(Yields 10 servings or slices; 259 kcal, 35 g carb, 8.2 fat, 10.7 g pro per serving)
Ingredients
- 3 cups bread flour OR all purpose flour (will be a denser loaf)
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp instant yeast
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- 1 large jalapeño, seeded and sliced OR 1/2 cup jalapeño slices from jar
- 1.5 cups water, room temperature
Directions
- Add flour to a large mixing bowl. Measure yeast and add to one side of the bowl. Measure salt and add it to the opposite side of the bowl.
- Using a wooden spoon, stir the yeast into the flour on its side of the bowl, and then stir the salt into the flour on its side. This is done to prevent the salt from mixing directly with the yeast. Once they’ve been stirred individually, give the whole mixture a few stirs to combine.
- Add the shredded cheese and jalapeño slices to the flour mixture and stir to combine.
- Add the room temperature water to the flour mixture and stir to combine.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Place in a warm, draft-free area and let rise for 12-18 hours.
- After the dough has risen, preheat oven to 450. Place your dutch oven into the oven with the lid on and allow it to preheat with the oven. See below for instructions if you don’t have a Dutch oven.
- Place a piece of parchment paper on the counter and dust with flour. Dust your hands with flour and remove the dough from the mixing bowl. Form a circular loaf on the parchment paper. Dust a little bit of flour on top of the loaf. Loosely cover the dough with plastic wrap and and let rise for an additional 45 minutes.
- After the second rise remove the plastic wrap and trim the parchment paper down into a circle around the dough.
- Carefully remove your preheated dutch oven from the oven. Carefully transfer the dough into the pot using the parchment paper and handling the dough as little as possible. Place lid on pot and return to oven. Bake for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, remove the lid from the pot and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cook.
- Allow the bread to cool completely before cutting and serving.
- If you don’t have a Dutch oven:
- Place a baking sheet in the oven to preheat.
- 5-10 minutes BEFORE you add the dough to the oven, fill a baking pan with 1.5-2 cups of water. Place it into the oven directly below the baking sheet on a rack.
- Add parchment paper with the shaped dough to the baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, carefully remove the baking pan of water from the oven. Let the water cool before pouring out!
- Continue baking the bread for 15 minutes.
- This will give the same steaming effect as using a Dutch oven. Steaming is key to the rising of the bread, as well as getting a crispy golden crust.