Homemade Jalapeño Cheddar Bread
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Homemade Jalapeño Cheddar bread goes with just about anything! Serve it with homemade chili, grilled cheese sandwiches, or for breakfast with a side of eggs!
Gimme all the cheddar and load it up into homemade jalapeño cheddar bread for me, wouldja? Pillowy soft sandwich bread speckled with pickled jalapeños and cheddar cheese. Can you imagine the amazing grilled cheese sandwiches you can make with this? Holy moly, that would hands-down be the most amazing grilled cheese of life.
This bread.
This jalapeño cheddar bread has cost me a lot. Not only have I made it more times than I’m willing to recount now, but it’s also left a huge dent on my wood floors. Once upon a chilly fall morning, my stand mixer got fed up and decided to commit suicide off my countertop, plummeting to what I assumed would be its untimely death, seconds away from spewing my then 4th batch of jalapeño cheddar bread dough.
As I said, this jalapeño cheddar bread has really put a dent on things. That’s not including the time and energy I put into making it again and again until it was absolutely perfect. And then once more just to be sure. The latch on my stand mixer has been compromised and even my contractor yelped a little when he saw the dent in the floor 😐
You know how positive people would take this kind of stuff and spin it into ‘character’ to a home and something about all the memories you made? Yeah, I’m not seeing it that way yet.
The mixer is still alive, I guess that’s something!
Moving along. I’ve made a ton of homemade bread in the past, on repeat. For the most part, it was my honey oatmeal bread which if you haven’t made it yet, you should. There was also the cinnamon swirl bread that became French toast one morning, and since then, every time I make French toast I dream about cinnamon swirls.
What I love about making homemade jalapeño cheddar bread is that it comes together rather quickly for a yeast bread recipe. In just a little over 3 hours, you’ve got perfect sandwich bread that’s good to eat warm from the oven. Keep in mind it’s like 15 minutes of hands-on time and everything else is just proof/bake time.
I can’t take all the credit for the harmonious combination of cheddar and jalapenos swirled into white sandwich bread though. In Texas, we have a local grocery store that makes jalapeño cheddar bread, and if you’re lucky enough to be shopping around the time they baked the days’ batch, you undoubtedly should grab a loaf before leaving.
What do you need to make jalapeño cheddar bread at home?
- Instant yeast
- Water
- Sugar
- Powdered milk (affiliate link)
- All-purpose flour
- Butter
- Salt
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Pickled jalapeños
The ingredient list is super straightforward on this one. Most of these are probably already in your pantry, except the powdered milk.
Why do we add powdered milk to jalapeño cheddar bread?
Powdered milk is an ingredient I like to most (if not all) my homemade bread or dough recipes as it enhances the dough and gives it the most amazing bakery-like flavor. You won’t be able to tell it’s there but it certainly makes the bread a lot more soft and tender, which you will notice! It also gives the loaf a golden brown finishing on the outside so it’s picture perfect when it comes out of the oven.
Where can I find powdered milk in stores?
Powdered milk is usually found next to the sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk in the baking aisle.
How do you measure the flour?
I find the best method of measuring out flour for jalapeno cheddar bread is the ‘spoon and sweep method.’ Use a smaller measuring scoop or cup to spoon flour into a 1-cup measure. Then use a knife and sweep from one side of the measuring cup to the other to level it off. Do this 4 times to make a total of 4 cups.
What kind of pickled jalapeños can I use for jalapeño cheddar bread?
I used regular old pickled jalapeños found in the dressing and pickles section of any and all grocery stores. If you don’t want the bread to be too spicy, I suggest looking for a jar that specifically states ‘tamed’ or mild jalapeños. I used a few different brands while making this bread and though I did enjoy the spicy jalapeño bread, my favorite was when I used tamed or mild jalapeños.
What kind of cheddar cheese do I need for jalapeño cheddar bread?
I like to use yellow cheddar cheese. It’s up to you whether you’d like to use mild, medium, or sharp cheddar. Again, I tried a variety here just to be sure and my favorites were the mild and medium cheddar for this recipe.
What can I use jalapeno cheddar bread for?
- sandwiches!
- serve it with homemade tomato soup
- make grilled cheese
- serve it with my spinach artichoke dip
- make breakfast strata
- serve it with homemade Texas chili
- breakfast with eggs
- serve it with my Mexican chicken noodle soup
How to make the best jalapeno cheddar bread
- mix the water, sugar, and yeast and let it hang out for 15 minutes.
- add everything but jalapeno and cheddar and let the mixer mix it all up for you.
