Why You’ll Love This No-Knead Jalapeño Cheddar Loaf:
- Mini Size—This small loaf is the perfect size for snacking or serving with a weeknight dinner.
- Easy To Make—No kneading, no overnight wait—just really tasty bread, really quickly.
- Spicy, Cheesy, & Delicious—Cheddar cheese and sliced jalapeños are folded into the dough before baking and added to the top for spicy, cheesy goodness in every bite.
I’m officially obsessed with this mini cheddar jalapeño loaf—and I think you will be too. It has all the best qualities of my favorite no-knead bread—a perfectly golden crust and soft interior—but this mini loaf also contains ribbons of cheddar cheese and spicy pickled jalapeños. And the best part? There’s no kneading or overnight wait required! This recipe is simple and forgiving, allowing you to make the perfect small-batch bread for soup nights, breakfast or brunch, or snacking on all by itself.
Jalapeño Cheddar No-Knead Bread Ingredients
Flour: I have tested my no-knead bread recipe with both bread flour and all-purpose flour, and they both yield an airy, delicious loaf. That being said, I typically make no-knead bread using King Arthur all-purpose flour (shop on Amazon).
Yeast: Instant yeast is best for this recipe, especially if you want the quickest rise—I use this Fleischmann’s yeast.
You can use active dry yeast in place of instant yeast, subbing it in 1:1. Because active dry yeast rises a bit more slowly, I recommend adding an extra 15 to 20 minutes to the rise time for the bread.
Salt: For flavor!
Warm Water and Honey: Warm (NOT hot) water and honey create a perfect environment for the yeast to activate.
Cheddar Cheese: I use a box grater (shop on Amazon) to grate about 2 cups of Tillamook medium cheddar cheese, which will be folded into the bread dough and sprinkled on top of the loaf before baking.
Sliced Pickled Jalapeños: Diced jalapeños will be folded into the loaf and extra slices will be sprinkled over the top of the loaf before baking to ensure spicy flavor in every bite. Make sure to drain the pickled jalapeños very well before dicing them.
How to Make a Mini Loaf of Jalapeño Cheddar No-Knead Bread: Step By Step
1. Add the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl.
Measure your flour, preferably by weight using a kitchen scale, and place it in a medium mixing bowl. If you do not have a scale, spoon and level your flour so you do not add too much. Add the salt to the flour and whisk together. Set aside.
2. Activate the yeast.
Add one-and-a-half teaspoons of honey to a glass measuring cup before filling it to the one-cup line with water. Heat the water and honey to about 100-110 degrees, no warmer than 115 degrees. Use an instant-read thermometer (like this one I love) to make sure it’s not too hot. Once the water is heated, stir so the honey dissolves. Then, add your yeast and stir. In just a few minutes you should see small bubbles forming on the water’s surface—that means your yeast is active!
3. Mix the dough, then let it rise.
Make a well in your dry ingredients before pouring in the yeast mixture. Stir using a spoon or spatula until all of the wet ingredients have been absorbed and a shaggy dough has formed—you should not see any dry flour.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Place the bowl in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size. This should take about 1 hour using instant yeast, but keep an eye on the dough—you do not want it to rise past double its original size. If using active dry yeast, you should expect the dough to take about 15-20 minutes longer to rise fully.
Where should you put the dough to rise? Here are a few options…
- Set the bowl in a warm corner of your kitchen.
- While I have never tried these methods, some people like to place dough in the oven with just the light turned on, or in an oven that has been heated to a very low temp and then turned off with the door cracked open.
- Your oven might have a dedicated proofing function or drawer.
- If your range has heat lamps, place the bowl under them for the dough to rise. This is what I do, but I keep a very close eye on the dough. The heat from the lamps can cause the dough to rise very quickly (almost too quickly).
No matter the method you choose, I suggest checking on the dough so it only rises to just double its original size.
4. Preheat your oven.
Once the dough has been rising for about 15-20 minutes, place your Dutch oven on the middle rack of your oven. Then, place a half sheet pan on the rack directly beneath the Dutch oven. This will deflect heat, preventing the bottom crust of the bread from becoming too brown, thick, and crunchy. Preheat the oven (with both the Dutch oven and pan inside) to 450 degrees for at least 45 minutes. You want to make sure your Dutch oven is extra hot.
