← The recipes

Dragon-Crust Country Bread

On the menu it’s Jalapeño Cheddar Loaf.

A cast iron country loaf shot through with sharp cheddar and fresh jalapeño.

Makes

One round loaf, about 12 thick slices

Hands on

25 min

All in

3 h

Oven

230 °C (450 °F)

One step at a time, screen kept awake

What you need

• 3 cups (720 ml)all-purpose flour
• 1½ cups (375 ml)warm water
• 1 tsp (5 ml)active dry yeast
• 1½ tsp (7 ml)salt
• 1½ cups (375 ml)shredded cheddar
• 2–3fresh jalapeños, sliced
• 1 tbsp (15 ml)honey — optional, adds softness
• 1 tbsp (15 ml)olive oil — optional, for crust shine

How it goes

1. 1

   Stir the warm water, yeast and honey together. Add the flour and salt and mix to a shaggy dough.

2. 2

   Fold in the cheddar and the sliced jalapeños until they are spread evenly through the dough.

3. 3

   Cover and let rise 1–2 hours, until doubled.

4. 4

   Turn onto a floured surface, shape into a round, and rest 20 minutes.

5. 5

   Put the Dutch oven in with its lid on and heat to 450 °F (230 °C) for 30 minutes. It has to be properly hot before the dough goes in.

6. 6

   Lower the dough in on parchment, cover, and bake 30 minutes.

7. 7

   Take the lid off and bake another 10–15 minutes, until the crust is deep golden and crackly.

8. 8

   Cool completely before slicing — the cheese needs to set or the crumb tears.

A couple of things

• Seeds in, seeds out: leaving the seeds in the jalapeños roughly doubles the heat. Sophie takes about half of them out.
• Cheese against the hot pot will scorch. Keep the visible pieces tucked into the dough rather than sitting on the surface.
• Do not refrigerate this one. It dries the crust out faster than leaving it wrapped on the counter.

Contains : wheat, milk