- Herbs: I recommend 1/4 cup of chopped fresh basil and parsley here, but feel free to substitute your favorite herb. If you’re using a fresh herb that isn’t leafy (such as rosemary or thyme), reduce the amount to 1 Tablespoon. If using dried herbs, reduce to 1 teaspoon.
- Shredded Cheese: Asiago cheese is a favorite here (and in asiago-crusted skillet bread), but I also love this batter with parmesan cheese, crumbled feta cheese, sharp cheddar, white cheddar, gouda, and pepper jack. Avoid super-soft cheeses. You can leave out the cheese if you’d like, but you’ll lose some flavor. If skipping the cheese, add extras like another few Tablespoons of chopped sun-dried tomatoes or any of the other options described in Extras next.
- Extras: I stick with 1/3 cup of chopped sun-dried tomatoes because this amount adds enough flavor without overpowering the bread. If you want to use other extras, you could definitely increase that amount to about 3/4–1 cup and use chopped or sliced olives, corn (cooked or canned, and if using frozen, thaw first), finely chopped pepperoni, or chopped cooked bacon. 1 finely diced jalapeño is another great option and would pair wonderfully with cheddar cheese and 1 Tablespoon of fresh oregano as the herb. I haven’t tested this with wetter additions like roasted red peppers, but if you do, use about 1/2 cup chopped and pat it dry with a towel before adding to the batter.
Any of these extras would be great in these savory ham and cheese scones, too!
For a yeasted bread using similar flavors, try this rosemary garlic pull apart bread or this homemade cheese bread. Both have been extremely popular.
Print
Savory Cheese Quick Bread
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This is a cheesy savory quick bread made without yeast. We usually make it as written, but you can use your favorite cheeses, herbs, and even swap out the sun-dried tomatoes for corn, olives, chopped cooked bacon, and more. See flavor options described above.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (240ml) cold buttermilk*
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 Tablespoon (12g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup (6g) chopped fresh basil or parsley (or 2 Tbsp each)
- 5 Tablespoons (71g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1 and 1/2 cups (190g) shredded asiago or parmesan cheese*
- 1/3 cup (50g) chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes*
- optional for topping: 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9×5-inch or 8.5×4.5-inch loaf pan with butter or nonstick spray.
- Whisk the buttermilk and eggs together until combined.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, garlic powder, sugar, salt, pepper, and basil/parsley together in a large bowl or pulse together in a large food processor. Add the cubed butter and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or by pulsing several times in the processor. Cut/pulse until coarse crumbs form. If you used a food processor, pour the mixture into a large bowl.
- Stir in the cheese and sun-dried tomatoes until combined, then pour in the buttermilk mixture and stir to combine. Batter is thick, chunky, and sticky.
- Pour/spread batter into prepared pan. Pour melted butter evenly over the top, if using. (Adds wonderful flavor and texture on the final bread.)
- Bake for about 50–60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Start checking at about 45 minutes. If using an 8.5×4.5-inch pan, the bake time is closer to 60 minutes. Halfway through bake time, if you notice the top is quickly browning, tent a piece of aluminum foil over the loaf pan to help the bread bake more evenly.
- Cool bread in the pan set on a cooling rack for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving, or cool completely in the pan.
- Cover leftovers tightly and store bread at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Baked and cooled bread freezes well up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×5-inch Loaf Pan or 8.5×4.5-inch Loaf Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Food Processor | Pastry Cutter | Silicone Spatula | Cooling Rack
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk is required for this recipe. You can make your own DIY buttermilk substitute by measuring 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar in a measuring glass. Add enough milk (whole milk is best—lower-fat or nondairy milks work in a pinch, but the baked good won’t taste as moist or rich) in the same measuring glass to reach 1 cup. Stir it and let sit for 5 minutes. The soured milk will be somewhat curdled and ready to use in your recipe.
- Garlic: Feel free to skip the garlic powder and replace with 3 cloves of minced garlic.
- Do not leave out the sugar. You really need it to balance out the robust salty and savory flavors; the flavor is quite flat without it.
- Cheese & Herbs: For other flavor options such as a replacement for the asiago cheese or if you want to use dried herbs or other fresh herbs, see details above.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes: Use sun-dried tomatoes that are packed in oil. Drain before using. No need to pat dry, but try to avoid getting a lot of excess oil in the batter. We found dry sun-dried tomatoes dried out the texture of the bread.
