Some years ago I was busy at work in the office when a friend of a coworker arrived with an artisan loaf of Serrano Cheese bread to share.  Those little Serrano peppers are pretty darned hot, so I approached a piece of the bread with caution.  What is there to say?  Cheese and peppers in a quality bread are a fabulous duo. Yum!

When I decided to make a peppery loaf recently, I knew I would want to share that with you.  In addition to using some whole wheat flour, I decided to add a little corn meal to the dough.  Somehow it brings a “smoothness” to the flavor which will work well with the big flavors we will develop. In this recipe, you can taste what you think about that idea as well.

To be sure, the quantity of peppers in the dough are a personal preference … use as many or few as you like.  I had to use canned ones, but fresh are the better choice if available.  Also, I opted for American cheese … Cheddar or Colby will be a great choice, too.

Enjoy!

Measure the dry ingredients into a bowl

After kneading, oil the dough and allow to rise for about an hour until doubled in size

Form the dough into a rectangle and arrange the cheese, onions and jalapenos over the surface; roll up along the wide edge

Place the loaf into an oiled pan and let rise until doubled in size, about 40 minutes

Jalapeno Cheese Bread

 

Author: Dennis Killebrew

Cuisine: American

Prep time:  2 hours 30 mins

Cook time:  25 mins

Total time:  2 hours 55 mins

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Ingredients

• 2 Cups All Purpose Flour
• 1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
• ¼ Cup Corn Meal (Finely Ground)
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 2 Teaspoons Yeast (1 Package)
• 2 Tablespoons Canola or Olive Oil
• 1¼ Cup Warm Water (110 Degrees)
• 4 Slices American Cheese
• 3 Tablespoons Chopped Yellow Onion
• 2 Large Jalapenos Coarsely Chopped
• 2 Teaspoons Soft Butter

Instructions

1. Measure the first seven ingredients into a large bowl. Stir everything together until the water is incorporated and the dough begins to form, leaving the sides of the bowl. If it does not come together, add a little water; if it is too wet, add a little flour. Turn the dough out onto a clean, lightly floured surface and knead for 8 minutes; add flour a tablespoon at a time if the dough is sticky. It should be moist and soft, but not stick to your hands.
2. Wipe out the bowl, add a teaspoon of oil, form the dough into a ball and turn it in the oil to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a towel and place in a warm place to rise until doubled in size; about one hour.
3. When the dough has doubled in size, remove and knead for 1 minute. On a lightly floured work surface, hand-form the dough into a rectangle roughly the length of your loaf pan and half as wide. Lay the cheese slices on the dough, leaving a half inch space around the edges. Scatter the onions and peppers evenly over the cheese.
4. Roll up the dough along the wide edge as seen in the picture above. Pinch the long edge together to seal, turning to place this seam at the bottom. Stretch the top of each end of the roll over the edge creating a smooth end; tuck the stretched dough under the roll. Place the dough into a loaf pan oiled with 1 teaspoon of Canola oil. Cover with a towel and allow to rise until doubled in size; about 40 minutes.
5. Bake in a 350 degree oven on a center rack until browned; internal temp of about 170 degrees. Remove from oven and spread the butter over the top of the loaf. Don't forget to try a piece slathered in butter while it is still hot from the oven!

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