This Sourdough Grilled Cheese is the ultimate comfort food, made with flavorful cheeses and wedged between two slices of sourdough bread. Enjoy it for a quick summer lunch or pair it with a bowl of tomato soup for a winter dinner.
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I don’t know many people who don’t love a great grilled cheese sandwich. It’s a dish loved by all – not just kids or picky eaters.
This is not your average grilled cheese with prepackaged slices of flavorless American cheese and white bread. Instead, sharp cheddar cheese is sliced and layered between tangy sourdough bread slices, making this a nostalgic treat with a flavorful twist.
Although this may be considered an elevated grilled cheese sandwich, I promise it is still super simple to make.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Enjoy it anytime of the year – This is a perfect quick lunch for a busy summer day, served with a side of homemade sauerkraut, a side salad, or homemade cottage cheese. It’s also a comforting dinner on a cold winter day when paired with a roasted red pepper tomato soup.
Take a classic childhood favorite to the next level – The unique flavor of sourdough paired with using high-quality cheese makes this the best grilled cheese sandwich you’ll ever have. Enjoy some sourdough chocolate chip cookies for dessert to really take you back!
A great way to use up loaves about to go stale – While fresh bread obviously works great, you can use bread that is about to go stale. I also like to make homemade sourdough croutons and sourdough breadcrumbs.
Ingredients
Sourdough bread – My favorite sourdough bread to use is soft sourdough sandwich bread. Use my classic recipe or try my discard sourdough sandwich bread if you are in a time crunch. Any type of sourdough bread will work, though, even store bought.
Cheese – I used white cheddar when I photographed this recipe because it is what I had on hand. Ideally, I like to use cheddar and homemade mozzarella for the best grilled cheese pull.
Butter – We like to use softened grass-fed butter or my raw milk butter I make in the blender. I have also used my homemade avocado mayo. It works great, and I promise it doesn’t make your grilled cheese taste like mayo!
Sourdough Grilled Cheese Variations
While this is a basic recipe, there are so many ways you can add variety. Here are a few ideas:
- Fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced tomatoes, and fresh basil for a margherita version.
- Gouda with thinly sliced apples for a sweet and sharp flavor combo.
- Brie cheese with a thin layer of blackberry jam.
- Spinach and artichoke with mozzarella.
- Homemade pesto, mozzarella , avocado, crispy bacon, and cheddar.
- Tomato sauce, cheese, and pepperoni for a pizza sandwich.
- Caramelized onions and fresh thyme.
How To Make Sourdough Grilled Cheese
Step 1: Prepare and bake sourdough bread unless using store bought.
Step 2: Heat a cast iron skillet or stainless steel frying pan over medium heat with a generous tablespoon of butter. While it’s heating, slice the bread thinly with a serrated knife and slice the cheese.
Step 3: Slather one side of sliced bread with butter and place it on the skillet butter side down.
Step 4: Add sliced cheese. Butter the second piece of bread and place it on top of the cheese, buttered side up. If you buttered your skillet well you can skip adding the other pat of butter.
Step 5: Cover with a lid and allow the sandwich to cook for 3-4 minutes until it starts to turn golden on one side and the cheese starts to melt.
Step 6: Flip and cook 3-4 minutes more on the second side or until the bread starts to golden. Gently flatten with a spatula to help the bread and cheese meld together. Remove from the skillet and enjoy!
Tips
- Avoid using pre-shredded or pre-sliced cheeses. These have anti-caking agents which can make it harder for the cheese to melt correctly. High quality cheeses are the best option.
- Shredding the cheese works fine, but it typically does make more of a mess. I also prefer the texture and gooeyness of using sliced cheese. This is really a personal preference!
- Even if it is tempting to turn the heat up higher than medium/medium low, don’t. It will most likely burn the bread while leaving the cheese unmelted.
- Slice your bread no thicker than a 1/2 inch. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a wonky bread to cheese ratio. Plus, the bread will darken before the cheese will get a chance to melt. Need tips for slicing sourdough? Check out my ultimate guide on getting the perfect slice of sourdough bread.
Recipe FAQs
There are two things to consider when choosing a cheese for your grilled cheese: depth of flavor and meltability. We like to use two parts raw milk cheddar from Azure Standard and one part mozzarella. The first is for the intense flavor profile and the second is for the ultimate cheese pull.
Other aged cheeses that work well are pepper jack, American cheese, gouda, havarti, Colby jack, or Monterey jack. Soft cheeses like feta, blue cheese, or goat cheese have wonderful flavor, but do not necessarily melt well. However, they can be great additions if you are using a variety of cheeses.
The obvious answer here is sourdough! Sourdough and aged cheese are really the perfect match. I prefer a soft sourdough sandwich bread. A crusty sourdough loaf works great, too. If you go that route, I suggest using my sourdough rye bread or my jalapeno cheddar loaf for an added kick and extra cheesiness.
As far as flavor, I am not sure there is any cheese that doesn’t pair well with sourdough. While sourdough has wonderful flavor on its own, its not overpowering, making it the perfect compliment to whatever cheese you decide to pair it with.
More Cheesy Recipes
- Easy Sourdough Ham and Cheese Rolls
- How To Make Homemade Ricotta Cheese
- Ham And Cheese Frittata Recipe
- The Best Homemade Cream Cheese
- Sourdough Herb And Cheese Rolls
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
Sourdough Grilled Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 loaf sourdough sandwich bread, cut into 16 slices
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 8 oz sharp white cheddar
- 8 oz mozzarella
Instructions
- If you are planning to make sourdough bread from scratch, start theThis is my go to bread recipe for sourdough grilled cheese.
- The next day, bake bread and let it cool before slicing.
- Heat cast iron skillet over medium heat.
- Slice sourdough bread thinly with a serrated knife.
- Slice cheese.
- Slather one side of sliced bread with softened butter, and place on hot cast irons skillet butter side down.
- Add sliced cheese to bread and top with another slice of bread buttered on one side. Butter side out.
- Cover with a lid.
- Allow the sandwich to cook for 3-4 minutes until it starts to turn golden on one side and the cheese starts to melt.
- Flip and cook 3-4 minutes more or until the bread starts to golden.
- Remove from the skillet and slice.
Notes
- Don’t buy pre-sliced or pre-shredded cheese because it doesn’t melt as well.
- Allow the butter to soften for at least an hour before making grilled cheese so it’s really easy to spread onto the bread.
- You can use your favorite sourdough bread, homemade or store-bought. I love to use my sourdough sandwich bread. A crusty loaf of sourdough will also work, I just like the softness of the sandwich bread for this recipe.
- Even if it is tempting to turn the heat up higher than medium/medium low don’t. It will most likely burn the bread while leaving the cheese unmelted.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Oooh, my, this looks so tasty! I love a good grilled cheese! I usually add crushed garlic to mine, and a slice of onion. During tomato season, I’ll add a thin slice of tomato: yum! I’m going to try making your sourdough sandwich bread now. Thanks for the easy-to-follow recipes!