Cheddar Jalapeno Bread

This bread is a wonderful bread to have any time of year. It makes really flavorful sandwiches and great avocado toast, and it is delicious as is. When I make this bread I typically double the recipe and make two loaves. I keep one to eat and the other I slice and place in freezer bags and freeze them. They thaw beautifully. After thawing I typically slather it with butter and lightly toast one side and fill it with all the sandwich toppings. I then slather the other side with butter flip it over and let it toast on the outside. It makes a great toasted sandwich.

This loaf is so fluffy and light on the inside and slightly crisp on the outside. It is so good! It is a hit-and-miss with the jalpenos with heat but either way, it is absolutely delicious.

Let’s get started.

INGREDIENTS:

3 1/2 C. Flour
1 1/2 C. Warm water
2 1/4 Tsp. Yeast
2 Tsp. Kosher Salt ( 3/4 Tsp fine salt)
1 Tsp. Sugar
3 Tsp. White Vinegar
1/2 C. Grated Cheddar Cheese
1 Lg. Jalapeno Pepper – seeded, halved, and sliced/chopped

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a bowl or cup, mix together 1/2 cup of the warm water, sugar, and yeast. Stir together and set aside for 5 minutes to bloom.
2. In a stand mixer combine the flour and salt. Mix well.
3. Add the vinegar to the yeast mixture and stir.
4. Turn the mixer on low and add the yeast mixture as well as the remaining water. If you need more water you can add more. Add 1 tbsp at a time and let the dough mix well (1 minute) before adding more water. The dough should be slightly sticky but it should not stick to your fingers.
5. Turn the dough out onto the counter and shape it into a ball. Place the dough in a greased bowl and turn to coat in the oil. Cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap and let rise for 1 to 2 hours or until doubled in size.
6. Turn The dough out onto a floured surface and roll out into a 10×12-inch rectangle.
7. Sprinkle over 3/4 of the cheese and jalapenos onto the dough. Fold the left side over into the center. Then fold the other side over into the center.
8. Add the remaining cheese and jalapenos onto the dough and starting at the end closest to you, roll the dough up like a cinnamon roll. Pinch the seam together and shape it into a ball shape.
9. Place the dough onto a piece of parchment paper and place it back into the bowl to do its second rise.
10. Place a Dutch oven and lid into the oven and preheat the oven to 450*.
11. When the oven is nice and hot remove the Dutch oven and lid from the oven and place the bread (as well as the parchment paper) into the Dutch oven and cover with the lid.
12. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes covered. Remove the lid and turn the heat to 425*. Bake for another 12 to 15 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and cooked through. The bread should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom of the bread. You can also check the temp with an instant-read thermometer. The temp should read between 195* to 210*. I do this by flipping the bread over and checking the underside with the thermometer so there is no hole in the top of the bread.
13. Remove when done and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

• Let the bread cool completely before slicing. If you slice into hot bread the center will become gummy and that is not a good texture. Slightly warm bread is ok to slice into. It should be more at room temp/warm than hot/ warm.
• You can also make this in a loaf pan or on a sheet tray if you do not have a Dutch oven. It will turn out just fine and will still be delicious. The baking time will vary between the loaf pan, sheet tray, and Dutch oven. So be aware of that. You will want to adjust the bake time between the three. You can check the temp with a thermometer to be sure the bread is done. The temp is above in the directions.
• If you do not like jalapenos, no worries. just leave them out and just add the cheese. It will still be delicious.
• You can serve this bread however you like.