Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Jalapeno-Cheddar Sandwich Bread

 
I realize that this is the third recipe for a jalapeno-cheddar bread I'm posting on my blog, but they are all different and delicious in their own ways, I promise (In case you're curious, here are the other two).  Its not overkill, really.  I wanted to make some sandwich bread last week, so I turned to my trusty Baking Illustrated for a no-fail recipe.  I had originally planned to making a wheat bread, you know, for health.  But then somewhere along the way I decided that jalapeno-cheddar sounded much better. :-)

As far as the recipe goes, it is a pretty straightforward bread recipe.  Mix, knead, rise, shape, proof, bake.  I didn't do anything special to the technique for making it jalapeno-cheddar.  I just tossed the pepper and cheese with a little flour and threw it in the mixer with everything else.  I'm not sure if that's the "right" way to incorporate mix-ins into bread, but it worked this time!


Joey really loved this bread.  So much in fact, that he said I should start making it every week.  It made the best BLT's ever, and is really tasty for breakfast with a little butter and honey.  I don't know that I'll make it every week (I have so many recipes waiting to be made!), but it will definitely make frequent appearances.




Jalapeno-Cheddar Sandwich bread
adapted from Buttermilk Sandwich Bread, Baking Illustrated
makes one 9-inch loaf
  • 3 3/4 cups (18 3/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 cup cold buttermilk
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 3 Tablespoons honey
  • 1 envelope (about 2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast
  • 2-3 jalapenos, seeds and ribs removed, diced
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (the sharper, the better)
Adjust one oven rack to the lowest position, and another to the middle position.  Heat the oven to 200 degrees.  When it is preheated, maintain the tempeature for 10 minutes, then turn off the oven.

Toss the jalapeno and cheddar with 1 Tablespoon of flour in a small bowl.

Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan.  Remove from heat and add the cold buttermilk and stir to combine.

Mix 3 1/2 cups of the flour andthe salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.  Add the buttermilk/water mixture, butter, honey, and yeast to a liquid measuring cup.  Turn the mixer on low, and add the liquid in a slow stream, increasing the speed of the mixer as you go to medium.  Continue mixing until the dough is smooth and satiny, stopping to scrape the dough from the hook as needed.  After about 2-3 minutes add the jalapeno-cheese mixture, and continue to knead about 10 minutes total, adding flour 1 Tablespoon at a time, as necessary to keep the dough from sticking to the sides of the bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead to form a smooth ball, about 15 seconds.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, rubbing the dough around the bowl to coat with the oil.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place the bowl in the oven until the dough doubles in size, 50-60 minutes.

Turn out onto the floured surface and gently press the dough into a rectangle that is 1 inch thick and 9 inches long.  With the long side facing you, roll the dough firmly into a cylinder, pressing with your fingers as you roll to make sure the dough sticks to itself.  Turn the dough seam-side up and pinch it closed.

Place the dough seam-side down in a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan, and press it gently to make sure it touches all four sides of the pan.  Cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise in a warm spot until the dough almost doubles in size, 20-30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Place an empty baking pan on the lowest rack of the oven.  Bring 2 cups of water to a boil and pour  into the empty pan.  Set the loaf onto the middle rack, and bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf reads 195 degrees, about 40-50 minutes.

Remove the bread from the pan and cool to room temperature on a wire rack.  Slice and serve.


23 comments:

Joanne said...

Is there such a thing as having too many bread recipes? Especially ones that are spicy and stuffed with cheese? I think not. This looks great!

Josie said...

Joanne, you are so right!

ashley said...

BLT on jalapeno cheddar bread?! umm can you send me one?! perfect use of the bread! i bet its really good for a breakfast sandwich with a fried egg, ham & Cheese too!

Susi's Kochen und Backen said...

You had me with the BLT on the Jalapeno bread, that sounds beyond delicious!

Jade said...

This bread sounds so good and flavorful. There would be so many sandwiches that would be wonderful on it!

Amy of Sing For Your Supper said...

Ok now, WOW- this looks so good! I wish I weren't so afraid of yeast... Do you think a yeast-challenged person could make this?? Maybe I could give it a try....maybe....

Josie said...

Amy, absolutely! The only way to master yeast is to practice, so go for it!

Plain Chicken said...

Looks great! We would like this in our house.

Carol said...

This looks so delicious.......what an over the top sandwich this would make. I know we'd love it.

I'm so glad I saw this on Foodgawker!

Annie said...

Wow, I think I need that BLT....yep, Right.Now.

Janet said...

I just made this after reading your post! SOOOOOO goood!! Thanks so much for sharing!! It was so hard to wait for it to cool to eat a slice. :)

Taylor said...

This looks like an amazing sandwich bread! Yum!

eatme_delicious said...

Ohhh delicious! I've made quick breads with jalapeno and cheese but never sandwich bread. This looks awesome!

Anonymous said...

I just finished one of the best BLTs EVER thanks to this bread. Yum! It was totally worth every, single, calorie.

Jeana said...

I just made this...and oh my goodness, it is the BEST bread I have ever had. My parents both agree too. It is so good just plain with nothing on it, and I can't wait to make a turkey sandwich on it for dinner tonight. I "accidentally" grated an extra 1/2 of the sharp cheddar and put that in. I am going to make 2 more loaves of this tomorrow to give to people! Thanks for this recipe!!

brandirroberts said...

I made this bread yesterday and it turned out very well! It turned out to be a really pretty loaf once it was baked and it was very easy to make using my Kitchen Aid :) This bread is super tasty plain and now I'm about to use it for my turkey sandwich! Good recipe. I will definitely be making it again.

Jennifer - NC said...

I just found your site last week. I found this recipe and just had to try it. This is the first time I have made sandwich bread. OMG!!! This is the best bread, I had it today with BBQ (husband smoked a pork shoulder yesterday) I can't wait until next summer for a home grown tomato so I can make a BLT with this fantastic bread!!! Thanks so much for the recipe and great directions!!! It was wonderful!!!!!

Mellybrown said...

Just found your blog and this is the first thing I have made. This bread is DELICIOUS! BLTs and black bean soup for dinner tonight. Now onto your chorizo recipes..... hmmmm!

Anonymous said...

I just found your blog and made this yesterday. Mine came out very dense but DELICIOUS!! Amazing. Think I needed to have let it rise more for a less dense bread?

Anonymous said...

can this be made in a 2 pound bread machine maker?

Josie said...

I'm not familiar with bread machines, but I'm sure it could be adapted to work in one.

Anonymous said...

You are the first blogger to ever answer a question I asked, so thank you.

Jennifer Kaplan said...

I just made this bread for the second time last night, and I just wanted to say how incredible it is! It made the most beautiful loaf of bread I've ever made, and sliced perfectly (usually my biggest problem with homemade breads). I just rubbed some butter over the top when it came out of the oven so it stayed soft for cutting. I subbed out 1 cup of the flour for white whole wheat this time, and it still worked perfectly. I will make this bread again and again

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