Cheese & Wine Bread

This is a quick savory bread, biscuit-style, that comes together in 45 minutes flat and tastes like something you’d serve at an Italian grandmother’s table. White wine takes the place of most of the milk, giving the bread a gentle aromatic complexity that you’d never guess from a no-yeast loaf.

The blend of leaveners (baking powder, baking soda, and cream of tartar) is doing serious work here. Each one reacts at different stages, giving you continuous lift from the moment the wet meets the dry through the bake. This three-leavener approach is the secret to the puffy, tender crumb.

The parmesan sprinkled on top isn’t just decoration. It melts into a salty, golden crust that crackles when you slice the bread. Use freshly grated. The pre-grated cans simply won’t melt or brown the same way.

Don’t overmix once the wet meets the dry. Stir just until combined. Quick breads suffer fast from gluten development.

Pro Tips

• Use a dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio. Sweet wines turn the bread cloying.
• A round 8 or 9-inch cake pan gives you the right height-to-surface ratio for even baking. A loaf pan would underbake the center.
• Serve warm. The bread tastes best in the first hour out of the oven, when the cheese crust is still crisp.
• Pair with a tomato soup, an Italian salad, or alongside a charcuterie board with more wine.

Variations

• Use cheddar cheese or Gruyere on top instead of parmesan.
• Add ¼ cup of chopped sun-dried tomatoes or olives to the batter.
• Stir in 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped rosemary or thyme for an herbier loaf.