Spicy Cheese Bread
Say hello spicy cheese bread, a.k.a. the bread that disappeared within 24 hours! This recipe makes a huge loaf of a rich brioche-like bread loaded with provolone and Monterey Jack cheeses, and speckled with crushed red pepper flakes.
This bread. THIS BREAD. My goodness.
Probably one of my most favorite recipes of the year. I ran across this recipe in an issue of Cook’s Country magazine, as they were attempting to recreate the Original Hot and Spicy Cheese Bread sold at Stella’s Bakery in Madison, Wisconsin. While I’ve never been to said bakery, I’ve never met a combination of cheese and bread that I didn’t like, so I immediately tore it out of the magazine and filed it away.
As far as yeast breads go, this was incredibly easy to mix together and gets baked with a minimal amount of steps and time. To say that we loved this bread would be the understatement of the century. I’m (only slightly) embarrassed to admit that my husband and I polished off this entire loaf ourselves within 24 hours. And then I wanted to cry because it was gone…
I was just a tad apprehensive about the recipe because while I like spicy foods and anything with a kick, it seemed like there was a lot of red pepper flakes in this recipe, and I was concerned that it might be too spicy. I didn’t want something overpowering, but I just ran with the recipe as-is and am so glad that I did.
The spiciness is minimal and the perfect accompaniment to the rich bread dough and all of that amazing cheese!
I loved how the dough was speckled with the pretty bits of crushed red pepper!
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Once the dough has been shaped into a spiral and then risen a second time, it’s brushed with an egg wash and sprinkled with more crushed red pepper flakes. Gorgeous!
While I’m sure you could use this as a base for an AH-mazing sandwich, we just ate hunks of it for lunch warm from the oven.
Then as a snack.
Then for breakfast the next morning.
I’m totally not sorry for demolishing this bread in record time.
This would also make an excellent appetizer sliced in smaller pieces and served with grapes, Italian meats, maybe some marinated olives. I mean, I hate olives, but I know I’m in the minority, so I’m throwing that out there :)
If you are a lover of cheesy breads, please, please, please gift yourself this bread. I may need to make a couple of loaves and stash them in my freezer for when a spicy cheese bread emergency hits ;-)
Four years ago: Rainbow Ribbon Jello
Five years ago: Easy Homemade French Fries
Spicy Cheese Bread
Ingredients
For the Bread:
- 3¼ cups (406.25 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon instant, rapid-rise yeast
- 1½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) red pepper flakes
- 1¼ teaspoons (1.25 teaspoons) salt
- ½ cup (125 ml) warm water (110 degrees)
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 6 ounces (170.1 g) Monterey Jack cheese, cut into ½-inch cubes (about 1½ cups), at room temperature
- 6 ounces (170.1 g) provolone cheese, cut into ½-inch cubes (about 1½ cups), at room temperature
For the Topping:
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
Instructions
- Make the Bread: In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the flour, sugar, yeast, red pepper flakes and salt. In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the warm water, eggs, egg yolk, and melted butter. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture in the mixing bowl. Using a dough hook, knead on medium speed until the dough clears the bottom and sides of the bowl, 4 to 8 minutes.
- Shape the dough into a ball and transfer to a greased bowl, turning to coat the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1½ to 2 hours.
- Grease a 9-inch round cake pan; set aside.
- Transfer the dough to an unfloured work surface and press to deflate. Roll the dough into an 18×12-inch rectangle with the long side parallel to the counter’s edge. Distribute the Monterey Jack and provolone cheeses evenly over the surface of the dough, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges. Starting with the edge closest to you, roll the dough into a log, pinching the ends and seam to seal. Roll the log back and forth, applying gentle pressure, until it reaches 30 inches in length. (If the dough tears in any places, just pinch together to re-seal.)
- Starting at one end, wind the log into a coil and tuck the end underneath the coil. Place the loaf in the cake pan and cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel. Allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 1½ hours.
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Brush the top of the loaf with the beaten egg, then sprinkle with the red pepper flakes. Place the cake pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until the loaf is golden brown, about 25 minutes. Rotate the pan 180 degrees, tent the loaf with aluminum foil, and continue to bake until the loaf registers 190 degrees F, 25 to 30 minutes longer.
- Transfer the pan to a wire rack and immediately brush with the softened butter. Let cool for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the pan and turn the loaf out the wire rack. Cool for 30 minutes before slicing; serve warm or at room temperature. The bread can be kept, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Thanks for the recipe. My first rise was spectacular but my second rise was minimal. Any idea what could have gone wrong? Thx!
Great recipe. I find my kitchen towel sticking to the dough after the second rise. I wonder if that affected the rise during baking. Is there any other covering I can use instead of kitchen towel? Wax paper?
I always use a new shower cap for my covering. It works superbly.
Hi! Do you have any recommendations if I’m making for an event a couple of days later? Thanks!