- fold in the ched and jalapeños.
- let it rest and bake.
- eat it straight from the oven.
Can you freeze the leftover jalapeño cheddar bread?
Yes, you can freeze it! Just wrap it well in wax paper and then pop it in whole or in slices into a zip-top bag and it should last for a couple of months, easily.
Honestly, you need a loaf of warm jalapeno cheddar bread in your life at all times. It’s warm and it goes with just about anything, and if you’re a carb freak like me, this loaf isn’t going to last long around your neck of the woods either!
Homemade Jalapeño Cheddar Bread
Homemade Jalapeño Cheddar bread goes with just about anything! Serve it with homemade chili, grilled cheese sandwiches, or for breakfast with a side of eggs!
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ teaspoon instant yeast (or 1 packet)
- 1 ½ cup warm water
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon powdered milk
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons butter, room temperature (divided)
- 4 - 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup pickled jalapeno peppers
Instructions
- YEAST: In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, stir together the water, yeast, and sugar and allow the yeast to bloom for 12-15 minutes or until the yeast is bubbly.
- DOUGH: Once the yeast blooms, add the powdered milk, salt, 2 tablespoons of butter, and 4 cups of flour. Using the dough hook attachment, mix on the low speed or ‘stir’ setting until the dough starts to come together. It should be slightly tacky but shouldn’t stick to your fingers or feel overly wet. If it’s wet, add ¼ cup of flour at a time (up to 4 additions) until the dough comes together. Continue to let the dough run in the mixer for 8-10 minutes. The dough should start pulling away from the sides of the bowl and come together in a ball shape. Lightly grease a large bowl and place the dough inside. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
- PREP: Save 6-8 slices of pickled jalapeño for later, this is for topping the bread. Place the remaining jalapeños on a piece of paper towel and give them a good wipe down, you want to remove most of the moisture from them. Chop the jalapeños; set aside. Spray a 9x5 loaf pan with cooking spray; set aside. When the dough has doubled in size, dump it out onto a well-floured, clean surface. Pat the dough down to remove any air pockets. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and jalapeños. Fold the dough over to incase all the toppings you added, then fold it again in half. Continue to knead and fold the dough until you see specks of cheese and jalapeños running throughout the entire dough. Pat the ball of dough gently into a 9x12 inch rectangle. Then, roll from one end to the other to make a log. Pinch seams, then gently transfer the dough loaf into the prepared pan. Place the saved jalapeños on top and gently press them in. Cover with plastic wrap, let the dough rise for 1 hour. Preheat the oven during the last 20 minutes of rising time.
- BAKE: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400ºF. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in the microwave and using a pastry brush, spread the butter on the dough. Bake the bread for 34-37 minutes, rotating the pan at the halfway mark. Let cool for several minutes before attempting to remove the bread from the pan and slicing. Leftover bread should be wrapped and placed in an airtight container.
Notes
- powdered milk is usually found in the baking aisle next to the sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk.
- for measuring the flour, I suggest using the 'spoon and sweep' method where you use a smaller measuring cup or spoon to add flour to the 1 cup measure. You then run a knife along the top to level and push off any excess flour.
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10 Comments on “Homemade Jalapeño Cheddar Bread”
What if I only have instant yeast? Do I just add it to the mixer with the flour and other ingredients?
Could you please clarify what you mean; the recipe calls for instant yeast.
Can I substitute some of the water with juice from the jalapeno jar?.
Unfortunately, I’m not sure if that would work for this cheddar bread recipe. I’m worried the pickling liquid would slow down/kill the yeast and you wouldn’t end up with a great end product. If you decide to try it anyway, I’d love to hear how it went 🙂
I have made this twice now, last Sunday for my boyfriend and today for myself. Holy cow, it is amazing! I paid $9 at a bakery for a loaf of cheddar jalapeno bread that was not this tasty and I won’t have to that again. I am passing this recipe to friends. Thanks for sharing!
That makes me soooo happy! Thank you for taking the time to come back and comment! 🙂
I’ve made similar delicious bread and have a suggestion. Use the same amount of cheese, but shred some and cube some. The cubes don’t melt as completely as the the shreds do so there’s pockets of cheesy goodness throughout the bread!
Interesting! Thanks for the tip!
Oh yum… I can see me eating this out of the oven, burning my fingers and mouth! Big question: I don’t have a stand mixer – BUT I have a hand mixer with a dough hook. Will that work?
The dough hook on a hand mixer should work just fine! You may need to let the dough go for an extra minute or two but that should be the only difference!