Chilie Cheese Bread

This is the lazy weeknight bread machine loaf that always pulls its weight. Sharp cheddar and a whole can of diced green chiles baked into a buttermilk yeast dough give you a savory loaf with melty cheese pockets and a gentle heat that plays hard against soups, chili, or a Tuesday sandwich.

The entire method is dump and press start. What makes the loaf rise above basic is the ingredient list: buttermilk for tang and tenderness, a splash of gluten flour for better structure with the heavy cheese add-in, and a teaspoon of baking powder for extra lift. Most bread machine loaves skip the gluten flour, and their cheese breads turn out dense and collapsed. Do not skip it.

Use very sharp, aged cheddar cut into small dice, not pre-shredded bagged cheese. Pre-shredded is coated in anti-caking starch that keeps it from melting cleanly, and a one-year aged cheddar delivers the flavor that stands up to the chiles.

Kitchen Tips

• Follow your machine’s recommended ingredient order. Most Japanese-style machines want liquids first; Zojirushi and Panasonic machines want yeast last, protected from the salt. Check your manual before dumping.
• Add the cheese and chiles at the mix-in beep if your machine has one. Dumping everything in at the start breaks the cheese into tiny fragments that disappear.
• Drain the canned chiles well. Excess liquid throws off the hydration ratio and gives you a gummy crumb.
• Set the crust to medium. Cheese bread gets dark fast, and a dark-crust setting can scorch the cheese at the edges.

Variations

• Swap the green chiles for diced jalapeños or chipotle in adobo for a hotter, smokier loaf.
• Add a half teaspoon of ground cumin and a handful of corn kernels to the dough for a more Southwestern flavor.
• Scatter shredded pepper jack over the top crust during the last 10 minutes of baking for a double-cheese finish.