Has anyone been successful freezing
this bread? I’d love to make it for Christmas gifts.
Question! I accidentally added an extra egg to the recipe. I wrote down 3 eggs + 1 egg yolk and accidentally put them all in the bread. I realized this after it was already rising. Do you think its ruined?
Hi Grace, I think it will be okay!
Easy and sooooo delicious! I put a piece of parchment in the bottom of the cake pan after spraying it and no sticking I used sharp cheddar cuz that’s what I had in the frig. I got the recipe from the daily bread email and cracked up that the email was about never slicing bread until it is at room temp but this recipe says serve warm! 🤣🤣🤣
Question: what is the difference between rapid rise yeast and active dry yeast, I have a jar of ady—-that is all my hubby could find at the store. I am an experienced bread maker, but haven’t made any in about 10 years and forget some things.
Hi Marie, Traditionally, active dry yeast needed to be “bloomed” by placing it in warm water (and sometime with a pinch of sugar) to get it to activate properly, while instant yeast could just be mixed in with the dry ingredients. However, most yeast manufacturers now say that the “blooming” step isn’t required (but I still do it!), however, dough made with active dry yeast will require a little bit longer rise times. Hope that helps!
I have a question and i might sound naive, but when you say 2 eggs, 1 egg yolk do you mean 2 eggs without the yolk and then 1 yolk
Hi Kathy, That means 2 whole eggs and then 1 additional egg yolk. Hope that helps!
Hi, when we made this we noticed that when we start to add wet ingredients slowly, it looks like it is going to be a good dough consistency, but as we add the dry it starts to be really dry and looks like it needs more water. Any thoughts on what we did wrong?
(Regardless the bread still turned out great!) We are making again so that is why I ask :)
Hi Brooke, I’m not sure if you did anything wrong since you said the bread turned out great! But I’m not sure what you mean by adding the wet ingredients and then adding the dry… you only add the wet ingredients TO the dry ingredients, there shouldn’t be anything else added after that. Hope that helps!
Does anyone use special brands or types of flour? I’m in the South and tried to make biscuits a while ago with King Arthur AP flour and they were like hockey pucks, so I definitely do NOT want to use that brand again. I want to find White Lily flour and use that. Any all-purpose flour should work? I did research bread flours and a softer wheat is supposed to be better than hard winter wheat I want to make this wonderful bread but am worried about taking so much time to make it and it turns out wrong.
I use King Arthur Flour all-purpose and bread flours and Softasilk or Swans Down for cake flour.
The flour brand shouldn’t matter when it comes to making biscuits. If you knead them super minimally, folding them over on themselves vs smashing them together, you’ll create beautiful pockets of butter that keep them light and flakey. It’s very possible to overwork biscuit doug.
I see this question was a long time ago…I hope you have found White
Lily Flour to use for your biscuits…it makes the softest, in my opinion
So good!!!! My bf lived in Madison for 2 years and getting the cheesy bread from the farmers market and devouring it within 24 hours was a highly anticipated activity whenever I got to visit. Upon reminiscing those days, my bf found this recipe and we decided to make it for Superbowl. Definitely filing away to make for years to come. Maybe it’ll become a Superbowl day tradition. Also we used spicy habanero cheese in place of Monterrey jack and it was delicious and still not overly spicy. Put it in the fridge overnight for the 2nd rise and let it come to temp the next morning for a couple hours before baking and worked perfectly. Would make a great gift or an impressive potluck contribution.
I just have active dry yeast, will this be ok to use? Same method? Thank you
This is my third reply, so you know ai make this recipe often. This is an awesome bread!! I’ve made it several times and made some adjustments. Some of my friends don’t like the spicy part, but it still makes a wonderful cheese bread. I cut the cheese into smaller pieces (maybe 1/4 ” and the dough doesn’t tear as much). I use less flour so the dough is softer and it doesn’t tear as much. I squeeze and stretch rather than roll it and that seems to prevent so much separation in the dough which helps keep the cheese inside the dough rather than poking out of the dough. It’s a beautiful and oh so yummy bread!
I do have a few questions though. The loaf never releases from the pan despite the amount of shortening I use. The good part is I get to taste the pieces that are left stuck in the pan. But I like to have ‘pretty’ loaves when I gift friends with this. I’ve thought of parchment paper or foil to line the bottom and sides of the pan. I’m just not sure how to do that and if the bread would bake into the paper or foil and how that would effect the loaf. Any ideas? I truly love this recipe. Yikes – I might even make one for myself, but that would be dangerous. Any thoughts and suggestions would be very welcome. Happy baking.
Best, MaryJoel
I used a 9” springform pan since I didn’t have the 9” cake pan.
Release the sides and run a knife between the loaf and the bottom of the pan. Won’t stick to the pan!
I’ve made this a couple of times and is pretty straightforward. Smells soooo good coming out of the oven. Big favorite for me and husband, thanks for sharing!
