No Knead Jalapeno Cheddar Bread Recipe

This No knead Jalapeno Cheddar Bread is super delicious.It has a crispy crust and soft ,moist open crumb and is deliciously flavored with creamy cheddar cheese and spicy jalapeños.

We can make jalapeño cheddar bread in many ways.There are definitely more easy ways.But the texture of the bread will be different.I have tried a few different ways of making this bread ; and this No knead jalapeno cheddar bread is my favorite.

This jalapeno cheddar cheese bread recipe is actually a combination of two of the most favorite recipes in our blog, The best artisan ciabatta bread recipe and Open crumb rustic bread made with biga.

I always like to simplify recipes.In this jalapeño cheddar cheese bread recipe we do the minimal handling of dough and use the minimal ingredients and minimal proofing time(to achieve this beautiful crumb, usually we need overnight proofing).And the resulting bread has that amazing open porous crumb and crispy crust (just like a bread made with a preferment or biga).I hope you will love this No knead jalapeno cheddar bread recipe.

Why you will love this No knead Jalapeño cheddar bread recipe

• It is easy to make; there is no hard kneading
• Requires only four basic ingredients to make the bread dough
• It doesn’t require any previous preparation as we dont use biga or poolish
• You can bake this cheddar jalapeño bread in less than three and half hours.
• The resulting jalapeño cheddar bread is super delicious and so incredibly soft with large porous crumb and with a crispy crunchy crust.

All these factors make this no knead jalapeño cheddar bread recipe one of the best recipes for making homemade savory bread.

Ingredients for making cheddar jalapeño bread

For bread dough

• 350 g Flour pain flour or bread flour approximately 2 3/4 cup(loosely packed) -1/2 tbsp
• 280 g Cold Water or 1 cup +2 tbsp +2 tsp
• 3 g or 1 tsp yeast
• 6 g or 1 tsp salt

For filling

• Cheddar Cheese :120 g (I used grated cheddar cheese)
• Jalapeno (Fresh or pickled) :45-50g (use more according to your preference)

For this Jalapeno cheddar dutch oven bread recipe,If you are making bread for the first time,I would suggest you to weigh your ingredients rather than using cup measurements.

While making bread, we don’t need to be very precise on the measurements..but the point is that we should know the consistency of our final bread dough.If its too tough, we can add more liquid and if its too wet, we can add more flour.But as this is a no knead bread, we are not able to feel the dough; and so if we use cup measurements we may not be able figure out if our dough is right consistency.Cup measurements(especially flour) may vary according to how we pack the cups.

How to Properly measure flour in cups

• Fluff up the flour in the bag or canister.
• Spoon the flour into the measuring cup. Don’t pack the flour down.
• Scrape a knife across the top of the measuring cup to level the flour. 

What type of flour is best for making this No knead jalapeño cheddar bread

We can use bread flour or all purpose flour to make this bread.To get the best results, use flour that contain protein to be 10 % or more.

I have made this cheddar jalapeño bread recipe using 10 % of flour as whole meal rye flour and it turned out really good.

For making this jalapeño cheddar dutch oven bread,I don’t suggest to use 100% whole wheat flour as it contain more bran particles, the dough may not be able to rise properly and the bread may turn dense and heavy.

HOW TO MAKE NO KNEAD JALAPENO CHEDDAR BREAD

This method produces artisan cheddar bread with light,airy,soft ,creamy, moist open crumb and a crispy crust.

We make use of the slow and controlled activity of yeast by using cold water while preparing the dough and then keeping the dough in fridge during the final rising.

STEP 1:PREPARE THE DOUGH

Pour the water into a bowl.Here I have used very cold water.(I put 4 ice cubes into 1 cup of water).We need cold water in this artisan jalapeño cheddar bread recipe as we need very slow activation of yeast.

Add the yeast and salt; and dissolve it in water.Then add the flour into this.Combine everything together using the rear end of wooden spoon.Its easy to do this way and also it helps to have less mess while mixing.

If you have a stand mixer ,then you can use it form the dough.

Use the dough hook attachment and knead the dough for 4-5 minutes until they form a dough.

In this Cheddar jalapeño bread recipe, I have not used stand mixer.

So to make sure our dough is completely hydrated and also to make sure there are no big lumps in the dough ,I used my hands to mix the dough and smoothen it.

After we make the dough,Cover the bowl with a plastic film or with a damp cloth and keep it on the counter top.

Let it sit for 20 minutes.

STEP 2:DEVELOPING THE GLUTEN while the dough rise.

To give more structure to the bread dough we usually knead the dough.But as this is a high hydration dough, it is difficult to knead the dough by hand.

So we are doing a magic which will transform the dough to a well structured dough.

We will do 2 round of “stretch and folds ” and then laminating the dough.

This artisan cheddar bread dough is an extremely wet (high hydration) dough. To give you an idea, most bread recipes sit around 60% hydration while this bread recipe is at almost 80% hydration. Because of this, the dough is not kneaded the same way as other yeast doughs are. Rather, it is allowed to slowly ferment with a series of brief stretch and folds.

Apply some water on hands will make it so much easier to work with the dough.

What is the purpose of this stretching and folding

The stretch and fold method serves two main purposes: 

• it layers the gluten to build structure in the dough, 
• it redistributes the heat within the dough

How to do the stretch and fold kneading in this cheddar jalapeño bread recipe

During the Proofing time we need to strengthen the dough.