5. Cut a square of parchment.
Cut a square of parchment that will fit your Dutch oven. This parchment will serve as a kind of sling for you to easily transfer your bread dough into the Dutch oven, so you want it to be large enough to serve this function. For reference, I start with a 12″ square for a 2.75 quart Dutch oven and then trim off any excess that sticks over the sides of the Dutch oven (before putting the lid on).
Set the parchment square aside.
6. Add the cheddar and jalapeños, and shape your loaf.
Now that your dough has risen, it’s time to shape your loaf and add the cheese and peppers! Plop the dough onto a lightly floured surface. With floured hands, gently form the dough into a rectangle (as seen below). Sprinkle on about a third of the grated cheddar cheese and half the drained and diced pickled jalapeños.
Then using your hands and/or a bench scraper, fold in all four sides of the rectangle.
As you fold the sides in, gently press/pinch the dough in the center to help it stay put.
Flip the dough over, so the seams are down, and repeat this entire process again. Flatten the dough into a rectangle, add more cheese and jalapeños, and fold in the sides.
Then, flip the dough again. Use floured hands to gently form the dough into a more well-rounded dough ball.
7. Bake your bread.
Place the dough ball in the center of the parchment square you cut earlier. Using a bread lame (or razor blade), cut a half-inch deep X, line, or other design on the top of the loaf. This will allow steam to escape as the bread bakes.
Carefully remove your preheated Dutch oven from the oven. Use the parchment as a sling to easily transport your dough into the Dutch oven by folding up the four corners to meet each other above the loaf.
Carefully sprinkle the remaining grated cheddar cheese and about 10-12 pickled jalapeño slices over the top of the loaf. Then, immediately place the lid back on and put the Dutch oven back in your oven.
Bake the bread for 20 minutes with the lid on. Then, remove the lid and allow the bread to bake for another 7-9 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the bread reaches 200-210 degrees and the cheese/crust has browned to your liking. If the cheese or crust becomes too brown for your taste but the bread is not fully baked, place the lid back on and continue baking.
My #1 recommendation for ensuring your bread is done in the middle, is using a really good instant-read thermometer. My favorite is the Thermapen one (shop on Amazon)—it takes so much guesswork out of bread baking because you can easily and quickly determine the doneness of your loaves. You simply unfold the Thermapen, which automatically turns it on. Stick the thermometer into the very center of your loaf and it will immediately show you the internal temperature.
8. Let the bread cool.
When your mini loaf is fully baked, remove the Dutch oven from the oven and tip it over to gently roll the bread out onto your counter. Remove the parchment from the bottom of the loaf and place it on a wire cooling rack using oven mitts—it will be hot!
Allow the bread to cool for at least 45 minutes to an hour before slicing it. This will allow enough time for steam to slowly escape and the internal structure of the bread to set up properly. If you cut the bread while its still very warm/hot, it might look sticky or gummy—which might make you think the loaf is underbaked. However, if you have baked it to 200 to 210 degrees, it’s not underbaked—you simply didn’t give the bread enough time to properly cool and develop the internal structure.
Optional! Right after you place the loaf on the cooling rack you may choose to brush melted butter all over the visible crust, avoiding the cheese. This will soften the crust and add a bit of flavor! I LOVE to do this, but if you prefer a very crisp, crustier crust skip this step.
Storage & Reheating
Once completely cooled, place any leftover bread in an airtight bag or wrap it in tin foil and store on the counter for a few days. Please keep in mind that this bread does not contain the preservatives found in store-bought bread (and oftentimes on the packaging of the loaves). However, this is a mini loaf and if your house is anything like ours, I don’t think leftovers will be sitting around for long.
A note on reheating the bread—while I typically love toasted bread in the morning, I do not recommend putting this specific bread in the toaster due to the ribbons of cheddar cheese. Instead, I place the bread on top of the toaster while toasting other bread just to heat it through again.
FAQs
1. Just how spicy is this bread?
Although this is subjective, I would say that this bread is moderately spicy—perfect for jalapeño lovers without being too overwhelming. However, if you are sensitive to spice, I would reduce the quantity of diced pickled jalapeños.
2. Can you double the recipe?
Yes! Just use a larger Dutch oven and increase the baking time, checking the internal temperature for doneness.
3. What should you serve with this bread?
Serve this bread alongside chili or chicken tortilla soup, pasta, eggs at breakfast, or all by itself—it’s so good, it can truly stand alone!
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- Using a scale, like this OXO scale, to measure your flour ensures you don’t add too much.
- I use King Arthur all-purpose flour in this recipe, but you can also use their bread flour.
