Jalapeno Cheese Bread

Photo: Jenny MacKinnell

Ingredients

2 recipes thawed bread dough loaves (found in your freezer section) or the ½ for no knead brea

1/2 stick melted butter

8 slices jalapenos (don't use those pickled ones!)

1 pound shredded mild cheddar or colby cheese (don't use the stuff <

Preparation

Shred your mild cheddar cheese (the sharp stuff just doesn't taste right with the zingy jalapeno). I really have stopped using those bagged cheese not only to save money on buying blocks but the flavor is SOOOOOO much better. The cornstarch/flour they put on the pre-shredded stuff really mutes the cheese flavor I feel.

Slice your jalapenos. Remember the seeds and the veins inside hold the heat. If you want your bread zingy....slice with abandon. I take a few of the peppers and dig out the seeds and veins to help balance out the heat. Some bites are zingy so not AS zingy. Every bite is a surprise! If you do half seeded and half not....mix up your pile so they distribute well through the bread.

Set aside your peppers, cheese and melted butter.

On a floured surface, roll out your dough. Don't worry so much about the size. Just as big as you can get without it the dough getting too thin. Spread on the melted butter. Sprinkle on half of the cheese and half of the jalapenos. Roll up from the longest edge and pinch edges.(kinda like making cinnamon rolls!)

Hopefully your roll with be nice and thick from the pepper and cheese. Very gently with both hands roll back and forth (like you did with play dough as a kid) to 'snake' it out longer. Just aim for double in length. Mine was about 2-1/2-3 feet at first and it slowly shrinks as you work with it more.

Take one end and start to curl it into itself making one big spiral. Be sure to grab a bunch of cheese and jalapenos as you roll along. Roll, stuff with cheese and peppers. Roll and stuff with cheese and peppers, etc.

Top with remaining cheese and space out the peppers. Generously grease a 10 inch springform pan. Cover with towel and let rise in warm place until double or filled the pan.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 45 minutes. You can cover the top of the bread with foil if you feel it's overbrowning after 30 minutes. You can also remove the bread from the springform ring and bake on parchment for the final 15 minutes to get the rest of the bread 'crusty'.