Julie Clark
Updated:
Jalapeño Cheese Bread
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This No Knead Jalapeño Cheese Bread recipe is a perfect blend of spicy jalapeños and rich, melted cheese. It’s an easy-to-follow recipe with a hands-off approach.
Whether you are new to bread baking or a seasoned home baker, you’ll love this No Knead Jalapeño Cheese Bread. The hands-off approach of this cheesy, no knead bread makes it a hit among home bakers. No stand mixer, dough hook or long kneading necessary. It has an irresistible flavor and soft, cheesy texture.
Impress your guests with this delicious Dutch oven bread that looks like it came from a bakery. Serve alongside your favorite soup!
About this Jalapeño Cheese Bread Recipe:
- Flavor: This cheesy jalapeño bread is loaded with cheddar cheese flavor thanks to the 2 cups of freshly shredded cheese inside. It isn’t overly spicy and has just a hint of spice.
- Texture: The bread has a crisp crust and a soft, light, springy crumb. It’s not quite as chewy as some breads because it uses the simple no knead method.
- Method: Mouth-watering artisan breads are all the rage lately and crusty loaves come out looking like a masterpiece. To get this effect, we bake the bread in a Dutch oven with the lid on for most of the baking time.
What makes no knead bread different from bread?
There are a couple of key differences:
- As the name suggests, no knead bread does not require the traditional process of kneading the dough, which is a time-consuming task. Instead, the dough for no knead bread is mixed briefly and then left to rise for an extended period, anywhere from 3-12 hours. This gives the yeast time to work in the dough to develop the gluten structure and flavor.
- No knead bread dough is much wetter and stickier than traditional bread dough. The wet dough allows for a longer rising time, which results in a lighter, airier crumb and a crispy crust.
- It has a simple ingredient list. There’s not any milk or eggs in the no knead bread recipe.
Ingredients For Jalapeño Cheese Bread
No Knead Bread Timeline
When I make this no knead jalapeño cheddar bread recipe, I start it mid-morning, then let it rise throughout the afternoon and work with it again about 2 hours before dinner.
- 9AM: Mix the dough, then cover and let the dough rise.
- 2-3PM: The dough should nearly be doubled at this point. Fold it over a couple of times.
- 3:30PM: Heat the oven.
- 4PM: Bake the bread.
How to Make Jalapeño Cheese Bread
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Add in the yeast and whisk again.
- Finely dice 1 jalapeño pepper. Add the diced pepper, minced garlic and shredded cheese to the flour mixture. Mix until combined.
- Stir in water, mixing thoroughly until you have a smooth uniform dough. The dough will be sticky, but that’s what you want. If it isn’t coming together in a ball, add up to ½ cup more flour, but the dough should be sticky to the touch.
- Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 4-6 hours, or until the dough has risen to nearly double the size.
- Use a rubber spatula to fold the dough together several times. Form into a ball. Cover and allow the dough to rest for another 30-60 minutes while the oven is preheating.
- Preheat the oven to 450ºF.
- Use a rubber spatula to scrape dough onto a piece of parchment paper. Press sliced jalapeño peppers into the top of the dough ball. Place the dough ball (with parchment paper) into a Dutch oven (or other oven-safe pot with a lid). Place the Dutch oven cover on.
- Turn the oven down to 425º Fahrenheit. Then bake the bread in the covered Dutch oven for 30 minutes.
- Remove the lid, remove the parchment paper with loaf on it and place it right on the oven rack. Continue to bake for another 10 minutes or until the spicy bread is golden brown.
The Perfect Bread for Soup Night
This cheesy jalapeño bread is just the bread you’re looking for to dunk in your favorite soup! Slice the loaf of bread and slather with butter then serve with one of these:
- Mexican Beef and Rice Soup
- Easy Taco Soup
- Baked Potato Soup
- Mexican Chicken Soup
- Sweet and Spicy Chili
This artisan bread also makes great sandwiches. Toast it and try it with our Mexican meatloaf!
Jalapeño Cheese Bread
This No Knead Jalapeño Cheese Bread recipe is a perfect blend of spicy jalapeños and rich, melted cheese. It's an easy-to-follow recipe with a hands-off approach.
Servings 10
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Rise Time 5 hours
Total Time 5 hours 50 minutes
Ingredients
- 3 1/4 cups bread flour* (or up to ½ cup more if needed) 393 grams
- 1 teaspoon salt 8 grams
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast** 5 grams
- 2 jalapeno peppers 55-65 grams each
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic 7 grams
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese*** 184 grams
- 1 1/3 cups warm water about 95-100ºF
Instructions
Make the dough:
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Add in the yeast and whisk again. 3 ¼ cups bread flour*, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon instant yeast**
- Finely dice 1 jalapeno pepper. Add the diced pepper, minced garlic and shredded cheese to the flour mixture. Mix until combined. 2 jalapeno peppers, 1 teaspoon minced garlic , 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese***
- Stir in water, mixing thoroughly until you have a smooth uniform dough. The dough will be sticky, but that’s what you want. If it isn't coming together in a ball, add up to ½ cup more flour, but the dough should be sticky to the touch. 1 ⅓ cups warm water
- Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 4-6 hours, or until the dough has risen to nearly double the size.****
- Use a rubber spatula to fold the dough together several times. Form into a ball. Cover and allow the dough to rest for another 30-60 minutes while the oven is preheating.
Bake the bread:
- Preheat the oven to 450ºF.
- Use a rubber spatula to scrape dough onto a piece of parchment paper. Press sliced jalapeno peppers into the top of the dough ball. Place the dough ball (with parchment paper) into a Dutch oven. Place the Dutch oven cover on.
- Turn the oven down to 425º Fahrenheit. Then bake the bread in the covered Dutch oven for 30 minutes.
- Remove the lid, remove the parchment paper with loaf on it and place it right on the oven rack. Continue to bake for another 10 minutes or until the bread is golden brown.
- Allow the bread to rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
*You can use all-purpose flour if that’s all you have, but I prefer the texture of the bread made with bread flour.
**You can use active dry yeast, but you’ll have to add the yeast to the warm water and let it sit to active the yeast for a few minutes. Then add the flour and remaining ingredients.
***Freshly shredded cheddar cheese is best.
****The exact time it takes to rise will be dependent on many different factors. If you need the bread to rise more quickly, add up to 2 teaspoons of yeast. The bread will have the best texture with a slow rise.
If you’d like, slash the top of the dough ball with a sharp knife before baking. This will give it a pretty look.
Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
The calories shown are based on the bread being cut into 10 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of bread. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**
Nutrition
Calories: 244kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 382mg | Potassium: 78mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.3g | Vitamin A: 257IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 167mg | Iron: 0.4mg
What if you don’t have a dutch oven is there any other pan you can bake it in?