This chive bread recipe makes a loaf that’s perfect for sandwiches. The flavor is deliciously understated: fresh chives with a subtle pepper finish.

Posted June 19, 2025

Looking for a savory loaf that plays well with just about anything? This chive bread bakes up firm with a neat, tight crumb—perfect for slicing and making into sandwiches. The flavor is delightfully understated: a whisper of fresh chives paired with a subtle pepper finish. Not overpowering, just quietly delicious.

And the best part? Your bread machine handles the hard work.

Freshly Ground Pepper

This recipe calls for freshly ground black pepper, which adds a gentle kick without overpowering the loaf.

If you’re a pepper fan, it’s easy to make this recipe your own.  Feel free to experiment with the amount of pepper to suit your taste.  Also, some pepper mills allow you to adjust the grind.  Ours does and we’ve found that a coarser grind can bring out a slightly bolder finish.

Chives

This easy-to-grow herb is a favorite perennial in our garden. Both the leaves and the blossoms are edible, offering a mild onion flavor that adds just the right touch to this loaf.

Don’t have fresh chives on hand? You can substitute dried. Just keep in mind that dried chives have a more concentrated flavor, so I recommend using 2 teaspoons of dried instead of 2 tablespoons of fresh.

Granulated Garlic

Note that this recipe calls for granulated garlic.  Granulated garlic is made when dried garlic is coarsely ground to a sand-like consistency.   

You can substitute garlic powder if that’s what you have on hand. Just remember: since it’s ground more finely, you’ll only need about half as much to get the same flavor.  

FAQ for This Recipe

Here are some questions that come up for this recipe and articles that should help.

• Converting Bread Machine Recipes for Differently Sized Machines
• How to Bake Bread Dough in the Oven
• Bread Flour Versus All-Purpose Flour

Chive Bread Instructions

This is for a two-pound loaf using the basic or white cycle with medium crust.

Follow the instructions that came with your bread machine in terms of which ingredients to put in the bread machine first.  With most machines, you add the liquids first.

Make sure you check on the dough after five or ten minutes of kneading.  It should be a smooth, round ball.  If it’s too dry add liquid a teaspoon at a time until it looks OK.  If it looks too wet,  add flour a tablespoon at a time until it looks OK.  Note:  I added 2 teaspoons of water to this recipe

Chive Bread Ingredients

Again, this is for a two-pound loaf using the basic or white cycle. Set the crust at medium.

• 1 ½ cups water (see notes)
• 4 cups bread flour
• 1/4 Cup Powdered Milk
• 2 Tablespoons minced chives
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast

See below for metric measurements, as well as nutrition information, for this sour milk bread recipe for the bread machine.

Chive Bread

This chive bread recipe makes a loaf that's perfect for sandwiches. The flavor is deliciously understated: fresh chives with a subtle pepper finish.

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Bread Machine Recipes

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chives, herb

Yield: 14 slices per two-pound loaf of bread

Calories: 167kcal

Author: Marsha Perry

Recommended Equipment

Zojirushi Bread Machine

Bread Knife

Pepper Mill

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups (354.88 ml) water see notes
• 4 cups (500 g) bread flour
• 1/4 cup (32 g) powdered milk
• 2 Tablespoons chives minced
• 1 teaspoon pepper freshly ground
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Instructions

• Note that this is for a two-pound loaf of bread. Use the basic setting with medium crust.
• Follow the instructions that came with your bread machine in terms of which ingredients to put in the bread machine first. 
• Make sure you check on the dough after five or ten minutes of kneading.  It should be a smooth, round ball.  If it’s too dry add liquid a teaspoon at a time until it looks OK.  If it looks too wet,  add flour a tablespoon at a time until it looks OK.  Note:  I added 2 teaspoons of water to this recipe

Notes

This is a recipe for a two-pound machine. You’ll be using the basic or white cycle with medium crust.

Don’t have fresh chives on hand? You can substitute dried. Just keep in mind that dried chives have a more concentrated flavor, so I recommend using 2 teaspoons of dried instead of 2 tablespoons of fresh.

You can substitute garlic powder if that’s what you have on hand. Just remember: since it’s ground more finely, you’ll only need about half as much to get the same flavor.

Metric Measurements: This recipe was developed and tested using US customary measurements. Metric measurements are calculated automatically.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 167kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 343mg | Potassium: 76mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 42IU | Vitamin C: 0.5mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 0.4mg

 

All information presented within this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information on breadmachinediva.com should only be used as a general guideline. This information is provided as a courtesy and there is no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate. I try to provide accurate information to the best of my ability; however these figures should still be considered estimates.