Jalapeno cheese bread and I have a very special relationship. I first tried it at my local grocery store in the “gourmet breads” section. Now, gourmet or not, this bread is both delicious and easy to make.
I’ll eat it with anything. It makes excellent sandwich bread (though obviously not for PB&Js), in place of dinner rolls or with a bowl of soup, or even just spread with butter.
For real, y’all. It might be my favorite bread.
Jalapeno Cheese Bread
Anyway, this recipe doesn’t take a ton of effort. Really, the most annoying thing about making this recipe, or any bread in general, is the waiting. There are two rises in this recipe and each take an hour or two. I also recommend using a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. You can definitely make this recipe by hand, but it’s just so much easier to have the mixer knead the dough.
But I’ve included directions for both, so don’t worry.
Let me know what you think! What is your favorite bread?
Until next time. X
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PrintJalapeno Cheese Bread

Jalapeno Cheese Bread is the cheesy, spicy deliciousness you need with every meal. From sandwiches to garlic bread, this loaf goes with everything.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Total Time: 3 hours 25 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
- Category: Sides and Salads
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
2 c. + 2TB bread flour
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
3/4 c. + 1TB warm water
2 tsp granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 TB olive oil
2 c. cheddar cheese, freshly shredded
2 jalapenos, cored, seeded & chopped
tools you’ll need
hand or stand mixer
mixing bowls
plastic wrap
kitchen towel
parchment paper
more oil and flour, for dusting
Instructions
In a small bowl, place the water, sugar and yeast, mix well. Set aside for 5-10 minutes for the yeast to develop.
In a separate bowl, combine the bread flour and salt.
If mixing by hand:
Pour the wet mixture and olive oil into the flour mixture and stir together until it forms a shaggy dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead it for about 10 minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic.
If using a Stand Mixer:
In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the water, yeast and sugar mixture and mix on low. Slowly add the flour until it forms a shaggy dough and pour in the oil. Turn the mixer to medium-high and let it knead the dough for about 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
Let the dough rise in a greased bowl, covered with oil-brushed cling wrap and a kitchen towel, for about 1 – 1/2 hours until doubled in size.
Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and roll into a rectangle about 12″ x 14″. Top with the shredded cheese and the chopped jalapenos. Roll the dough up, like a jelly roll cake or cinnamon rolls. Cut the dough in the middle (giving you two roughly 7″ rolls), then insert a pair of kitchen shears in the center and cut through the top two layers (or so), exposing the cheese and jalapenos inside.
Place both rolls side by side and twist together, like a braid and place in a greased and parchment lined loaf pan. Cover with oil-brushed cling wrap and a kitchen towel and let rise again, another hour.
Preheat the oven to 375°F and bake (feel free to top with more cheese, ’cause duh, cheese is life) for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Let cool 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack and cooling completely, at least 30 minutes. Slice and enjoy!
Keywords: jalapeno cheese bread, cheese and jalapeno sandwich bread, spicy cheesy bread, easy bread loaf
Recipe adapted from My Cooking Journey
Vani says
Hi Sarah,
Thanks for the recipe! Can’t wait to try it out 🙂
I was wondering if I can knead the cheese and jalapenos directly into the dough instead of stuffing it in like a roll?
Sarah | AwayFromTheBox says
Hi Vani! You wont get those awesome swirls of cheese, since it will be more evenly dispersed, but I’m sure it will still be great. 🙂
Donna Trapp says
This is my go to jalapeño bread recipe. It has always turned out great! Thanks for sharing it !!!
★★★★★
Vanillabean says
Delicious
★★★★★
Tana ohneck says
Is the bread like the Amish jalapeno bread ?
Sarah | AwayFromTheBox says
Hi Tana, I’m not actually sure – I’ve never tried Amish jalapeno bread.
Sadye says
I’m I. The middle of making this (it’s past midnight and I’m almost done with the first rise) I’m crazy I know . But I only had all purpose flour .. so I just decided to use it . I know bread flour is better … Hoping this turns out . I’ll leave a new review with my experience using a diff flour. Can you add pictures to each step ? I feel like it would help a lot to see while following the recipe
Sarah | AwayFromTheBox says
Hi Sadye! Thanks for the suggestion – I do plan to update this post with step by step photos! In the meantime, my pepperoni pizza bread has photos showing the rolling & twisting method used in this recipe.
