If you think I'm exaggerating when I say this is the best bread ever this was my facebook status today on my personal account.
just received hugs, kisses and a full on song and dance from Daniel Fischer when he realized I was making jalapeno cheese bread...I hope it comes out as good as last time
Luckily it was. I have never gotten this response from my husband before, keep in mind that I make all kinds of yummy stuff including all those cheesecakes. Not only him but my sister just instant messaged me to ask if she could have some bread if she came over. What makes it so good? The flavor and texture of the actual bread is the best I have ever made but the jalapeno and cheese add just another layer of specialness. Don't be afraid of the jalapeno, it really mostly gives flavor this isn't spicy unless for some reason your jalapenos are super spicy but you can always use less and if you want more kick definitely use more.
But it does take time. And planning. You need to start this the day before and have some time to wait the day of. But it freezes AMAZINGLY. You know the
musicmaker is anti-leftover and even he was drooling each time I pulled one from the freezer.
Ingredients
Night before:
1 ¼ cups bread flour
¾ cup water
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
Day of:
1 ¾ cups lukewarm water
¼ cup cornmeal
2 tbs butter
3 ½-4 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon instant yeast
2 teaspoons salt
3-4 jalapenos diced and seeded (about 3/4 cup ) adjust this to your families preference though
1/2 to 3/4 C water
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (divided)
2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese (divided)
Directions
Night before:
Combine bread flour, water, 1/4 tsp instant yeast together; mix; add more water if necessary to make a moist dough. Do this in a food safe breathable container or cover with plastic wrap . Sit at room temperature overnight or for 12-18 hours. (I just do it the night before and start using it in the early afternoon)
(it could be wetter than this even)
Day of:
Combine the lukewarm water and cornmeal in saucepan. Bring to low boil then turn heat down and simmer 5 minutes. Stirring frequently so it doesn’t burn. Pour into mixing bowl stir in butter until well combinedand allow to cool to 110 degrees. Add in the 1 tsp instant yeast, and 1 cup bread flour. Mix on low with a bread hook until well blended.
Add in the salt, jalapenos, and 1/2 of each of the cheeses (1 C pepper jack and 1 C cheddar). Mix until blended. Add 1/2 to 3/4 C water. Add the flour slowly. The dough needs to be very sticky (the consistency of cinnamon rolls).
Add the "night before" mixture" a a small amount more flower if needed to get the right consistency. Mix 5-10 minutes. While mixing on low speed, the dough should stick to the bottom of the bowl but not the sides. It’s better to be on the wet side than the dry side.
Cover with plastic wrap and rest for 1-2 hours, till double in size. (room temp in the winter you'll probably need closer to 2 hours if you're impatient fill your sink with hot water put the mixing bowl in (you don't want the water to come close to getting in the bowl though) cover with plastic wrap and towel if needed to help weigh it down) and you can use it in 30-40 minutes)
Cover your table with flour. Dump dough onto flour and sprinkle more flour on top. Lightly press and roll the dough into a rectangle. Depending on the size of rolls you want cut dough in half with a pizza cutter. Put all but 1/2 a cup cheese on the dough. Roll the dough, cut and sprinkle with cheese, cover loosely with plastic or towel. (I cut it into 20 pieces and they still ended up being pretty big) Place on cookie sheets, cut side up, spread the tops of the dough so the cheese is exposed and sprinkle reserved cheese (make sure to leave a decent amount of space between each roll they're going to rise again and grown when they bake. Rest for 1-2 hours.
Preheat oven to 425. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Cool. I highly recommend using heavy cookie sheets so the bottoms don't burn or get too crisp.
I know it's involved but I promise it's worth it.
(adapted from
modern foodie)
