Jalapeño Chilli Loaf
How to make a stunning Jalapeño Chilli Loaf, the ultimate sandwich bread. Quick, simple, and delicious, easy step by step instructions, from start to finish.
Ingredients
Method
- 400g / 14oz Strong white bread flour
- 230g / 230mls Lukewarm water / 40°C / 104°F
- 15g Softened Butter (Unsalted)
- 5g / 1½tsp Instant or active dried yeast
- 8g / 1tsp Salt
- 6g / 1tsp Sugar
- 70g / 2½oz Jalapeño chillies (split into 2 batches: 40g and 30g)
- 55g / 2oz Cheddar cheese (Grated)
- 1 small Egg (Egg-wash)
- Add the sugar and yeast to the warm water, mix well and allow the yeast to activate for 10 minutes, if there are no signs of activity after 10 minutes, your yeast must be dead, and needs replacing.
- Add the now active yeast mixture to your stand mixer bowl, and add the butter, followed by the flour, salt, and the 40g batch of the chopped chillies.
- Using the dough hook, and the speed on medium, knead the dough for 10 minutes.
- If you are kneading this recipe by hand, add all of the ingredients to a bowl and partially mix it all together, tip it out onto your worktop and knead the dough for 10 minutes, then carry on with recipe.
- Turn out the dough from the mixer and form it into a ball, place it into a lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl and let it proof for 1 hour, the dough should double in size (this may take a longer or a shorter time, depending on the temperature of your kitchen) if you can, proof your dough in the oven, with just the light bulb on.
- Grease a 2lb / 900g loaf tin, see video for tin dimensions.
- After the proof has finished, turn out the risen dough onto a non-floured surface, and knock the dough back, this simply means force all of the gas out of it.
- Form the dough into a sausage shape, (see video for this technique) and place it in the greased loaf tin, gently pressing it down to fill in any gaps in the sides and corners.
- Cover it with a dry, light weight cloth, and allow it to proof until it has risen approximately 4cm / 1½ inches, over the top of the tin, this should take approx, 30 to 45 minutes.
- When you think there is only 10 minutes left on the proofing time, preheat your oven to 180°C / 355°F / Gas Mark 4.
- Once the dough has fully risen, brush the egg-wash all over the top of the loaf, taking care not to get any between the dough and the lip of the tin, as this may stick when baking.
- Score the loaf right down centre of the full length of the dough using your Lame, or bakers’ blade.
- Sprinkle some of the 30g batch of the chopped chilli pieces and part of the grated cheese over the top of the loaf.
- Get it into the preheated oven, and set your timer for 25 minutes.
- Once the time is up, remove it from the oven.
- Before doing anything else, increase your oven temperature to 200°C / 390°F / Gas mark 6.
- Carefully remove the hot loaf from the loaf tin/pan, give the top of the loaf another coat of egg-wash, add more of the chilli pieces and grated cheese.
- Get it back into the oven (without the loaf tin/pan).
- Depending on the degree of colour you want, bake for a further 5 to 8 minutes on the hotter setting.
- Remove from the oven, and allow to completely cool on a wire rack.
- Enjoy
Equipment & products used in my kitchen and videos
