Cheesy Jalapeno Pull Apart Bread

Delicious cheesy jalapeno pull apart bread is a crowd favorite. Slightly spicy cheesy and homemade, what’s not to love? This cheesy jalapeno bread can be made into a bread loaf and sliced or can be made into a free-form braid bread loaf for pulling apart.

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The story of how this cheesy jalapeno pull apart bread recipe came to be is a sweet one. My husband went to University of Wisconsin, Madison for college. In Madison they have this amazing farmers market, it’s huge and wraps around the capitol. One of the stands at the Madison famers market sells cheesy pull apart bread…they sell it warm and it always sells out. It’s amazing!

After having it, we recreated it at home. So while this recipe was originally shared in 2013 (since then I’ve made it many times and have received so much positive feedback) I recently took some updated photos.

The recipe remains the same and is such a good bread for having as a side to soups (especially this easy chili con carne or slow cooker chili.)

Tips for how to make cheesy jalapeno bread

• Use a good sharp cheddar
• Don’t touch your eyes/face after cutting jalapenos, just a note to be careful
• This bread isn’t overly spicy, if you’d prefer more spice, add more jalapenos and/or crushed red pepper flakes
• Let the dough rise properly, don’t rush these steps
• When you incorporate the cheese and jalapenos into the dough, you’ll really have to work it in
• You can make this bread into a free form braid or bake it in 2 loaf pans and slice it – bake time is the same

This bread freezes/thaws really well. We make it, bake it, slice it, and freeze it. Then when we’re ready to enjoy we just remove a slice from the freezer and serve it as a side to soups, stews, and salads.

Every time we’ve brought this somewhere, it’s been GONE within 10 minutes. You’ll fall in love with this slightly spicy cheese bread and make it over and over again!

Cheesy Jalapeno Pull Apart Bread

Delicious cheesy jalapeno pull apart bread is a crowd favorite. Slightly spicy cheesy and homemade, what's not to love? This cheesy jalapeno bread can be made into a bread loaf and sliced or can be made into a free-form braid bread loaf for pulling apart.

4.89 from 9 votes

Print Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Inactive Time (rise time: 3 hours hours

Total Time: 3 hours hours 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 24 slices

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups warm water divided
• 1 tbs Active dry yeast heaping tablespoon
• 4 1/2 cups All purpose flour
• 2 Tbs sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp crushed red pepper plus a pinch or two for topping
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 large eggs + 1 egg for egg wash
• 12 oz cheese cut into 1/2 inch cubes (6 oz Sharp cheddar, 6 oz cheddar)
• 1/2 large jalapeno pepper (2 Tbs chopped) seeded and finely copped, add more if you like it extra spicy
• 2 Tbs Parmesan Cheese shredded, for topping

Instructions

• In a bowl combine 1/2 cup warm water, pinch of sugar and yeast. Do not stir, let sit for 10 minutes until it foams (this is proofing the yeast)
• In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl if mixing by hand) add flour, sugar, salt, garlic powder and red pepper flakes, remaining 3/4 cup water, oil and 2 eggs.

  Have dough hook attached and stir the ingredients for about 2 minutes. Add yeast mixture. Mix on speed 2 (maximum with dough hook) until dough forms- about 5 minutes.
• Grease a bowl with a little bit of oil, pat the dough into a ball and put into the bowl. Let rise for 30 minutes with a kitchen towel over the top of it. At this point it should be doubled in size, if not, let sit until it has doubled.
• Punch down and fold in the cheese chunks and finely chopped jalapeno (you'll have to really work it in with your hands) and let rise for another 30 minutes.
  
• Divide down into two (and at this point either put dough in 2 lightly greased loaf pans or form into braids.) Let dough rise again for 30 minutes in loaf pans.)

  For braids - divide each half into three and braid (or you can leave it as a ball- it is easier to pull apart if it is braided). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Put dough loaves on parchment paper and let dough rise again for 30 minutes.
  
• Preheat oven to 350.

  In a small bowl whisk together 1 egg and 1 Tbs water and then brush lightly over the top of the loaves, then sprinkle some Parmesan cheese an a little bit more crushed red pepper flakes.

  Bake for 30-40 minutes (ours took 35 min) until golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let sit for 15 minutes and then serve warm or allow to cool and slice and watch it disappear!