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Homemade Dutch oven Jalapeno Cheese Bread is the perfect combination of spice and comfort. It’s made with just pantry staple ingredients like flour, yeast, and water and the entire recipe only takes 10 minutes to pull together.
There’s little better than the smell of fresh bread in your home. My family loves my rosemary parmesan bread, cinnamon raisin bread, and my classic artisan bread but they often request this jalapeno cheddar one. I think it’s their favorite, but they don’t want to tell me because they want me to think all of them are their favorite.
Making bread might seem daunting, but I promise it’s so simple! I mean with only 10 minutes of work, it can be that bad – right?! The trick to making this jalapeno bread is time and a Dutch oven. The yeast needs time to work its magic and the jalapeno and cheese need time to infuse their flavors while the Dutch oven helps make that perfectly crispy exterior.
Why We Love This Recipe
This bread recipe is easy to love, but a few reasons it really is one of my favorites is:
- Perfect for gifting to teachers, friends, and yourself (we love a self care gift)!
- It’s versatile and can be used to make a great breakfast sandwich, served with soup for lunch, or as a starter for dinner.
- It’s simple to make with just 5 ingredients and little effort. It can be made in between wrangling kids, checking on laundry, and before work. It’s a low-maintenance Dutch bread recipe.
- There’s only one rise when making this bread! This keeps the process simple and easy but still super tasty.
Ingredients and Substitutions
The base of this bread recipe is pretty standard but the mix-ins can be adapted to match your preferences!
- The bread – to make any of my artisan breads, you will need bread flour (the staple of all bread), salt, Instant yeast, and warm water to activate the water. Bread flour has a lower protein content making the bread incredibly light and airy while Instant yeast works quickly to help the bread rise.
- Jalapeno – Use 1 jalapeno that’s been sliced and de-seeded. It’s super important to remove the seeds because that’s where the spice is. For bread, we want to flavor and hint of spice but not set your mouth on fire spice. Other peppers with similar spice levels like Fresno chilis or serranos can be used too.
- Cheddar Cheese – If there was ever a time to grate your own cheese, this is it! Pre-shredded cheese doesn’t melt as well so it will not be as gooey in the bread. You can use anything from sharp cheddar to white cheddar to even pepper jack cheddar if that’s what you have on hand.
Instant Yeast vs Active Yeast
Both of these ingredients help to leaven bread but in slightly different ways. Active dry yeast needs to be dissolved in water before being mixed in, while Instant yeast can be mixed right into the dough.
Shop our favorite Dutch Ovens
How To Make Jalapeno Bread in the Dutch Oven
Making bread is a super simple process! Here’s a brief overview of how to make it but be sure to scroll to the recipe card for the full ingredients and instructions.
- Prepare the dough by combining the dry ingredients in a large bowl. then add the wet ingredients and stir until a shaggy dough forms.
- Add in the jalapenos and cheese gradually and knead the dough until everything is evenly distributed.
- Rise the dough by placing it in a lightly greased bowl. Cover with a clean towel and let it rise in a warm place for at least 2 hours, but preferably 8-24 hours for the best flavor and texture. The dough should have doubled in size when done rising.
- Preheat the oven and place the Dutch oven in the oven while it preheats.
- Shape the dough by punching down the center of the dough to release air. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a ball. Place it carefully into the Dutch oven lined with parchment paper.
- If desired, score the top of the dough with a bread lame or sharp knife. Add a few pieces of sliced jalapenos to the top of the bread in an attractive pattern.
- Bake the bread until golden brown, and it sounds hollow when tapped. Remove the Dutch oven lid for the last 10 minutes for the best golden brown color.
- Cool and serve, or wrap it up as a gift!
How To Make Bread Without a Dutch Oven
Follow all the steps above, but shape the dough into a rectangle and bake it on a lined or greased baking sheet. Keep in mind that if you make this bread this way, it is important to make sure your dough is not too wet, as it will become a flatbread instead of holding its ball shape. I have made it this way a few times and found that without the structure of the Dutch oven, the bread always comes out flatter.
Deb’s Tips
- If your house is cold, you can place the dough in my oven with just the light on and the door cracked open to create a warm space.
- You can use a sharp knife or bread lame to create a decorative look on top before baking.
