Green Chile Cheese Bread

The other day I made the most delicious bread - Green Chile Cheese Bread.  Moist, not too dense,   a slight spicy taste, and a wonderful  slightly crunchy texture from the semolina flour.   This bread is perfect for toast and sandwiches.

You need to be patient when making this bread due to the rising times.  You will be richly rewarded for your patience.  Enjoy.



Green Chile Cheese Bread
From Taming the Spoon

Ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup chopped hatch chiles or green jalapeño peppers, seeded, ribs removed
1 envelope (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
¼ cup warm water (110 degrees)
1 cup milk, at room temperature
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 large egg, lightly beaten, at room temperature
2½ cups unbleached bread flour
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon semolina flour, divided
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon table salt
½ pound sharp Cheddar cheese, grated (about 2 cups)
Extra grated cheese for sprinkling on top, optional

Instructions

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a small skillet over low heat. Add peppers and sauté until softened, 5 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
In a small bowl, stir yeast into water and set aside until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add milk, the 3 tablespoons of melted butter and egg. Mix well.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together peppers, bread flour, 1 cup semolina flour, sugar and salt. Add milk mixture to dry ingredients. Stir mixture with a wooden spoon until dough starts to come together. Attach bowl and dough hook to mixer. Turn to low and mix about 1 minute. Add cheese, increase speed to medium and continue mixing for 2-3 minutes more, or until dough comes together and cheese is evenly mixed in. Form dough into a ball.
Generously grease a large bowl with butter. Add dough and roll it around to coat with butter. Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, draft-free place until dough has doubled in volume, about 2 hours.
While dough is rising, prepare the baking pan. Butter a 9-by-5-by-3-inch baking pan. Dust pan with remaining semolina flour. When dough has finished rising, turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and, using floured hands, gently form dough into a rough loaf. Put dough in prepared pan and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in a warm, draft-free place until dough completely fills pan and rises above it slightly, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Sprinkle extra cheese on top of dough, if desired.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove plastic wrap and bake bread in center of oven until it is golden on top and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom, 50 minutes to 1 hour. The internal temperature of the bread should also be at least 190 degrees. Cover bread with a sheet of aluminum foil if crust starts to get too brown. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around edge of pan to loosen loaf, then remove from pan and cool completely on a rack.

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