Jalapeno Cheddar Dutch Oven Bread is perfectly crusty on the outside, with a soft fluffy inside, and is made using simple ingredients. Deliciously savory with a bit of spice, it’s perfect with a pat of butter, or for grilled cheese! Plus, this dough doesn’t have to sit overnight, so you don’t have to plan ahead to have great bread.
This Jalapeno Cheddar Dutch Oven Bread is one of those recipes that is so fun to make. We also love easy bread recipes like my original No Knead Bread and Honey Beer Bread. This is one of my Bread Recipes I know you’ll want to keep on hand!
DUTCH OVEN BREAD RECIPE
Are you a fan of those breads from the bakery, you know, the one’s with that deliciously crunchy crust and soft, fluffy inside?
Yep, this bread tastes just like that. Except with plenty of sharp cheddar cheese and jalapenos!
All the nooks and crannies are just BEGGING for some creamy salted butter. Although my favorite thing to make with this bread… is grilled cheese! Seriously, it’s amazing.
I have another suuuuuuper easy no-knead bread on my website, but it requires a really long rise/rest time… so you have to make it the night before you want to bake the bread.
It tastes amazing, but I wanted to tweak that recipe to see if I could make a no-knead dutch oven bread that DIDN’T require a rise overnight.
Like most breads, it does have to rise two different times, however, it’s virtually hands-off, since you just fold the dough with a rubber spatula in between the rises… you don’t even have to get your hands dirty!
Let’s break it down… it may sound complicated, but I promise you it’s not, and I took step by step photos to show you.
HOW TO MAKE DUTCH OVEN BREAD
These steps correlate to the picture collage above!
- Add flour, salt, cheese and jalapenos to medium mixing bowl. Bread flour gives the best texture and rise for this bread, and I find shredding my own cheese helps it melt better.
- Add warm water and yeast to large mixing bowl – then add flour mixture. The water should be warm to the touch, but not hot. Like a baby’s bath water.
- Stir together and fold dough in on itself. Fold the dough from the outside of the bowl towards the center, turning the bowl a little each time, until you’ve folded the dough in on itself 8-10 times.
- Cover and let rise 1 hour. Picture 4 is what the dough will look like after this first rise.
- Fold dough in on itself again. Same method as before, although you’ll notice the dough looks and feels a bit more elastic, like in picture 5.
- Cover and let rise again for 1 hour. Picture 6 is what the dough will look like after this second rise. A little looser and more wobbly than the first time.
- Halfway through this rise time, preheat oven to 450°F with your dutch oven inside it. Let it preheat the full 30 minutes.
- Turn out dough and shape into a rough ball. Lightly flour your surface and your hands, then flip dough over and fold the corners of the dough in towards the center, about 6-8 times, until a rough ball is formed. Flip the dough over onto the piece of parchment paper.
- Use a sharp knife to score the dough, spray with cooking spray (so the toppings stick), then add more shredded cheese and sliced jalapenos.
- Use parchment to transfer dough to dutch oven.
- Bake dough with the lid on for 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake 20 minutes. This creates a steamy environment for the bread to bake and rise, then when the lid is off, it let the bread brown and crisp nicely. Picture 8 is right when I removed the lid, after it had been baked 30 minutes.
- Remove bread from pot and parchment paper and let cool for 1-2 hours.
ADDITIONAL COOKING TIPS
- FLOUR – All purpose flour may be used instead of bread flour, but may result in a denser loaf.
- PEPPERS – Canned or jarred jalapenos may be used instead of fresh.
- YEAST – Active dry yeast may be used instead of instant, but when you add the yeast to the warm water, you want to stir to dissolve it and let it sit a few minutes before adding the flour mixture.
- POTS – Other sizes of dutch ovens can be used, although I wouldn’t go any smaller than 3.5 quarts, as this bread will be right up to the top of the dutch oven. Keep in mind, the wider the dutch oven, the wider and flatter your loaf of bread will be. It will spread out to be the size of the bottom of the pot.
VARIATIONS OF THIS RECIPE
- MILDER – for a jalapeno flavor, but very mild spice level, try using pickled jalapenos. The jar I buy from the store says “tamed” jalapenos.
- SPICIER – feel free to add additional jalapenos to this bread, or even mix in some serrano peppers.
- CHEESES – I opted for a classic sharp cheddar, but you can use any shreddable cheese you like. Colby, PepperJack, mild cheddar, etc.
- GARLIC – sometimes I like to add a teaspoon of garlic powder to this bread to give it a different flavor profile.
MAKING DUTCH OVEN BREAD AHEAD OF TIME
Freshly baked breads, like this one, taste best when they are fresh. While your bread will still taste good 1-2 days after it’s baked, it will always best the day of.
STORAGE
Bread should be kept at room temperature. Refrigerating bread actually causes it to go stale quicker (at least with homemade breads), so keep it out of there for best results.
I like to store my baked bread that hasn’t been sliced, just out on the counter.
Once it’s been cut, I like to add the bread, cut side down, to a paper bag.
FREEZING
Baked bread freezes very well! You can either freeze the entire loaf, or pre-slice the loaf and freeze it that way.
