Monday, May 10, 2010

Cheese, Egg, and Jalapeno Bread

This bread was inspired by several things, and the idea changed multiple times before I got around to making it.

Up until the day I was baking, I was planning on just one cheese - the mozzarella - but then I decided to add the cojack thoughout the dough.

Cheddar, Colby, Monterrey Jack or any other similar cheese would be fine.

I toyed with different hot sauce ideas and settled on the pepperspread because it has a nice body and it's not watery or or overly vinegary. And it's plenty spicy. If you can't find Pepperspread, then giardinera peppers or pickled jalepenos, finely minced and drained of excess juice would be a good option.

Cheese-Egg-Jalapeno Bread

1/2 cup semolina flour
1/2 teaspoon yeast
1 cup cool water
2 cups bread flour, divided
1 egg
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup cheese cut in 1/4 inch cubes (I used cojack)
4 large eggs, scrambled
4 ounces fresh mozzarella, cubed
1/3 cup Hotheads Pepperspread (or substitute)

Note: Hotheads Pepperspread is no longer being sold - minced pickled jalapenos are probably your best option. A chunky salsa, drained of excess liquid, would also work.

The night before baking, mix the semolina, yeast, water, and one cup of the bread flour in the bowl of your stand mixer. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit on the counter overnight.


The next day, the mixture will be very bubbly. Add the second cup of bread flour, egg, salt, and olive oil, and knead with the dough hook until the dough is shiny and elastic.


Add the cubed cheese and knead just to incorporate it. Don't knead too long, or the cheese will break up too much.


Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise until it has doubled in size.

Meanwhile, scramble the eggs until they are just done, but not dry. Remove them from the pan into a small bowl, add the mozzarella, and stir to combine. The cheese will melt slightly. Refrigerate the eggs while you wait for the dough to rise.

Put a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet, and sprinke it with cornmeal. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

When the dough has risen, roll it out on a floured surface to approximately 12 inches wide x 10 inches high. It will be lumpy because of the cheese, but that's fine.


Spread the pepperspread evenly over the dough, leaving the top inch bare so you can seal the dough after it is rolled.


Dollup the egg mixture onto the dough evenly. It doesn't need to be spread smoothly, but try to distribute it fairly evenly.


Roll the dough, jellyroll style, tucking in the sides so that the filling doesn't leak out. Pinch to seal the bottom seam and the sides.

Place the dough, seam-side down on the baking pan, sprinkle some rice flour (optional) over the top, cover it with plastic wrap and set aside to rise until doubled.

When the dough has risen, make several slashes in the top, trying not to go as deep as the first layer.


Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes. The bread will be a light golden brown when done.

Yum

1 comment:

Hot Heads Pepperspread said...

MMMM....that looks absolutely delicious Donna! Bravo...well done!

Post a Comment

I love to hear from you! Thanks for commenting!