This beautiful braided yeast bread is loaded with fresh jalapenos and cheddar cheese. Perfect on it’s own, or as a side for almost any meal.
If you’re looking to impress your family and friends with a beautiful, delicious loaf of homemade bread, I highly recommend this Jalapeno Cheese Bread.
Braiding the dough is a special extra step that really makes this cheesy bread stand out, and allows you to see all of the delicious filling.
I made this for my family and decided to try it even though I don’t like jalapeños, and we all absolutely love it. We make it all the time now. ~ Jayde
Luckily, it’s really not that hard to create this beautiful, braided loaf. If it doesn’t turn out perfectly, don’t worry. Just tell everyone you were going for a rustic look.
Actually, you’ll only be working with two ropes of dough, so it’s more of a twist than a braid–really not complicated at all.
I found the hardest part was keeping all of the filling inside. But if you lose some along the way, just sprinkle it over the top once you’ve put your dough in the pan.
Besides, once people taste this amazing bread, no one will give a second thought to whether it was braided perfectly or not.
But it really is almost too pretty to eat. The smell of this bread wafting through your kitchen will be what get you though.
The savory cheese and jalapeno filling makes this the perfect accompaniment to almost any meal. It’s also pretty irresistible straight from the oven, slathered in butter.
Needless to say, my family was very impressed by the way this bread looked. I think “fancy” was the word they used. And they were even more impressed with the way it tasted.
If you’re thinking there are surely more delicious fillings for this Jalapeno Cheese Bread recipe, I think you’re right! So don’t be surprised to see variations of this bread on the blog again soon!
Be sure to save this Jalapeno Cheese Bread recipe to your favorite Pinterest board for later.
Here’s what you’ll need to make Jalapeno Cheese Bread
- Flour
- Sugar
- Salt
- Yeast
- Butter
- Milk
- Eggs
- Jalapenos
- Cheddar cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- Garlic salt
Jalapeno Cheese Bread
Ingredients
For the bread
- 2 and 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup milk
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 packet 2 and 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 egg
For the Filling
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 jalapeno minced
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Add two cups of flour, along with the salt, to the bowl of a stand mixer.
- In a medium saucepan, heat water, milk and butter over medium heat until butter is melted. The temperature of the mixture should be between 110-115 degrees. If it is too warm, allow it to cool slightly. Stir the sugar and yeast into the warm milk and butter mixture. Let stand about 10 minutes, or until yeast is frothy.
- Add yeast mixture to the flour in the mixer. Stir in the egg. Using the dough hook, mix until well combined. Gradually add the remaining half cup of flour until a soft dough forms and gathers in the center of the bowl. You may not need all the flour.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a few minutes. Let dough rest for 5-10 minutes. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 10×14 inch rectangle.
- Sprinkle the dough with the garlic salt, followed by the minced jalapenos and both cheeses. Starting with the long end, roll the dough into a tight log. Using a sharp knife, slice the log in half vertically, starting a few inches below the upper edge. You should have two ropes of dough, connected at the top.
- Gently rotate the two ropes of dough outward, so that the cut side is facing up and the filling is exposed. Place one rope of dough over the other, repeating until you reach the end of the log. Carefully place the loaf into a greased, 9×5 inch loaf pan.
- Cover and let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the loaf for 40-50 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. If needed, cover with foil during the last 20 minutes of baking time to prevent over-browning.
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Nutrition
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Who Dished It Up First: Adapted from Woman Scribbles
36 comments
Taylor
My very first time ever making bread and I’d say it went pretty well. I think I could have used more jalapeño and more cheese (didn’t use all it called for because it looked like too much, but I see now that was a rookie mistake). I can’t wait to try it again!
