Delightfully Easy Jalapeño Cheese Bread

Delightfully Easy Jalapeño Cheese Bread 

Delightfully Easy Jalapeño Cheese Bread is the latest starter recipe that I’ve created. Lately I’ve become obsessed with making my own bread at home, and jalapeños with cheddar and parmesan are such a wonderful combination. 

This bread isn’t so spicy that it’s going to burn your face off, it is a nice mild heat that really highlights the jalapeño and the delicious flavor that comes from them. It isn’t just about heat, it needs to taste great at the same time. 

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Fall is soup season in my household, which is right around the corner. I hate how the end of summer always seems to fly by and fall comes. But with fall comes hoodies, slippers, football, delicious soups, and bread. Bread is a wonderful accompaniment to an amazing soup, and this recipe is so simple yet packed full of delicious flavors. 

Have you tried making this Delightfully Easy Jalapeño Cheese Bread yet? Come on in and let me tell you about it! 

Delightfully Easy Jalapeño Cheese Bread Ingredients 

Flour, 3 cups 

Sugar, 1 ½ teaspoon 

Salt, 2 teaspoons 

Quick Yeast, 1 package 2 ½ teaspoons 

Water, warm, 1 ½ cups 

Parmesan Cheese, ¾ cup 

Cheddar Cheese, ¾ cup 

Jalapeño Peppers, 2, finely diced, and 1 to slice for the top of the bread 

Delightfully Easy Jalapeño Cheese Bread Directions 

Start with finely dicing the jalapeño peppers. I kept the seeds and membrane on one and removed it from the second, which created some heat, but nothing super spicy or overpowering. You can certainly adjust this however you want, but that is what worked for me. 

Slice a third jalapeño to put on top of the bread after you’ve scored it. I like nice thin slices for this part, but you can certainly slice them as thin or thick as you would like. 

In a mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients together and mix. It will be an ugly, sticky mess. Don’t worry, that is exactly how it is supposed to be. If you have any scraggly pieces of flour that don’t want to be incorporated into the dough ball, you may need a bit more water. Start with small amounts, like a teaspoon at a time until you have one solid dough ball and nothing looks dry. 

Cover the bowl with a towel and put it in a warm place for 60 minutes. I already had the oven on to make dinner, so I put the mixing bowl on top of the burner where the oven vent is, and that worked out perfectly. Letting it rise in a warm place gives it the best chance to rise correctly. 

Lay out a piece of parchment paper and dust it with flour. Dust your hands with a small amount of flour as well to make things easier. Transfer the dough from the mixing bowl to the parchment paper and start shaping it. This is super simple and you can’t screw it up. You just want to fold it over a couple of times until you have formed it into the shape of a ball. 

Place it smooth side up and cover it again with the towel. Let it sit for another 20 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. 

While the bread is on the parchment paper, score it to let the steam escape while it is baking. You can do a simple slash down the center, or like I did and do multiple cuts, or make a design if you’re feeling creative. It is completely up to you and there is no right or wrong way to do it. 

Transfer the bread and parchment paper into a dutch oven and put it in the oven with the lid on it. Bake for 30 minutes and then remove the lid. When it is done it will still be pale and not very crusty yet. Sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top and return it to the oven for 8-10 minutes without the lid so it can brown and crisp up. 

Once it is done, transfer the bread to a cooling rack, using the parchment paper to transfer it. Let it sit for about 10 minutes. Once it has cooled enough to touch, remove the parchment paper and let it continue cooling for another 30 minutes. 

Nothing left to do but slice into it and enjoy! 

Recipe Notes 

You can adjust how spicy this bread is by either adding an extra jalapeño or leaving the seeds and stems in it, or removing all the seeds and stems. I found that leaving them in one and removing them in the second was perfect. But that is my preference. Feel free to adjust it to what fits you. 

Your bread dough should be wet when you first mix it. If you find it to be on the dry side or it isn’t sticking together, add in more water in small amounts until it is nice and sticky. I start with a teaspoon and add until it all starts sticking together easily, with nothing trying to escape the dough ball. 

I’ll be the first to admit that I had never considered using my dutch oven to make bread before I tried my garlic and rosemary bread. But it really is a game changer! Now I wonder what took me so long to try it. If you don’t own a dutch oven, it is an investment that I highly recommend. 

Why I Love This Recipe 

I find this recipe to be so comforting on a cold and rainy night with a hearty bowl of soup. It is nice and crusty on the outside while remaining soft and fluffy on the inside. It is the perfect combination of crusty and fluffy. 

This recipe is so incredibly easy that anyone can make it. It doesn’t matter your skill level. I’m not a fabulous baker, mostly because I often lack the patience to be precise. But I made this without any problems, and you can too! Bread has always seemed like a daunting task to me, but it is so much easier than I expected, and I’m kind of mad at myself for not trying it sooner. 

My husband now wants me to bake bread all the time. After I made my garlic and rosemary bread, he now encourages me to keep experimenting with bread recipes, and this Delightfully Easy Jalapeño Cheese Bread was another great hit with him. 

Making bread from scratch is something that makes both the homemaker and the prepper in me incredibly happy. Because I’m learning a new skill, which is a confidence booster, while making something delicious that I can share with family and friends. 

Discussion 

Have you tried making this Delightfully Easy Jalapeño Cheese Bread yourself yet? Are you a fan? What is your favorite kind of bread? Let me know your thoughts in the comments! 

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