For that we will do 2 rounds of “stretch and fold” in every 20 minutes and then another “layering of dough sheet” in another 20 minutes

To “stretch and fold”, lightly damp your fingers (this will help the dough not to stick) and pull up on the side of the dough and fold it back down on itself. Turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat. Do this until you have stretched and folded all 4 sides of the dough.

Turn the dough over, cover, and allow it to ferment for 20 more minutes until the next round.

After this “two rounds” of stretch and folds, wait for another 20 minutes.

Then transfer the dough on to clean work surface.

Flip the dough on to a wet surface and stretch the dough to form a rectangular sheet of dough.

Sprinkle the sheet with cheddar cheese (It is better, not to use too much cheese; as they all melt and bread may spread during baking) and then with chopped jalapeño(don’t forget to squeeze and remove excess moisture)

Fold the dough from bottom and top 1/3 rd and then again fold it as shown in video.

By now our dough has got a good texture.

Transfer this dough onto a well greased container.

Now cover the dough and let it rise for another 20 minutes.

STEP 3:FINAL SHAPING

Our cheddar jalapeno bread dough has risen slightly and it is ready for shaping.

Transfer the dough on to a well floured work surface and then shape it into a boule ” (round )or (oblong)

Here I am shaping it oblong as I am using a rectangular proofing basket.

Fold the dough and roll it to form a tensive dough(as in the video).We need to take care not to deflate all those air pockets formed.

Pinch the edge to seal.

Place the shaped dough on to a bannetton or onto a rectangular cake pan or a round bowl, lined with a well dusted(best to use gluten free flour like rice flour so that it will not stick to the dough) kitchen towel.

Stitch the seam so that the dough remain in shape and will retain the tension.

Cover it with a kitchen towel.

STEP 4:FINAL RISING

Let the shaped bread dough sit and rise for 60 minutes in refrigerator.

After the final proofing, flip the dough on to a parchment paper.

Dust off any excess flour on top.

Score the bread with a sharp knife or blade or with a lame.

Place this into the preheated oven dish or dutch oven.(We can use any oven proof dish with a proper lid.)

Close the oven dish with it’s preheated lid.

What is scoring a bread means

Scoring is slashing the shaped bread dough with a sharp knife or razor blade to allow it to expand during baking.

Why do we need to score the bread

The purpose of scoring is primarly to control the direction in which the bread will expand during “oven spring”

By scoring a bread,we are intentionally creating a weak spot on the surface of the loaf preventing the loaf from bursting at any other weak spots created during shaping.

Thus scoring the bread dough will help the bread to expand beautifully and helps the bread to not to crack open at undesirable spots.

When should you score the bread.

Scoring is generally performed just before loading the loaves in the oven

How to score bread effectively

• Use a very sharp knife or razor blade or bread lame to quickly score the surface of the loaf.
• I found smearing some oil on the knife will prevent the dough from sticking into the knife
• Use a firm,smooth and rapid motion while scoring bread.Make deep and slightly angled slash(The depth of the cut should be shallow-about 1/4inch)

Why does my bread collapse when I slash it

If the bread dough is over proofed(if the second proofing took longer time than the recipe states),then the bread can collapse.

HOW TO FIX THIS:

• Next time when you proof,reduce the proofing time(10-15 minutes). 
• Shape the dough,once again and watch the rising.The dough will get doubled in size in around 40 minutes.And then slash it with a sharp knife.

5.BAKE the No knead Jalapeno cheddar Bread

Transfer the dough on to a well preheated dutch oven or oven dish(250C)( I recommend an oven thermometer to make sure your oven is hot enough) and close the pot with an oven safe lid.

We can use a Dutch oven which is best to use for making this type of artisan rustic breads.

Take care not to burn yourself during this step as the dutch oven or oven dish is very hot.

Baking temperature and duration

Bake the bread inside the hot dutch oven(480F or 250 C) for 30 minutes with the lid on.

After 30 minutes of baking, remove the lid and Reduce the oven temperature to 220C.

And then bake for another 8-10 minutes without the lid (428 F or 220C) ,until the top of the bread is nice and deep golden brown.

The more you bake at this point,the more crispy the crust become.

This extra baking will give that outer crust of the bread to get a more crisp and caramelized golden brown color and a nutty flavor.

When baking these last few minutes, heat is directly acting only on the surface of the bread.So reducing the temperature by 20 C will help, not to overburn the crust and at the same time will make it more crunchy.

You will be rewarded with a Bread, with a thin, crunchy brown crust and airy, soft and tender crumb inside. The bread is slightly chewy,so flavorful and perfect open crumb texture.

The bread is best when eaten fresh,when they are cooled but still slightly warm.

It is chewy,so flavorful and has the perfect airy, soft texture.

This rustic bread recipe is one of the most favorite breads in our family.

As this cheddar jalapeño bread has creamy cheddar cheese marbled all over the bread and some spicy jalapeño in between, they are super delicious on its own and we can enjoy each slice, even without smearing any butter.

Watch The Video to See How To make Rustic No knead jalapeno cheddar Bread

Why do we need to use a closed pot like Dutch Oven to make this no knead jalapeno cheddar Bread

During the initial stages of baking, steam is released from the dough itself into the sealed container, which keeps the dough moist; this allows the bread to develop a crispy, shiny crust and attain maximal volume.

It also provides even distribution of high heat during baking.

How long can I store this no knead jalapeno cheddar bread at room temperature.

Leftover bread can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. 

It can also be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and foil and frozen for up to 3 months.