- Muffins or Other Size Pans: Feel free to bake this batter in a greased or lined muffin pan to yield about 12 muffins. Prepare batter as directed, then use the same baking instructions as banana muffins. (Steps 1 and 3.) You can also bake this batter in a greased 9-inch square baking pan or a seasoned 9-inch or 10-inch cast-iron skillet. Bake time at 350°F (177°C) is at least 25 minutes, but use a toothpick to test for doneness.
Reader Comments and Reviews
This bread was perfect! Toasted, it doesn’t even need butter. Now, I have to make one for our neighbor
I can’t get asiago cheese in the UK. From what I read, pecorino or parmesan sre the best substitutes but what do you recommend. Thank you
Hi SNL, see the “Flavor Options” sections of the blog post above for more cheese options!
So quantity of parmesan is? In grams please. I imagine it’s not 1 cup given size of grain/strength unless I’m misunderstanding
Do the eggs need to be room temperature?
They do not!
Easy, quick and delicious bread. Made as directed except used a combo of Parmesan and a Greek kefalotiri cheese since that’s what I had on hand. Loaf baked for approx 45 minutes to perfection. Thank you for another great recipe.
You omitted when to add the basil…
Hi Jen, see step 3: “Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, garlic powder, sugar, salt, pepper, and basil/parsley together in a large bowl or pulse together in a large food processor.”
Made it just now. Soft and so full of flavours, my family really really liked it
Great recipe! Makes a change from garlic bread.
Delicious and easy bread. I made it with gluten-free flour blend and it turned out perfectly. Very flavorful. It will definitely stay in the rotation.
This was a winner for me!!! It was easy to follow and was perfection…thank you so much!!!
So excited to see this recipe. I was visiting my aunt and wasn’t feeling well so she made me some toast. The bread was DELICIOUS! And I have been searching for a recipe that might compare. It looked kind of like Ezekiel bread, but was full of herbs. It was loaf like and though this is different, it seems the closest I’ve seen to what I had. Can’t wait to try this.
As with almost every recipe of yours, easy and delicious. I added chopped green onions and some leftover chives. Beautiful and delicious!
Lighter than you will imagine, unlike a cornbread style recipe. Used exact recipe, cooked an extra 4-5 minutes in 9 inch cast iron pan. Topped with hot (spicy) honey. Incredible right out of the oven.
Good recipe – straight-forward and easy-to-follow. Substituted a combination of parmesan and pecorino romano for the asiago, ’cause that’s what I had. Nice texture and terrific flavor. It’s going in the baked bread rotation.
I tried it as is and we loved it. We have guests coming over and I’d like to try it with olives instead of sundried tomatoes. I assume I would use the same amount (1/3 cup), but I was wondering whether I should switch to another herb, or stick with basil. Many thanks again!
Hi Homa, you can certainly swap out the sun dried tomatoes with olives instead—same amount. You can keep the basil or swap with another favorite herb. Oregano or Italian seasoning would be delicious!
Thank you, Lexi!
DELICIOUS! Easy recipe with great results! Thank you!
Oh my gosh this bread is outstanding! The smell in my house right now…ahhhh! I used fresh garlic and fresh oregano instead of basil because that’s what I had on hand, but I am a big basil fan so I will pick some up for next time!
I made basil butter as I had enough left over with butter and lemon zest.
1 c loose packed basil
1 stick softened butter
Zest of lemon
Boil basil until bright green
Ice bath after, dry thoroughly, chop
Add to butter and zest
I reheat this fabulous bread in my countertop toaster oven.
Dark coated loaf pan, 30 minutes.
It is awesome!
Thank you for your awesome recipes!
Keeper as usual.
Dark coated at 350
I just made The aroma is spectacular!
I had a dark loaf pan and I timed it for 40 minutes. Done.
I’ll return for the taste test comment.
I think it’s going to be exceptional.
1 1/2 cups of shredded Asiago cheese is NOT 190 gms as recipe states, it’s 128 gms. This was to be a gift. Disappointed. Expensive re-do. Please double-check the measurements so we do not have to double-check you.
Hi Julie! Did you pack the cheese in at all? That’s how we usually measure. The bread will be fine with a little more/less cheese in it.
Followed the directions, substituting sharp cheddar for the Asiago, dried dill for the basil(or parsley)and chopped olives for the sun dried tomatoes, as the bread was to accompany homemade chicken noodle soup for a dinner I planned for our 2 little granddaughters—ages 6-1/2 & 2-1/2. Figured those flavors would be familiar to them(and they’d be more likely to eat it + the older one LOVES olives!!!