Awesome bread…beautiful loaf. My Go to bread for any special occasion.the WOW factor is high…LOVE
Hi All, after reading some of the comments I thought I would comment again. Re: tearing. An occasional tear happens but your dough shouldn’t tear too much, maybe try rolling it little thicker to avoid tears ! Happy Bread Baking
This bread is amazing! Easy to make and a great gift for the holidays! In my house if it lasts a day its surprising! This year I’m converting the recipe to small rounds, to give as gifts. I have made this bread with many different cheeses, all equally delicious! I will come back & post how the conversion comes out! Mangia
Delish!! I used gruyere because I had it in the fridge. The round was just too big, though. Next time, I’m dividing the dough in half and making two loaves. I’m going to use a loaf pan. I’ll still coil it, and squeeze it into the pan. Pretty sure it will work. Stay tuned…
Can you use shredded cheese?
This is the best bread hands down. Next time I make it I think I’m going to roll the dough into small balls and set like monkey bread so they are more of a pull apart bread.
If anyone ever gets to Madison, Wisconsin to try the original bread, please do so. Fresh and hot from the bakery is the way to go. We used to buy it Saturday mornings at the farmers market downtown on the square. People lined up down the block waiting for the truck to come back with another batch of fresh bread, then you walk around the square eating fresh warm chunks torn off the loaf. Or, failing that, you can always email Stella’s Bakery and have the bread shipped to you, I’ve done that. But this bread is fantastic.
Fabulous loaf…beautiful presentation…each time I make it I love it more
Followed the recipe and my bread won’t rise. Any idea why?
It’s gotta be an issue with your yeast. I’ve made this several times with no issues.
this is has been assembled and is on it’s second rise in the oven. i separated the dough and made two smaller ones. one i will give away the other will be devoured. by me :) i am concerned with one thing….i made a mistake and only used a quarter cup of warm water and when it was mixing it was real shaggy so i kept adding bits of water until it all came together. i hope it was enough. time will tell! i used a mix of provolone, monterray jack and sharp cheddar! can’t wait!
I made this bread yesterday as we are in a deep freeze in northern Ontario Canada ar -40 c and it was delicious and foiled our home with the comfort food
Tks
I will make it again
i feel for you merv. i’m in southern ont. and we’ve had some pretty cold temps here too!
I made this bread Sunday, followed the directions to the letter pretty much and ended up with a very dense bread, not even close to the light an airy bread you get from Stella’s. Not sure where I went wrong.
I’ve made this three times and haven’t tasted it yet since they were gifts for friends. Starting with the second loaf, I cut the cheese into smaller cubes, maybe 1/4″. It takes longer to cut that small, but with the smaller cubes, the dough is less likely to tear and allow the cheese to ooze out when baking. I couldn’t roll the log very easily, so I squeeze it with a bit of stretching at the same time. It works for me, and very little tearing of the dough.
I love making this bread, and all the people I have shared it with love it. Since I give it away, I haven’t tasted it (I can’t give a loaf of bread with a bite taken out of it), but the reviews have been outstanding. And it smells so delicious when baking! I know better than to cut into a loaf – I’d eat it within 2 days all by myself. Anyway, I’ve found that if I take extra time and cut the cheeses into smaller cubes (1/4 “), the dough doesn’t tend to tear as much so the cheese doesn’t ooze out when baking. Also, when getting the roll to 30”, I squeeze it rather roll it to length – also makes it so the dough doesn’t tear and let the cheese ooze out when baking. It’s an awesome recipe! My question us why this dough takes so much more time for the first and second rising compared to other yeast breads. No problem – I just allow ample time to make the recipe. But it would be nice if the rise time could be less. I do put the dough in my oven that has been preheated enough to be warm, not hot. Any suggestions? Great recipe! And I plan to make this often. Maybe some day ‘ll actually get to taste it. :)
Hi MaryJoel, It’s a pretty enriched dough, which usually take longer to rise. I’m so happy to hear it’s been enjoyed!
I’d like to make this bread today, but don’t have Monterey Jack cheese. I’d like to substitute Costco’s Coastal Cheddar cheese, but am uncertain if it’s creamy enough as it’s pretty strong and on the drier side. Anyone have thoughts about the substitution?
Made this yesterday ….. tummy yummy stuff! A question “turn it 180°” ? Does that mean turn it around or turn it upside down? Hubby thinks upside down, I think around! 1 of us is a bit thick!!
So glad you liked it! Turn it 180 means turn it around, not upside down ;-)
Made this for my mom, as she requested spicy cheese bread. I am from Madison, so am very familiar with the bread from Stella’s Bakery. I found this bread pretty easy to make, albeit a little time intensive. I baked mine in a spring form pan, which made it easy to take out of the pan once it was done baking. Great flaky texture, will make again!