Today I woke up craving three things: apples, bread, and cheese.

So I made this quick artisan apple cheddar bread, which is very much giving grilled cheese sandwich in a loaf.

We got sweet Honeycrisp apple, melty cheddar, and a golden, crackly crust. It also takes minimal kneading and same-day proofing, basically everything I want from a bread recipe: low effort, high payoff, and ready to eat today! Overnight proofing does have its time and place, but today was just not that day.

Why This Bread Works

All of my recipes are lazy-girl approved, and this one is no exception.

You don’t need a stand mixer or to overnight proof. No complicated folding and kneading technique, and if you got a dutch oven then you’re golden!

The chopped apple adds little pockets of sweetness and moisture, while the cheddar melts into salty, melty pockets throughout the loaf. YUM!

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• ¾ teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1¼ cups warm water
• 1 Honeycrisp apple, diced
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar, plus a little extra for topping

Instructions

1. Mix the dry ingredients.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, sugar, and yeast.

2. Add the water.

Pour in the warm water and mix until you’ve got a shaggy, sticky dough. It won’t look pretty yet, which is fine. We’re trusting the process.

3. Let it rise.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm spot for about 3 hours.

4. Preheat the oven.

Place your Dutch oven inside the oven and preheat to 450°F. Very important that the Dutch oven is screaming hot before it’s time to bake the bread.

5. Add in the good stuff.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. It will be sticky, so add a little more flour as needed, but don’t go wild. We want a soft dough, not a flour brick (trust me I’ve been there).

Knead for couple minutes, folding the dough onto itself and adding the diced apple and shredded cheddar as you knead, working them into the dough until they’re evenly distributed.

6. Give it a quick second rise.

Transfer the dough to a proofing basket or parchment-lined bowl. Cover and let it rest for about 25 minutes, or until it’s looking puffier.

7. Bake.

Carefully transfer the dough (in its parchment paper) to your preheated Dutch oven. Sprinkle extra cheddar over the top. Cover and bake at 450°F for 30 minutes.

Remove the lid and bake for another 15 minutes, or until the loaf is deeply golden and beautifully crusty.

Let it cool for about 20 minutes before slicing. I know… the suspense, the tension, waiting is unbearable!

And voila! I’m sure I don’t need to tell you how to enjoy this but here are a couple suggestions: Straight up, dipped in olive oil with Italian herbs. Or why not as bread for an ACTUAL grilled cheese! This might be the best use of this loaf. Slice it thick, butter the outsides, add even more sliced cheese to the middle, and grill it like you would a classic grilled cheese.

And if you’re making this in the fall, serve that grilled cheese with a bowl of tomato soup because those are the rules.