Bread came out as light as could me(surprised me), with a chewy, crunchy crust. Delicious!! Will be making this again soon, using the intended ad-ins. Can’t wait to try other combos, as well!
Terrific, easy recipe!!! Thank you SO MUCH for another yummy recipe, Sally!
Wishing you, your family and your other subscribers a very Happy, Healthy, Peaceful and Safe New Year!!!
I just made this for the first time to give as Xmas gifts in a mini loaf version. I am sooo pleased! Sally, your recipes never disappoint! Merry Xmas!!!
I’d like to use mini loaf gift tins for this. How many do you think it would make and how long to bake? Thanks!
Hi Valerie, mini loaf pans vary in size so the baking time will very as well. For reference, mini muffins, bake for about 12-14 minutes. Use a toothpick to test for doneness. Let us know how they turn out for you!
I just made this using mini loaf tin pans. I doubled the recipe and got 4 loaves. I used cheddar cheese, fresh oregano and jalapeño per one of your suggestions and it was delicious! Moist and very flavorful. I’m not sure how long I baked for because my oven started smoking. I think the spray oil must have seeped out of the tins and burned on the oven bottom. I ended up taking the loaves out about 15 minutes in and put them in my upper oven once it preheated. I think I did about 10 minutes more but not positive. I’m going to try using regular oil and paper towel it into the tins next time and maybe tin foil underneath. I still can’t figure out how it seeped but great recipe. Thanks!
I’m going to make this today! I’m going to make it in the form of mini rolls, I was wondering what you thought the bake time should be?
Hi Barbara, see recipe Notes for directions on making this quick bread as muffins (that would be the best way to achieve rolls, since you’ll need the support from the side of a pan). Hope you enjoy them!
I love this recipe.
Do you have any idea to put something on top of the slice? Sauce or creamcheese ⁇How do you warm the slice up?
I made this today with fresh basil and oven dried tomatoes from my garden. I couldn’t find plain Asiago cheese, so had to substitute Italian blend instead.
The end result was very scrumptious, so thank you so much for posting this recipe. This is definitely a keeper.
Made this instead of garlic breadsticks for hubby’s birthday lasagna dinner that was sent to work for him and his crew. Made as written to start…I mean how can you argue any of those flavors with lasagna?! Quick and easy to make and flavors really are out of this world and was a huge hit with the team!
Ho Sally
I love your recipes…I did not have the success I wanted..
Do you have a Gas or electric oven?
I think this is important to mention..electricis hotter..at least mine is..
My items become dry.. I made tye chocolate cake..it waa dry at 350 degrees
My mother made a deep dark chocolate
Cake ..it was dark and very moist ..very high layers…she used Hersheys Chocolate
Cans…I would like to use it but it uses corn syrup..which is bad for human health..
It made a fabulous very dark chocolate cake…
These were our birthday cakes…real whip cream and bananas delicious and mouth watering when moust
I do believe the oven is the issue as I followed all directions Think 350 degrees is too high for my oven..Could you comment on my post please
Thsnk you
My cake was still goid enough especially with Whipped cream and bananas..but dry
Thsnk you…
Hi Estelle, We test all of our recipes in an electric oven using conventional heat settings. Any chance you are using convection or fan forced settings? We always recommend conventional settings for baking (not convection/fan). The flow of air from convection heat can cause baked goods to rise and bake unevenly and it also pulls moisture out of the oven. If you do use convection/fan settings for baking, lower your temperature by 25 degrees F and keep in mind that things may still take less time to bake.
Made numerous time, easy o make and the flavours are amazing
This is a terrific recipe – the base batter is easy to make and is obviously flexible and forgiving, as so many others have commented – it was interesting to read through all the comments for ideas on the various riffs to the recipe. I made a Mexican version with Cotija cheese, jalapeño and serrano chiles, cilantro, Mexican oregano, and green onions (white part in the batter & green shoots for topping). My 10-year-old granddaughter and 7-year-old grandson did everything except dicing the chiles and onion – it’s that easy to make. Baked in 45 minutes. Didn’t think the kids would like it but they said it was not spicy and ate it up. I now have to try all the variations others have described.
This is Amazing, such an easy recipe to follow and has so much flavor!! This will most definitely be a staple at our house.
Can use grated frozen butter instead of cutting in cubed butter?
Hi Nancy! You could shred the butter first, but you’ll still need to cut it in.