Eva’s Parmesan Parsley Bread

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This savory, cheese-swirled yeast bread is made with fresh, nutty Parmesan and punchy parsley, and has been in my family for more than a century. It’s just as good sliced plain as it is turned into a ham and cheese sandwich.

Eva, my paternal grandmother, was a devote Roman Catholic who took her holiday baking seriously. She made three different “Easter pizzas” for Easter every year: a sweet anise version which I’ve written about here, a simple ricotta one, and this one, which is a savory, cheese-swirled loaf that’s really more of a fancy everyday bread than a holiday-only thing. Parmesan and parsley bread was the one I reached for the most as a kid, and it’s the one I make the most now, too.

When I first published this recipe, I’d only made a handful of yeast loaves in my baking career. Now, more than a decade later, I’ve baked literally hundreds of loaves of yeast bread, which has completely informed my revamp of this post.

This updated version has clearer instructions, new photos, a video, and a couple of small updates that make it easier (and better) without straying from what Eva actually made. I added milk for a softer, more supple crumb, which is just a personal preference of mine, not an authenticity issue.

And instead of shaping the dough the way she did which was a bit haphazard, I roll it up into a tight swirl, the same technique I use for my cinnamon raisin bread and my sandwich bread. It gives you that same defined spiral in every slice, something her version never had, but something I love too much to leave out of a sliced bread at this point.

Parmesan brings the salt and the bite. Using freshly grated Parmesan (as opposed to the shelf-stable shaker kind) melts into the dough as it bakes, meaning you get little pockets of sharp, nutty cheese swirled through every slice rather than sitting on top of it (though we do sprinkle some on top for a little crispness on the crust). It’s what makes this bread smell incredible in the oven. That toasty, cheesy aroma hits before the loaf is even done baking.

Parsley offers a beautiful balance to the Parm (Eva knew what was up!). It has a slight bitterness that keeps all that Parmesan from feeling too punchy, and it adds a little green freshness to what’s otherwise a pretty rich dough. Don’t skip it thinking it’s just for color, because it’s actually doing real flavor work here.

Together, they turn a basic enriched dough into something you’ll want to eat plain, standing at the counter, still slightly warm (ask me how I know).

If you’re wondering where the cheese and greens come in, they actually come in pretty early on in the kneading process. You’ll add them at the same time you add the flour, which means they get distributed evenly, and the components have a chance to really marry into the fats (butter and milk) which will deliver maximum flavor.

The one place I want to share notes is the shaping. Once your dough has had its first rise, you’re patting it out into a rectangle and rolling it up tightly from one of the short ends, just like a cinnamon roll dough, before it goes into the loaf pan seam-side down. That’s what gives you the swirl. Take your time here– a gentle hand gets you a better rise in the oven than a rushed one, and the dough should be soft and pliable enough to avoid a rolling pin.

But where it really shines for me is as a sandwich bread. The savory flavor holds its own against bold fillings, which makes it one of my favorite breads for grilled cheese or a good ham sandwich. The Parmesan basically seasons the sandwich for you. If you’ve only ever thought of this as a holiday bread, try it as your everyday sandwich loaf for a week. I think it’ll earn a permanent spot in your rotation.

Make Eva proud, and make this bread often. And then grab that anise bread for dessert!