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT FOR THIS RECIPE
- Dutch Oven – this is the dutch oven I used, and LOVE, but it’s certainly pricey. I’ll link a more affordable one below. Bottom line is, this 3.5 quart size is the PERFECT size for a nice round loaf of bread.
- Affordable Dutch Oven – at more than 1/4th the price of the dutch oven linked above, this one is still a great quality pot, and it’s a 3.5 quart size.
BE SURE TO SCROLL DOWN TO CHECK OUT OTHER READERS’ COMMENTS FOR TIPS AND REVIEWS.
AND DON’T FORGET, IF YOU’VE MADE THIS RECIPE, LEAVE A COMMENT AND PLEASE GIVE IT A STAR RATING LETTING ME KNOW HOW YOU ENJOYED IT!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
TO A MEDIUM MIXING BOWL
- 3 1/2 cups bread flour
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 large jalapeno diced
TO A LARGE MIXING BOWL
- 2 cups warm water
- 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast (1 standard .25oz packet)
FOR THE TOPPING
- 1/3 - 1/2 cup shredded cheddar
- 10 round slices jalapeno (or more, to taste)
Instructions
- ** just a note; this is a high hydration dough, which means it's SUPPOSED to be looser and not nearly as "shape-able" as a traditional bread dough! There are step by step photos and a video in the post above this recipe card. **
- To a medium mixing bowl, add bread flour, salt, 2 cups cheddar cheese, and diced jalapenos. Stir and set aside.
- To a large mixing bowl (pretty large - your bread will be rising in this bowl), add the warm water and yeast. Water should be warm, but not hot (like a baby's bath water). Add flour mixture to the yeast and water, using a rubber spatula to stir it all together until no flour streaks remain.
- Use spatula to fold the dough from the outside of the bowl towards the center, turning the bowl a little each time, until you've folded the dough in on itself 8-10 times.
- Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
- After 1 hour, use the rubber spatula to fold the dough in on itself again, 8-10 times. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for 1 more hour.
- Halfway through this second rise, add your dutch oven, with the lid on, to your oven and preheat it to 450°F. Let it preheat for a full 30 minutes. Set out a piece of parchment paper large enough to go inside your dutch oven with a bit of overhang.
- Lightly dust a counter or cutting board with flour, and flour your hands as well. Turn out the dough onto the floured surface. Flip the dough over and brush off any excess flour.
- Fold the corners of the dough in towards the center, about 6-8 times, until a rough ball is formed. Flip the dough over onto the piece of parchment paper.
- Use a sharp knife to carefully score the dough (I like to make an "X"). Give the dough a quick spray with some cooking spray (or brush with oil), then sprinkle with set aside 1/3-1/2 cup of cheese and add sliced jalapenos.
- Use oven mitts to remove hot dutch oven from your oven and remove lid. Carefully use the parchment paper to transfer the dough to the dutch oven. Put the lid on, and return to the oven.
- Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on, then remove lid and continue baking another 20 minutes.
- After you've removed the dutch oven from the oven, tilt it slightly and use the parchment to sort of slide the bread and parchment out of the pot. It will come out easily.
- Remove parchment paper and let bread cool on a wire rack for 1-2 hours before slicing. Texture is best when bread is completely cooled before slicing.
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Chef Tips
** Just a note to avoid some confusion; this is a high hydration dough, which means it's SUPPOSED to be looser and not nearly as "shape-able" as a traditional bread dough! There are step by step photos and a video in the post above this recipe card. **
- All purpose flour may be used instead of bread flour, but may result in a denser loaf.
- Canned or jarred jalapenos may be used instead of fresh.
- Active dry yeast may be used instead of instant, but when you add the yeast to the warm water, you want to stir to dissolve it and let it sit a few minutes before adding the flour mixture.
- Other sizes of dutch ovens can be used, although I wouldn't go any smaller than 3.5 quarts, as this bread will be right up to the top of the dutch oven. Keep in mind, the wider the dutch oven, the wider and flatter your loaf of bread will be. It will spread out to be the size of the bottom of the pot.
- For a nice warm spot, run the microwave for about 30 seconds, then turn it off and add the bowl to the microwave. Preheating the oven for about 2 minutes then turning it off will work as well.
NO DUTCH OVEN?
- Boil about 1 1/2 cups of water.
- Add to a metal or ceramic pan (I like to use my 8x8 baking pan) on the bottom rack in the oven.
- Add parchment paper with shaped and topped dough to a baking sheet, and add to the middle oven rack.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes, checking for doneness.
Video
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Recipe tweaked from my own recipe and Tasty’s.
Buerk says
Has anyone made this in high altitude? I live at 9600 feet and my family loves jalapeño bread. Any changes to the recipe?
Christy says
We live at 4000 feet and depending on the weather (humid, hot, snow), sometimes I need to add a little extra water.
Bette says
I’ve made this several times. The first two times it turned out beautiful every time since it’s very runny and turns out flat what is going on I follow the recipe to a T
The Chunky Chef says
Did you change the type or brand of flour you used? Making it in the same house with the same oven? It could be as simple as the humidity is different now, so you might need a bit more flour.