- I cut off the end of one of these pre-cut parchment sheets to form a square that will act as a sling for the bread dough.
- This Le Creuset Dutch oven is my go-to for this mini loaf recipe.
- The Thermapen instant-read thermometer is THE BEST—so quick and convenient.
- A good bread knife, like this one from Henckels, is a must-have.
Find the full recipe for this tasty mini jalapeño cheddar no-knead loaf down below.
Once you make a loaf (or two or three), leave a rating and review below—I would love to hear how it turned out for you.
Mini No-Knead Jalapeño Cheddar Bread
Equipment (Shop on Amazon)
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour (240 g) all-purpose or bread flour
- 1 tsp salt (6 g)
- 1½ tsp honey (10 g)
- 1 cup water; less 1½ tsp
- 1¼ tsp instant yeast (about 3.75 g)
- 2 cups grated Tillamook medium cheddar cheese loosely packed
- ½ cup drained and diced pickled jalapeños plus a few extra slices to decorate the top of the loaf
- Melted butter to brush on the crust once the bread is baked; optional
Instructions
- Stir or whisk together the flour and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.2 cups flour (240 g), 1 tsp salt (6 g)
- Add the honey to a glass measuring cup. Then fill the cup to the 1-cup mark with water. Microwave until the water reaches 100°-110°. Once the water is warm enough, stir until the honey is completely dissolved.1½ tsp honey (10 g), 1 cup water; less 1½ tsp
- Add the instant yeast to the warm water and honey mixture. Stir well, using the back of your spoon to break up any large clumps of yeast against the side of the cup. Allow the mixture to sit until you see small bubbles forming on the surface, which indicates that your yeast is active—this should take only a few minutes.1¼ tsp instant yeast (about 3.75 g)
- Use a spoon to make a well in your dry ingredients and pour in the yeast mixture. Stir with a spoon or spatula until all wet ingredients have been absorbed and a shaggy dough has formed. You should not see any dry flour.
- Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray and place in a warm place to rise until the dough has just doubled in size (typically 1 hour when using instant yeast).Note: If using active dry yeast, the dough may need an extra 15-20 minutes of rising time to double in size.
- Once your dough has been rising for about 15 minutes, place your Dutch oven on the middle rack of your oven. Place a sheet pan on the rack directly below the Dutch oven—this is important! Allow your oven to preheat to 450° for at least 45 minutes.
- Cut a piece of parchment into a square that will fit your Dutch oven (I use a 12" square). Set aside.
- Now that the dough has risen, shape your loaf. Plop the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Use lightly floured fingers to gently form the dough into a rectangle. Sprinkle on about ⅓ of the grated cheese and ½ the diced pickled jalapeños. Using floured hands and/or a bench scraper, gently fold the four sides of the rectangle toward the center, gently pinching the dough together so they stay in place.Flip the rectangle over, so the seams are down. Now, repeat this process again—flatten and shape the dough into a rectangle, add more grated cheese and jalapenos, and fold in the four sides. Flip the dough over, so the seams are down. Use floured hands to gently shape the dough into a more rounded ball. (Step-by-step photos for shaping the loaf are included in the post above.)2 cups grated Tillamook medium cheddar cheese, ½ cup drained and diced pickled jalapeños
- Place the dough ball in the center of your parchment square and use a bread lame to cut a ½" deep line, X, or other design into the top of the loaf.
- Remove the preheated Dutch oven from your oven and take the lid off. Fold the four corners of the parchment square up to meet each other above the dough and use it as a sling to carefully place the dough (and parchment) in the Dutch oven. Sprinkle the remaining grated cheese and 10-12 pickled jalapeño slices over the top of the loaf. Immediately put the lid back on the Dutch oven and place it back in the oven.
- Bake the bread at 450° for 20 minutes with the lid on. Then, remove the lid and bake for another 7-9 minutes, or until the internal temperature at the center of the loaf has reached 200°-210° and the crust is golden. If the crust browns too much for your liking but the loaf is not yet done in the center, place the lid back on and continue baking.
- Remove the Dutch oven from your oven and carefully tip it over so the loaf rolls out. Using oven mitts, remove the parchment and place the bread on a wire cooling rack. Allow to cool for at least 45 minutes to an hour before slicing.Optional—Brush melted butter all over the crust of the bread when it is just out of the oven and still warm for a soft crust.Melted butter
- Slice and enjoy this mini jalapeño cheddar loaf! Once completely cooled, store any leftovers in an airtight bag or wrapped in tinfoil.
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