Leek Bread Recipe
A simple delicious recipe for crusty Leek Bread to serve with your favorite soups, stews and salads. Allow 2 1/2 hours with 35 minutes active time.
How to Make the Best Leek Bread
This leek bread is a show-stopping loaf that combines crusty, perfectly-textured bread with a creamy, flavorful filling of sautéed leeks and cheese. It’s the kind of bread that will have everyone asking for the recipe. With beautiful decorative “beaks” cut into the top and melted cheese oozing from within, it’s as impressive as it is delicious.
The beauty of this recipe lies in its simplicity and the quality of its filling. By using at least two types of cheese—a melty mozzarella alongside tangy goat cheese or sharp pecorino—you create a complex flavor profile that’s anything but plain. The slow-cooked leeks become incredibly tender and sweet, infused with garlic and fresh herbs that add depth and sophistication.
Perfect for serving alongside your favorite soups, stews, or salads, this leek bread is also wonderful on its own as a light meal or appetizer. The decorative scoring not only looks beautiful but allows the bread to puff up perfectly in the oven while the cheese and leeks peek through. Allow plenty of time for rising—the slow fermentation develops incredible flavor—but the hands-on work is minimal, making it approachable even for novice bread bakers.
Leek Bread
A simple delicious recipe for crusty Leek Bread to serve with your favorite soups, stews and salads. Allow 2 1/2 hours with 35 minutes active time.
Ingredients
Dough
Leek & Cheese Filling
Egg Wash
Instructions
Prepare the Dough
- In a stand mixer or in a large bowl, mix yeast and milk together. Whisk in the egg, oil, salt, then stir in the flour and knead for five minutes. The dough should be semi-soft, not stiff.
- Oil the bowl and the ball of dough, placing it back in the bowl. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let it rise until doubled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Prepare the Filling
- In the meantime, cut, rinse and sauté the leeks with the oil in a large skillet over low heat. The moisture from rinsing them will help soften them.
- Add the garlic, thyme, and salt and pepper. When the garlic is fragrant and the leeks are tender, turn the heat off and let this cool.
Assemble & Bake
- When dough has doubled, place it on a well-floured surface and roll it into roughly a 12-inch by 16-inch rectangle.
- Spread out the tender, seasoned leeks and sprinkle with cheese. Make sure to use at least 2 kinds of cheese here for the best flavor—adding a melty cheese like mozzarella—and make doubly sure you salted your leeks in the pan.
- Starting from the narrower end, roll into a roll. Fold the ends under and place on a parchment-lined sheet pan.
- Cut little "beaks" into the dough at a 45-degree angle, 2/3 of the way deep at one-inch intervals. Then pull the points out towards the edges, alternating sides. Cover with a towel and let rest 20 minutes.
- Make the egg wash by whisking the egg, water and salt in a small bowl. Brush the dough gently with egg wash (or use butter or half and half).
- Place in the hot oven (425°F), on the middle rack, uncovered. Check at 20 minutes (rotating if need be) and continue baking until puffed and golden for an additional 20-30 minutes until beautifully golden. Internal temperature should be 200°F.
Notes
- For a variation, you could substitute 2 caramelized onions for the leeks.
- See notes for active dry yeast substitution if you don't have instant yeast.
- No pale loaves please—bake until beautifully golden brown.
