What Bread To Use For Grilled Cheese

Grilled cheese, also known as “cheese on toast” or, with the addition of beer, “Welsh Rarebit,” is the perfect snack or light lunch when you’re in a hurry, and I eat it all the time!!

With so many choices, I wanted to discover what bread to use for grilled cheese to make the ultimate dish. Although you can make cheese on toast with any bread, I wanted to conduct an experiment to find which bread is best for grilled cheese.

So I did!

The test to find the best bread for grilled cheese!

I took 5 of the most popular breads from my bakery:

• Ordinary white sliced
• Whole wheat sliced
• Challah
• White bloomer with sourdough
• Malted grain (Granary) bread

I lightly toasted each slice under the broiler, then smothered them in my extra-special melted cheese sauce.

They were then placed under the grill until slightly blackened.

Then I rated each out of ten to see which is the best bread for grilled cheese!!

And the results did not turn out the way I expected!

What bread is best for grilled cheese?

The best bread for grilled cheese is malted grain (granary). The malt flakes and seeds add texture and a warming flavour that compliments the gooey cheese topping. It was just delicious!

Bread options for grilled cheese:

Ordinary white sliced

The basic white sliced is good, but there is nothing to get excited about. There was little flavour. However, the toasted bread’s crusty texture contrasts nicely with the cheese.

Good, but forgettable 6/10

Whole wheat sliced

The hearty taste of toasted whole wheat bread makes a fantastic base for the cheese sauce. Flavour-wise, this bread adds interest and works beautifully with the strong cheddar cheese I used.

I have no regrets about this one. 7.5/10

Challah

I was most excited about combining the sweet and rich taste of challah with my toasted cheese. It looked delicious once it came out from the grill -however, the eating experience didn’t stack up! 

The delicate flavours of the challah didn’t add anything to the cheese, they just got lost. The soft texture made the chewing sensation pretty dull.

I’d eat it again, but it was the worst of the options. 5/10

Bloomer with sourdough

The flavour from this sourdough bloomer is something else! The grilled cheese and toasted bloomer combination is a fantastic combination. 

Texture-wise, the bloomer is chewy, making it the perfect contrast with the gooey nature of the melted cheese.

This is a hybrid loaf (sourdough and yeast), so there aren’t big holes for the cheese to fall through! Delicious. 9/10

Malted grain (Granary) bread

Malted bread is the best bread for grilled cheese. The wheat flakes added a light but sweet nuttiness, whilst the flavour from the bread was sweet and refreshing.

The toast was slightly crispy, making this bread the perfect partnership for grilled cheese. 10/10

The secret to choosing the best bread for grilled cheese

For grilled cheese, the bread should be crispy, with a slightly chewy texture. The taste of the bread should be light, with nutty additions such as cracked wheat or sourdough a welcome addition.

What type of bread works well for grilled sandwiches?

To make toasties, avoiding sweetened bread, such as brioche or challah, is best. The bread will likely burn before heat penetrates the sandwich’s fillings, leaving them uncooked.

The choice of bread should match the sandwich fillings. If light-tasting cheeses such as mozzarella are used, a white loaf of reasonably bland bread will work well.

If more intense fillings are used, whole wheat or seeded bread is often preferred.