Cheesy Jalapeno Bread

This lovely loaf was a special request by my husband.  I was in the mood to bake and he was in the mood for cheese bread – what a match!  This recipe sounded too good and easy to pass up so into the kitchen I went.

It helps me to keep busy doing projects when I am excited and nervous about becoming a grandmother.  I’m too young to be a grandma!  Well I guess that’s not really true, but I don’t feel old enough – but who does?  My poor daughter is now 6 days past her due date.  Maybe she needs to eat some spicy jalapeno cheese bread!

The ingredients:  yeast, sugar, water, flour, jalapeno peppers, salt, 1 egg, hot pepper sauce, milk, cheddar cheese and pepper jack cheese.

Since this was the first time I tried making cheese bread, I played around with the size of the cheese pieces.  I ended up shredding 1 cup of cheddar and chopping another cup.  I also chopped 1/2 cup of pepper jack cheese.  Next time I would skip the shredded cheese since it seemed to disappear in the bread.

Sprinkle the yeast into the warm water and sugar mixture.  Allow the yeast mixture to sit until foamy, about 10 minutes.

In the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer, add 4 cups of bread flour.

Next add the chopped jalapeno peppers.

Add the salt …

… and the sugar.

Next add the egg and hot pepper sauce.

Add the warmed milk.

And last but not least, add the yeast.  Start the mixer fitted with the kneading attachment.  Mix until all ingredients are moistened and add small amounts of flour as needed to create a soft smooth semi-sticky dough.  Keep kneading for about 10 minutes.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.

Add the cubed and shredded cheeses and knead until well blended.

Let the dough rest, covered with a clean tea towel for 10 minutes.

Gather up the dough and knead gently for about 30 seconds.

Place the dough in a well oiled bowl and cover with a towel.  Let the dough rise in a warm spot free from drafts until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Punch down the dough and shape into two large loaves.  Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  (TIP:  At this point I think I’ll try dividing the dough into three loaves and place them in loaf pans sprayed with Pam.  These loaves spread out instead of up and I would like to see if they did well shaped like sandwich bread.)  Cover the dough again with a clean towel and rise again for another hour or until doubled.

Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese or sesame seeds.

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven until the crust is golden brown.

As tempting as it is to eat this bread hot from the oven, it really tastes much better after the cheese has cooled.

This bread has a lovely spongy texture perfect for soaking up soup broth.