Patty says
Hi, the bread turned out great. I do have a couple of questions: Why do you spray the bread pan and then put parchment paper over it? Second, my bread didn’t seem to rise a lot on the second rise. Any ideas why this might have happened?
★★★★★
Sarah | AwayFromTheBox says
Hi! Spraying the pan and then putting parchment over it helps keep the parchment smooth and stuck to the pan. I’ve had a few batches without the spray crinkle and get baked into the bread. As for the second rise, it’s hard to say, but the most common issue with bread is that the room in which it’s proofed is too cold or too hot and the yeast slows down (too cold) or dies (too hot). The optimal range is 80-90°F.
Karyn says
Love this recipe! I am new to baking and I appreciate the step by step instructions, especially when using the stand mixer! I added an extra jalapeño pepper and chopped some spring onions to the recipe. It turned out wonderfully and I have to contain myself from eating it all in one sitting 😛 I am definitely holding on to this one!
★★★★★
Karyn says
I forgot to ask: Am I able to substitute active dry yeast for the instant/rapid rise yeast? Thank you 🙏🏼
Sarah | AwayFromTheBox says
Can’t believe this slipped through my queue without me noticing – so sorry! Yes, that will work! Thank you, Karyn!
Susan Chee says
Wonderful recipe. Thank you for sharing. I’ve made this several times and each time, I’m amazed at how yummy it is. I very between jars and fresh chilies, whatever I have on hand. I even sub half the warm water with the canned juice of chilies and it always turns out well. Yes, cheese and cheese and cheese is always extra yummy. Thank yo
Allison says
I made this yesterday, and it turned out PERFECT!!! So tasty! I used canned jalapeños since that’s what I had on hand and had to guess the amount. I also substituted for a blend of shredded cheese and probably didn’t have quite enough. Next time I’ll use a sharp cheddar and fresh jalapeños. I may also double the recipe to freeze half of the dough for later. Thanks for the amazing recipe!
★★★★★
Andreas says
One HUGE issue with this recipe… It says 3/4 cups of water. If you read that as with the other ingredients, that mean three quarters of a cup which is obviously WAY too little. Do you perhaps mean 3 to 4 cups?
Sarah | AwayFromTheBox says
Hi there. No, three quarters of a cup is correct. Bread generally has a ratio of 5:3 flour to water, and there are only 2 cups + 2 Tablespoons of flour in this recipe. Hope this helps!
Nancy says
Followed the recipe, but changed the cheese to smoked cheddar (cut in small cubes) and used garlic infused olive oil. Probably the best bread my family had!! Just adding that smoky element and a touch of garlic made you stop and go hmmmmm, but has you going back for more. Oh, and I used bread flour instead of A.P. flour. Great recipe and I will be making that again. Thanks!
★★★★★
MARK says
Made as written, turned out great! Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Katie says
Your recipe is fantastic! Unlike other jalapeno bread recipes yours has cheese and peppers throughout the bread not just on top. Wow. The best.
★★★★★
Lisa says
I really enjoyed making and eating this bread. It turned out tender with cheesy pockets of goodness. Thanks so much for posting this recipe.
★★★★★
Adam L Plascencia says
I did everything that the recipe said but after putting it in the oven the taking it out et ot set for a good 15 min then cut into it and still raw in the middle what happened.
Sarah | AwayFromTheBox says
Hi Adam – so sorry this happened! The bread needs at least 40 minutes to cool before slicing, 10 in the pan and 30 on a wire rack. Bread “sweats” out of the edges as it cools, which can make the center appear soggy and underdone. The long cool down makes sure that the moisture escapes from the middle and dries it out.
Since I’m not there with you I can’t be sure this is what happened, but thankfully bread can be “re-baked” in a 350F oven for 10-20 minutes or so, if needed. It should still cook even if the loaf has already cooled. I hope this helps!
AR says
Are you sure it’s 1.5 TB of yeast? That ratio to flour seems high compared to the original and other recipes. Thanks.
Sarah | AwayFromTheBox says
Thanks for catching that! It should be tsp, not TB.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Sarah, that loaf looks gorgeous and I am so tempted to make it again over the weekend. Thanks for trying out the recipe and I am so glad that you loved it as much as we do.
★★★★★
Sarah | AwayFromTheBox says
Thank you Sandhya! I love love love your recipe! It’s awesome!