This jalapeño cheese bread recipe is quick, garlicky and super easy! Minimal rising, almost no kneading, no dutch oven required. Delicious as sandwich bread or snacking.
This totally easy jalapeño cheddar bread loaf with a kiss of garlic is big on flavor and a comforting treat built for snacking, whether it’s game day or charcuterie board night. Serve it toasted with a slather of butter, use it as the best sandwich bread ever or serve it with your favorite dip.
Trust me: When the smell of cheesy, garlicky chile heaven starts wafting through your house as you bake this loaf, you are going to want to bottle that stuff up into a candle. It is so VERY GOOD. And dang it, I am getting hungry thinking about it.
Minimal kneading and brief rising times for this bread recipe. No dutch oven needed, though you still get a nice crust to bite into.
This jalapeño cheese bread loaf is so delicious and addictive, and when your guests see this they will be big time wowed. If food could talk, this bread would say, “PARTY TIME!”
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The bright green and orange of the jalapeño slices and shredded sharp cheddar that speck this loaf look like confetti when you slice into it.
And because I’m extra, I like to use a mix of red and green peppers, then love to top the loaf off with an extra sprinkling of cheese and jalapeño slices to amp up the wow factor. The cheese gets all melty and crusty on top… Absolutely dreamy.
I made this jalapeño cheddar bread recipe as beginner-friendly as possible. I’ve made my fair share of bread but I am no expert baker, and I’m forever in search of non-intimidating recipes. I want my bread to be ready fast and I don’t want to do much work. Is that so much to ask? (Spoiler alert: No.)
As far as spice goes, this bread is pretty mild — be sure to remove those jalapeño seeds! I like a little bit of heat, so I leave some in.
No need to compromise simplicity for flavor. This bread is proof!
Watch Me Make This Bread
Can’t see the video below? Watch it on Instagram.
Ingredients For Jalapeño Cheddar Bread
- Bread flour (all-purpose flour works, too)
- Jalapeño(s)
- Shredded cheddar
- Quick-rising dry yeast
- Sugar
- Garlic Powder
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Water
Equipment
- Plastic wrap
- Medium-sized loaf pan, bread stone, dutch oven or pot (for baking bread inside)
- Large, medium and small mixing bowls
- Spatula or stand mixer with dough hook
How To Make Jalapeño Cheese Bread
Combine yeast, sugar and water. When it foams after a few minutes, add olive oil, garlic powder and salt.
You can either mix thoroughly by hand with a spatula or use a stand mixer with a dough hook. Mix in one cup of flour at a time until dough is ready. If dough is not coming together and sticking to the bowl after you’ve added all 3 cups of flour, try adding 1 tbsp. of flour at a time.
Oil another bowl (cooking spray works well here). Flour your hands, form dough into a bowl and place in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and begin your first of two 30-minute rises.
While dough rises, combine your jalapeno slices with shredded cheddar. I like my food a little spicier, so I use two chiles and leave some of the seeds in. If you want a mild jalapeño cheese bread loaf, use one chile and be sure to remove every. Single. Seed.
Flour a flat surface. Take a handful of jalapenos and cheese at a time, then knead into the ball of dough until toppings are well-incorporated into the dough. Just do your best — this doesn’t have to be an exact science.
I like to flatten the ball out a little bit, toss some toppings in the middle, stretch out the edge of the bread by pulling away from you, then fold back over to cover the toppings.
You can sort of see that I’m mid-fold in this picture…
It’s totally fine if you don’t use all of the jalapenos and cheddar; I like to set the excess aside and place on top of the loaf just before baking.
Flour your hands and form dough into a ball. Place dough back into oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for another 30 minutes. In the meantime, preheat the oven.
Bake for 35 minutes, allow to cool, then serve!
Variations
Think of this recipe as a blueprint! You can make some variations of this jalapeño cheese bread…
Jalapeño Bread Without Cheese
You know the drill. Skip the cheese! Or swap the cheese with another yummy ingredient, like caraway seeds, dried herbs or roasted garlic.
If you’re really into roasted garlic, I’ve also got an easy recipe for roasted garlic bread with rosemary.
Olive and Jalapeño Bread
Substitute the approx. 1 cup of cheddar with 1/2 cup of olives. You can use whatever you like, but be sure to use seedless, sliced olives. I myself am partial to Kalamata olives.
In fact, if you’re looking for a bread all about olives, check out my quick herbed olive dinner bread loaf recipe!
Garlic Jalapeño Cheddar Cheese Bread
This jalapeño cheese bread recipe is quick, garlicky and super easy! Minimal rising, almost no kneading, no dutch oven required. Delicious for sandwiches or snacking.
4.50 from 2 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 40 minutes mins
Cook Time 35 minutes mins
Rising Time 1 hour hr
Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 1 loaf
Calories 2301 kcal
Equipment
plastic wrap
Medium-sized loaf pan, bread stone, dutch oven or pot (for baking bread inside)
Large, medium and small mixing bowls
Spatula or stand mixer with dough hook
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ c. water
- 3-3 ½ c. flour ideally bread flour, which has a higher protein content that makes it preferable for bread-baking
- 1-2 mid-sized jalapenos seeds removed, and thinly sliced or diced
- 1 c. shredded cheddar
- 2 ¼ tbsp. quick-rising dry yeast
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- 1/2 tbsp. garlic powder
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tbsp. salt
Instructions
Making the dough
Add yeast and sugar to large mixing bowl, then add warm water (be sure it’s comfortable to the touch; not so hot that it’s uncomfortable to set your finger inside). Let sit for approx. 5 minutes until mixture foams, then add olive oil, garlic powder and salt.
Mix in 3 cups of flour, one cup at a time. Either mix thoroughly by hand or use a stand mixer with dough hook attachment. If dough is not coming together and sticking to the bowl after you’ve added all 3 cups of flour, try adding 1 tbsp. of flour at a time.
1st Rise
Oil your medium mixing bowl (cooking spray works well for this). Flour your hands, form dough into a ball, then place into bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes.
Kneading
Combine jalapeño slices and cheddar in small bowl. Flour a flat surface. Take a handful of jalapeños and cheese at a time, then knead into the ball of dough until toppings are well-incorporated into the dough. I like to place toppings in the center of the dough, stretch the edge of the dough outward, then fold it back on top of the toppings and repeat.
Note: You might not use all of the jalapeños and cheddar; I like to set excess aside and place on top of the loaf just before baking.
2nd Rise
Flour your hands and form dough into a ball. Place dough back into oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for another 30 minutes.
Baking
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Flour your hands, then gently form dough into a ball or oval, depending on what shape you’d like the bread to take. Transfer to a floured pan or baking stone, then slice a few slashes with sharp knife or kitchen shears.
Bake for 35 minutes, allow bread to cool for several minutes.
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