I', curious/concerned about the 1/2 cup butter in this bread. What purpose does the butter serve? What does the bread miss without it?

With all that cheddar in it,why would you worry about a little butter?If in fact you don't like butter,olive oil does sound good,but if the problem is the fat factor...live a little!

1/2 cup of butter is only 4 ounces. The presence of any fat in bread is twofold. (1) Fats are great conveyors of flavor. Most of the molecules that transfer flavor are fat-soluble. Think about it: fat-free food has no taste beyond sweet or salty, two famous flavors that are water-soluble. (2) Fats tenderize proteins across the food spectrum. In breads specifically, they create a tender, pull-apart texture. If you are afraid of butter, substitute olive oil, which will also contribute nicely to the flavor profile.

I haven't made it, but it looks like it's to change the texture of the crust and to add flavour. You could possible go without, but if you aren't a big fan of butter, you could cut it half and half with a mild oil like olive oil or a more stable-when-baking-at-high-heat oil like sunflower or grapeseed. You probably won't need as much total oil/butter as they recommend, maybe about 2/3rds as much. Might need to add a small pinch of salt to give it a better flavour.

You will still get the butter flavour and much of the butter texture if you cut the butter with oil. Personally, I would keep the butter but it really depends which school of thought you subscribe to (animal fat = healthy, or vegi oil = healthy). But that's a really long discussion for somewhere else.

I have not made this but I have made beer batter breads that don't call for a topping of butter. Since the bread itself does not rely on the butter, I think you are safe to cut it down--in half or even to 2 TBSP--although it won't be as rich as the headnote describles.