(or burger buns)

One of my friends from the US posted a picture of lovely Jalapeno Cheddar bread that she had bought. Do you think I can get something like that here? No! So what do I do? My friend took a photo from the ingredients list, and I started experimenting. My first try resulted in quite lame-tasting bread, although I got the texture right.

Today, I baked it again, and oh boy! I got the whole thing right. Bread is so tasty! And at least for my taste, I managed to get just the right amount of Jalapeno. So please, when you bake this bread for the first time, adjust the amount of Jalapeno to your liking. I like food quite hot!

Jalapeno and Cheddar bread

• 100 g roasted hot dog onions
• 100 g finely cut red bell pepper
• 20-30 g minced jalapeno pepper (I used canned; please adjust this according to your own taste)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 100 g spelt semolina (or similar)
• 1 kg spelt flour (wheat works too)
• 24 g fresh yeast
• 275 g grated cheddar cheese
• 7 dl hot water divided

I use a Kitchenaid to mix the dough. You can do this by hand, too, but it might be a good idea to wear rubber gloves because of the jalapeno and turmeric. So, let’s go and bake the bread. This recipe will give you three loaves of bread. You can also make bread rolls, if you like, to be used for burgers.

1. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together 2 dl warm water and 1 dl flour, then crumple the yeast. Set aside until bubbles form in the mixture.
2. In a large mixing bowl,whisk together flour, salt, and spices. Fold in the cheese,onion,bell pepper, and jalapeño until well coated. Add the water-yeast mixture and stir until a shaggy mixture forms (it will be loose and sticky; this is what you want). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 1-2 hours so that the dough can rise.

3. Preheat oven to 220 C. Place a cast iron Dutch oven with a lid in the oven and heat the pot for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, transfer the risen dough onto a heavily floured surface (mixture will be sticky; do not knead) and lightly, gently shape into a round loaves (or rolls). When I make more than one bread, I use proofing baskets. You can use medium size bowls for this too. Just line the bowl with baking paper first. This will make it easier for you to move your bread to and from your Dutch oven. (If you make bread rolls, oil your hands before forming the rolls. Put ready rolls on a baking sheet and proceed with baking. Baking time for bread rolls is about half of the bread baking time. Check the bread roll bottom, if it is brown, they are done.)

4. Remove the hot pot from the oven, remove the lid, and carefully set the dough inside. Cover the Dutch oven and return it to the oven for 30 minutes. It is best enjoyed warm, fresh from the oven. Then, remove the lid (sprinkle the top of the loaf with grated cheddar and jalapeño slices) and bake an additional 10-15 minutes until golden and crisp. Carefully remove the pot from the oven and cool the loaf on a cooling rack.