Name: White Cheddar Jalapeno Bread
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 240 min
Ingredients: 3 1/2 cups bread flour; 2 tsp salt; 2 cups Tillamook Extra Sharp White Cheddar Cheese, shredded (or cheddar cheese of your choosing); 3/4 cup diced jalapeno** (fresh or canned); 2 cups tepid water; 2 1/4 tsp dry active yeast (or instant yeast - either will work with this recipe); 1/2 cup shredded cheese (any cheddar of your choice); 8-10 slices jalapeno (fresh or canned)

Guys, someone told me about Tillamook Extra Sharp White Cheddar Cheese and my life is forever changed. I love it. Maybe a little too much.

We have been using it in mac and cheese, quesadillas, burritos, omelets, and anything you can possibly cheese (queue Beverly Goldberg cheesing everything).

It had been awhile since I have made a bread other than french bread (may youngest daughter’s favorite).

I decided to take a break from making sweet treats fo Valentine’s Day and to instead experiment with a new bread and cheese.

Enter White Cheddar Jalapeno Bread! (cheers and confetti falling from the sky)

This bread requires 2 rises, mixing bowls and the most important equipment of all: a 3.5 or 4 quart dutch oven.

This is the dutch oven I used in this recipe (don’t worry, it is affordable).

This recipe is super easy and the results will yield what some in my house consider the BEST bread I have ever made!

As you follow the recipe you can reference these images, and I hope they do help.

This is the dough ready for the first rise:
white cheddar jalapeno dough rising in bowl for the first rise

This is the dough after folding/turning and ready for the second rise (see the gluten strands developing?! Exciting stuff! It’s breading!):
white cheddar jalapeno dough rising in bowl for the second rise

Below is the finished product. You can see how large my parchment paper is for the overhang to easily remove it from the hot dutch oven onto the wire rack:
parchment paper overhang for bread

And the big wow moment when everyone looks at you like you have been hiding a super power from them your whole life:
white cheddar jalapeno bread, sliced

A neat thing about this recipe is you can make it as spicy or as mild as you want. Use tamed jarred jalapenos for a very mild flavor, or use serrano or habanero peppers for a real spicy kick!

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White Cheddar Jalapeno Bread

A slight twist on your typical cheddar jalapeno bread!

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Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 50

Rising Time: 3

Total Time: 4

Servings: servings

Equipment

Dutch Oven (3.5 - 4 quart)*
Mixing bowls

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups bread flour
2 tsp salt
2 cups Tillamook Extra Sharp White Cheddar Cheese, shredded or cheddar cheese of your choosing
3/4 cup diced jalapeno** fresh or canned
2 cups tepid water
2 1/4 tsp dry active yeast or instant yeast - either will work with this recipe

For Topping (optional)

1/2 cup shredded cheese any cheddar of your choice
8-10 slices jalapeno fresh or canned

Instructions

In a medium bowl, add flour, salt, shredded white cheddar cheese and diced jalapeños. Mix to combine.
In a large bowl (I used a 4 quart pyrex mixing bowl) add water and yeast. Stir and let sit for a few minutes.
Add flour mixture to the water and yeast bowl. Stir until you don't see any dry flour left. Fold outside of dough towards center using s spatula. Turn bowl a little and repeat 8 times. The goal here is to form a rough ball.
Top bowl with a damp tea cloth or kitchen towel and let rise for 1-1 /2 hours, until dough is about doubled in size.
After the first rise is complete, repeat the folding of the dough toward the center with a spatula and turn bowl again, about 10-12 times. Again, forming a rough ball. This time you should start to see those gluten strands forming. Put the damp towel back on top of bowl and let rise again 1-1 /2 hours.
After second rise, place your empty dutch oven (with lid on) in COLD oven on middle rack and heat oven to 450°F. Let heat for 20-30 minutes.
Lay out a large piece of parchment paper on your counter (enough so it will overhang when placed in Dutch Oven. Place your dough onto a lightly floured surface. Using floured hands, turn edges of dough towards the center (like we did in the bowl). Form a rough ball. Flip the dough over onto the center of parchment paper.
Score top of loaf however you would like. I did an X.
OPTIONAL - Lightly spray top o loaf with oil and sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Place sliced jalapenos around the top.
CAREFULLY remove the hot Dutch Oven from your oven, remove lid and lift parchment paper by the corners to lower dough into the Dutch Oven. Put lid on and bake in oven for 30 minutes.
Remove lid and then bake another 20 minutes or until top is golden brown.
Carefully lift or slide bread out (I was able to life using the parchment paper) and put on a wire rack to cool.
Let bread cool completely before slicing.

Notes

*The width of your dutch oven will be the width that bread will be, since it spreads out. If you use too large of a dutch oven, the bread will be too flat. Use 3.5 or 4 quart for this recipe for a nice, round loaf.

**Use tamed jarred jalapenos for a very mild flavor, or use serrano or habanero peppers for a real spicy kick!

Once you slice into this bread, store on cutting board SLICE OWN for the first day or two. If it even lasts longer than that, store in paper bag or bread bag.