Lindsey
This was delicious!!! I’ve made it twice now and getting ready to make it as Xmas gifts with homemade whipped honey butter. I did adjust a bit based on comments. Followed the recipe in the beginning and had no issues with my yeast as others did. I added the jalapenos a little bit at a time during the kneading process, let rise 1 hr in well oiled covered bowl, rolled out with my fingers and added cheese at that time. I noticed people also comment that the filling falls out during the twisting, so I gently pinched each one closed, twisted then gently opened them again. Added more cheese to the top cuz who doesn’t love a crispy cheesy crust??? Baked and holy crap was it amazing. My family liked it so much more than my normal white bread recipe so I took out the add-in. Still amazing! Next time I’m trying cinnamon and raisins. Love love love this versatile bread!!
Lindsey
Oh and the temp/cook time were perfect for me. Just checked it with a food thermometer first.
Kay
Can we add wheat flour to the recipe instead of regular flour?
Danelle
Haven’t tried it, but it will change the texture a bit. I wouldn’t sub wheat for more than half of the regular flour.
Jill
Made it twice in one week. Followed recipe to the tee. Came out perfect each time. Husband loves it!!!
Ashtin
How do I braid the bread without the filling falling out?
Kari
I made this almost as written. I received some jalapeno cheddar cheese and didn’t know what to do with it. It worked perfectly with recipe and was the perfect amount of heat. I followed the recipe and had no problems with it being under baked.
David
Thanks for this is a great recipe. I’ve made it 3 times now. I add about a tablespoon of garlic puree to the milk mix and also a thin layer to the dough with all the jalapeños n cheese.
Angela
I’m making this now. I activated the yeast. It looked great but the bread has not risen after an hour in a warmed oven. I wish I had let the dough rise before adding the fillings.
Charity Blanche
I’ve made it twice follows the directions to a T and both times it hasn’t risen. I have a sun room that is very warm so I put it in there still nothing. Such a waste of expensive ingredients
Rebecca
My bread did not rise on my first attempt, but I tried again after reading the comments. On my second try I activated the yeast separately and allowed the ball of dough to rise covered for an hour. It made all the difference! The bread was perfect!
DONNA CODY
Do you cook / steam jalapeños first and remove seeds
Jean
Followed the directions. Covered with foil after about 25 minutes. Seemed to be baking too hot, so turned oven down to 315 for the last 10 minutes. Bread was baked thoroughly at 40 minutes. Way too much Parmesan for my liking. Next time I will cut back to 1/4 cup and maybe use part to sprinkle on top. Will also add a little more jalapeño.
Annie
I followed all the ingredients exactly, but followed the other advice about letting the dough rise differently (first rise to double size, punch down then rise again), and incorporated most of the cheese and jalapenos into the dough. Mine cooked through perfectly after about 45 minutes. Looks beautiful and tastes amazing!
Emily
This looks simply amazing. My boyfriend just purchased a bread machine as a gift for us …could this be done in a bread machine? Obviously I know I wouldn’t be able to braid. Thank you in advance!
Danelle
I honestly don’t know. I don’t have a bread machine, but I think if you mixed the jalapeno and cheese right into the batter, it would probably work.
Laura
This bread was absolutely delicious! I followed directions the first time around, but the second time I modified the steps slightly. I warmed up the water and mixed the yeast and sugar to activate. Meanwhile, I made a soup combining 1 cup of flour and the milk. Then I added and mixed in the melted butter, and then mixed in the egg. By the time that was done, my yeast was ready to mix in. I incorporated the flour according to Homestead Family’s bread making instructions.
Braiding the layers of cheeses and jalapeños is messy!! I’m going to try the suggestion I saw on here of blending half the cheeses and jalapeños into the bread, and then rolling in the rest. I have a feeling that will go much more smoothly.
So far, everyone has loved it!
Jayde
I made this for my family and decided to try it even though I don’t like jalapeños, and we all absolutely love it. We make it all the time now. I see several comments about the times being off, and I didn’t even think about it until I read them but I did need to adjust times as I went. Definitely focus on the indicators rather than the times themselves; I had to let mine rise for an extra 30 minutes before it was doubled and I lean into the maximum baking times rather than the minimums.