- It’s easiest to cut into this bread after it’s cooled. Otherwise, your hand will burn to try to handle it. Trust me, I’ve tried nibbling on bread straight from the oven…
How To Store
Room Temperature – This homemade bread is best kept fresh in a sealed plastic bag or covered with plastic wrap. Keep it at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Refrigeration – Store jalapeno bread in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Freezing – You can freeze this bread by tightly wrapping it in heavy aluminum foil or plastic wrap and then placing it in a freezer bag. You want 2 layers to prevent freezer odors. It can be frozen for up to 3 months and then just thaw it at room temperature before serving.
Frequently Asked
Yes, you definitely can! It will be slightly denser with a tighter structure than bread flour, but still very tasty and maybe a bit easier to find in the store.
Kind of but not really. My kids who aren’t super into spicy things enjoy this bread a lot! That being said, if you’re nervous about the spice you can adjust based on your own heat tolerance.
Ways To Enjoy Fresh Homemade Bread
- As a snack with a refreshing drink like this simple rhubarb juice or something cozy like hot apple cider.
- For breakfast with a spinach feta quiche or soft scrambled eggs.
- Alongside dinner with this smoked chicken or fall apart top round roast.
- As an easy lunch with chicken barley soup or crock pot taco soup
More Delicious Bread Recipes
- Rosemary Parmesan Bread Recipe (Dutch Oven)
- Cinnamon Raisin Bread (Dutch Oven)
- Homemade Artisan Bread With or Without a Dutch Oven (No Knead)
- The Best No Butter Banana Bread (With Oil)
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups bread flour
- 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 jalapeno sliced and deseeded
- 1/2 tsp instant yeast see notes for using active yeast
- 1 cup warm water
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, salt, and instant yeast. Mix well, and then add warm water and stir until a shaggy dough forms.(If you choose to use active yeast, dissolve it in the warm water in a small bowl. Let it sit for about 5 minutes until it becomes frothy. Then add the dissolved yeast mixture to the flour mixture.)
- Add in the jalapenos and cheese gradually and knead the dough until everything is evenly distributed. You might need to lightly flour your hands and the work surface to prevent sticking.
- Once the dough comes together and is smooth and elastic, form it into a ball. Place the dough ball in a lightly greased bowl, cover it with a clean damp towel or plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm, draft-free, warm place for at least 2 hours or until doubled in size. This artisan-style dough is best left to rise for 8 hours or up to 24 hours. The longer you leave it, the better the flavor, texture, and digestibility of this bread.
- Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C). If using a Dutch oven, place it in the oven while it preheats.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down to release the air. Turn the dough out to a lightly floured surface, shape it into a ball, and place it in a parchment-lined preheated Dutch oven. Alternatively, roll dough into a rectangle and place it on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet or loaf pan if this is your chosen cooking method. Use a sharp knife, bread lame, or razor blade to add a decorative look to the top of the loaf. You may aslo add some pieces of sliced jalapenos to the top in a decorative way.
- Bake the bread for 30-35 minutes until it is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped. If you are using a Dutch oven, remove the lid during the last 10 minutes of baking to allow the crust to brown.
- Once baked, remove the bread from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack before slicing. Enjoy your homemade bread warm or at room temperature, with or without butter!
Notes
Deb’s Tips
- Remember that the longer you let your dough rise with this recipe, the better the flavor of the final loaf.
- For easier handling, refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes after the rise time, just before baking, to make it simpler to scrape out and shape.
- If you’re experiencing an overly hard and tough bottom crust, consider placing a baking sheet on the bottom rack of the oven next time. This will help deflect some of the intense heat away from the Dutch Oven’s bottom during baking.
- If your house is cold, you can place the dough in my oven with just the light on and the door cracked open to create a warm space.
- Add Ice Cubes: Before covering and baking, place a few ice cubes into the Dutch oven between the parchment paper and the pot’s interior surface. This extra steam will help your bread rise beautifully, resulting in a taller and fluffier loaf.
- Flour Selection Matters: Ensure you are using a good flour for this no-knead bread recipe. Using a low quality flour may result in your bread not holding together well. I love Better Basis’s Fife flour for this recipe.
Absoutely delicious