Bread Cheese

What is Bread Cheese?

Bread cheese is an artisan rennet cheese with origins in the Southern Ostrobothnia region of Finland and the Lapland region of neighboring Sweden. It is known as  juustoleipä or leipäjuusto (from Finnish leipä=bread and juusto=cheese) or brödost (from Swedish bröd=bread and ost=cheese). Another name for it is Finnish squeaky cheese due to the sound it makes when bitten into.

It has a pleasant fresh aroma, a chewy and firm texture and tastes sweet and salty at the same time. It is an excellent grilling cheese and in the US it is locally produced by Wisconsin cheesemakers.

Its appearance and its texture when warmed through resemble those of toast or French toast, respectively. But perhaps the best way to describe bread cheese is to say it is like grilled cheese without the bread. 

How is It Made?

Bread cheese was traditionally made with reindeer milk but now goat and cow milk are most common. The cheese is coagulated with rennet (an animal derived enzyme) and has a very stable protein structure. It doesn't melt when subjected to high heat. Instead it becomes wonderfully soft with a bubbly surface.

The browned look is derived from baking the cheese - the dry heat creates the appetizing blistering on top. The caramelization of the surface sugars accounts for the toasted bread look. 

CURIOUS: If you happen to buy it from Murray's Cheese in the US you might encounter this impeccable summary of what bread cheese is all about: "It is virtually indestructible in the face of flames. Try crisping it on the grill, under the broiler or on the stove top in a pan".

Flavored Versions & Where to Buy Bread Cheese

In the US this delicacy is also available in different flavors which are achieved by the use of seasoning. For example, the one we buy at Trader Joe's is usually seasoned with garlic powder. There are also spicy versions  and at our local King Soopers they carry the plain, unflavored version (Carr Valley cheese) which we prefer to prepare and pair with sweet ingredients.

You can buy it at the specialty cheese displays of most well-stocked grocery stores, online retailers and quaint little shops dedicated to good food.

Below is what blocks of bread cheese look like out of the package. The toasted crust look of bread cheese is the direct result of oven baking as part of the making process. 

How to Cook Bread Cheese 

When warmed up this cheese develops a buttery soft texture. There are several ways to heat it up. Always brush it lightly with cooking oil before you cook it or brush the cooking surface with oil. Just a little bit makes a positive difference.

Below we demonstrate how to 

• grill it (as is or skewered, similar to Queijo Coalho); you can also grill it directly onto the grates of a charcoal grill (do not close the lid)
• pan fry it in a non-stik skillet cut into small blocks or even bite sized cubes 

You can also 

• bake it or broil it until bubbly (place it on a parchment paper lined baking sheet first for convenience)
• use a panini toaster (do not shut it, simply use the hot surface)
• air-fry it 
• microwave it (least favorite way, it doesn't taste nearly as good when heated in this manner)

Example preparation for grilled bread cheese skewers with red pepper flakes and honey drizzle: in a greased grilling pan or over medium-hot grill grates char each side until grill marks appear and cheese is warmed through.

Example preparation for pan-fried bread cheese: over medium-high heat in a lightly greased non-stick skillet sear the cheese on all sides until browned and warmed through. (Below shown with garlic flavored version).

Different Ways to Enjoy It

You can group the many ways to eat bread cheese into sweet and savory, depending on what you pair it with or how you flavor it. It always makes a delicious snack 

Sweet. Think a drizzle of honey, a dollop of fruit jam, fruit butters, syrups, nuts, dried fruit... This cheese has a natural affinity for preserves and other sweeteners. If we had to pick the best way to have it, it would be with homemade hot honey. We simply take local raw bee honey and add red pepper flakes to it. Then we drizzle the mixture over the warmed delicacy.

Savory. Add warmed bread cheese to salads or grilled veggies, pastas, dip it in marinara, or present it on platters with olives, cooked steak cubes, tomatoes. Or serve it alongside pizzas or even use it instead of fried mozzarella and dip in warm marinara sauce. 

Serving Considerations

• if you are wondering how much cheese to budget for a group of people - the tried and true professional answer is 2 oz cheese per person. For avid cheese lovers you may double that.
• serve it as soon as you warm it up
• get organized - in order to enjoy it warm at its absolute best prepare eveything before hand so you can simply place the cheese on top

Beverage Pairings

Beer. In our opinion there is no beverage better than beer to pair this cheese with. And the options are overwhelming. Try a barrel aged brown ale or a doppelbock for a warming, flavor loaded companion. Or a crisp Czech pilsner. Or a fruity ale such as a raspberry saison or a rich, potent Belgian dark ale. Or a bright, effervescent German wheat ale with its fruity esters (one of our favorite choices). And keep experimenting because there is an entire universe of pairing possibilities out there. 

Coffee. Sweetened presentations (such as the hot honey drizzled one above) or nuts and jam covered pieces of seared bread cheese are simply perfect with a cup of strong coffee. Jam topped bread cheese is literally a traditional Scandinavian breakfast item. 

Kaffeost. To the uninitiated this may seem very strange, but it is a tradition in certain regions of both Sweden and Finland. Literally coffee cheese, this is a cold bread cheese piece dunked in hot coffee to warm it up or cubes of it placed at the bottom of a cup and hot coffee poured on top. Think of coffee flavored cheesecake and you will begin to get the idea. Remember - people are always after pursuing pleasure. Therefore - this combination has got to be good! Want to know more? Read this account.