CrabbiePixie
I find the instructions on how to braid this very confusing? Is it just me? I cannot figure this out.
Kiren
Basically from what I understand you’re not gonna cut this rope in half midway through like you would think, instead you’re cutting down the middle of the rope to create the two ropes but you’re starting a few inches down so the rope will split into a v and then you twist from there.
KATHERINE PLANTE
thank you for this reply! I too was very confused on the cutting of the “log”. I cut it “vertically” as instructed in recipe …but pinched the dough back together after reading your comment here. I then cut it “horizontally” as you basically explained and it is now proofing. I found I had to add quite a bit of extra flour to form a dough ball that could be worked with. So….hopefully it turns out!
Cathy
Guilty….I cut 2 pieces and then had to try and connect them together…..lol. First time bread maker, I was following each step to a “t”, apparently this one I did not. Maybe it should start at saying to start below the edge and cut. Still rising so we shall see.
Terri
I was excited to try this recipe, however found a few major problems with it. For starters, the liquid to flour ratio is off, therefore resulting in a very tough, dense dough that doesn’t rise well. Second is the size stated to roll out the dough results in a too thick to roll properly slab, and the amount of cheese is way too high for the state roll out dimensions. The bake time is ridiculously too short. A loaf of this size requires approximately 45-55 minutes to cook through.
I am very disappointed in this as it appeared at first to be a tasty recipe to try. I should have went with my instincts and tried a different recipe or modified one I know works.
Terry
I’d suggest activating the yeast separately. Mine never rose.
Jenna
^^^ double this. I had the same experience.
Jennifer
Read this recipe and noticed the rising and cook times different from breads I’ve made in the past. After reading the comments I decided to edit this recipe before I began and it turned out wonderfully. I made the dough as directed but added the jalapeños to the dough so they are fully incorporated into the dough. Then I let the bread rise for hour hour covered. After punching dough down I added about half the cheese to the dough itself. Then rolled it out and sprinkled remaining cheese on dough. Rolled, cut, twisted and put into pan like said but only let rise for about 30 minutes. Last I cooked the bread for about an hour till internal temp was about 200 degrees. I loved the way it came out. Hopefully this helps.
Debbie
Thanks! Mine is in the oven
Debbie
I need to add that I did what jennifer did with proofing it for an hour and then 30 minute proof in the loaf pan after rolling and twisting it. Baked for 20 minutes and then covered it with foil. Baked at 350° for a total of 50 minutes. Internal temp was 195°. Cooled in the pan for 10 min and transfered to a rack to continue cooling. I also sprinkled a little Italian seasoning on top before baking and added a little more shredded cheddar on top after it came out of the oven to give it a better look. Wish I could share a picture of mine.
Mo
Thank you! I had this concern prior to making it and I’m glad I read the comments. This made sense and it worked perfectly. Bread was delish!
Sherri Lynn Herrmann
Ok, I was excited to make this for a dinner party sat, but still wondering how long to bake it…I do not want to serve it cold either, to me the whole point is to have wam if not hot, oooey gooey cheesy bread’…so now not sure what to link? Could it be different stoves? Sounds so delicious!
Peace
Anuradha
Made this bread, looks very pretty & fancy but it was raw/undercooked in the middle ! Wondering if it’s because it needs a 2nd proof/rise or needs more time in the oven. I actually baked it longer for 30 minutes.
Sadye
From my experience after taking it out of the oven you should let it sit for ten minutes then remove it from the pan to cool for an additional 20-30 .. the middle should be cooked by then. Hope this helps
Rosana
I just made this bread and my experience was the same with the other person who questioned the raw inside. I left the bread in the pan for maybe 15 mins before transferring to a rack to cool. So you think it’s because of the cheese?
Ann
Love this!
Rachel
I just made this on my grill, perfect summer dinner bread!