Sabrina says
It was a hit for my family they love it.. thank you
Rebekah says
Can I use my 6qt Dutch oven & should double the recipe? I omitted the cheese ans jalapeno just seasoned dry mixture garlic, rosemary and I was thinking of sprinkling everything bagel seasoning on top before baking
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested doubling this recipe, so I can’t say for certain how well that would work, or if any changes would need to be made. If you do some experimenting I’d love to know how it turns out 🙂
Rachel says
This is one of my favorite go-to bread recipes! So simple and absolutely delicious toasted with some butter. Always loved by company we make it for. Thank you!
Kat says
I LOVE this recipe! I have made it several times now and it is always a crowd favorite.
Is there a way to make the dough ahead of time and store it to bake later? Maybe a way to keep it in the fridge overnight so that it can be ready the next day?
Thank you!
The Chunky Chef says
So happy to hear you love it! I haven’t tested making this dough ahead of time, but if you wanted to experiment, my advice would be to do the first rise (and folding), then cover and refrigerate over night. Then pull it from the refrigerator and let it sit on the counter for a bit so it can come closer to room temperature. Let it do the second rise (this will likely take a bit longer than an hour) until it looks similar to picture #6 in the step by step photos above, then shape and bake as directed 🙂
Kim says
Easy for a bread recipe & most delicious
Gigi says
Not sure what I’m doing wrong. I use a scale and measure flour and cheese in grams. Follow the recipe but my dough is so wet and sticky. Its so hard to work with and its messy.I’ve tried twice in 3 days. Loaf still tastes good but comes out flatter than I suspect it should.
Any ideas??
The Chunky Chef says
This is a high hydration dough, which means it won’t be able to be shaped like a traditional bread dough. I’ve included step by step photos and a video for clarity up in the post above the recipe card. The flatness is probably coming from the pot it’s being baked in. Since this dough doesn’t have a lot of structure, it will cook in the shape of the pot. So if your pot is wider than mine, it will flatten out enough to spread to the edges of the pot.
Jane Gerian Delcore says
Amazingly easy and GOOD tasting recipe. Thank you!
Shannon says
I made this bread tonight and it tastes delicious. However, it was a bit gummy. What could I have done wrong?
The Chunky Chef says
Hmm, it sounds like it may have needed to bake a little bit longer 🙂 Glad you enjoyed the taste!
Cecelia says
Amanda, This is the best loaf of cheese & jalapeño bread I have ever made! I have been making bread for over 5 years and have tried other recipes. Yours was so easy to measure and bake and is so delicious. Being a vegan I did use vegan cheese but followed the rest of the ingredients as directed. Thank you so very much for sharing this wonderful recipe. I will be making it weekly in the future.
Rebecca says
Not only is this the best cheddar jalapeño recipe I’ve ever used, it’s hands down the best 2 hour rise bread recipe ever! I’m in Colorado at 7600 ft and needed no changes. The bread came out perfectly risen, soft and pillowy. I plan to use this as my base for all quick rise breads going forward!!
M Sammy says
Followed the instructions to a T but the dough was way to wet and difficult to manage. I wouldn’t try this recipe again.
Jen says
I’ve been irrationally afraid to make bread for years because working with yeast intimidated me, but this bread is so easy and delicious. My husband used to work at a restaurant that made a grilled cheese on a jalapeño cheddar bread and always wants to recreate it, but it’s been a challenge to try and find a bread like this in stores or Farmers Markets. I never thought making it myself would be an option, but this recipe is almost impossible to mess up.
Heather says
Fantastic bread! Very easy to make, instructions were great, I just adjusted the yeast because I am high altitude and added double the jalapeños! Thank you!
Kelli says
What is storing instructions ie. Out on counter or in fridge? Also,Does this bread freeze well?
The Chunky Chef says
All storage and freezing instructions are in the post above the recipe card, under the headings “storage” and “freezing”.
Kelli says
Goodness, i dont know how i missed that! Thank you.
It turned out amazing!!! ♡
Kelli says
One more question. When i take the bread out of the freezer, do i leave it out then on the counter or does it have to be refridgerated then since it was froze?
The Chunky Chef says
I prefer to thaw mine in the refrigerator, and after that, I keep it at room temp in an airtight bag on the counter (cut side down if it’s been sliced).
Hannah Carney says
I have made this so many times with this recipe and it turns out great every single time. I love it!!!
Clare says
Delicious and very easy. Great recipe to build confidence! This is my “go to” now. Thank you!
Laurie says
This is absolutely delicious and so easy. I added more jalepenos and my family is wondering why I would ever buy a loaf a bread when I can make this one.
Karen says
This recipe is absolutely delicious! The first time I made it, I served it as a side to chili since I wasn’t sure who would like it—but everyone loved it, and not even a crumb was left. Last night, I took it up a notch by shredding three cheeses for gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches. If gourmet grilled cheese wasn’t a thing before, it is now!
Dana says
We make this over and over. Have passed this recipe multiple times along with the website to view instructions. It is versatile and delicious by itself or with a meal. It never lasts more than 30” after it comes out of the oven. Would give it 10 stars if I could. And visually it’s amazing!