Roasted Green Chille-Cheddar Artisan Bread

Lunch with "The Girls"

 This is how I started my day!!!  Smiles and coos!!  What a wonderful sight to behold!!!  Today we are going to have lunch with two of my dearest friends.  They have been MiMi's for a lot longer than I have been a Nana.  I never quite understood it all....but now I get it.  Anyway they want  "special time" with Miss Ella so we are going to have lunch with "The Girls".  I am to bring the bread so this morning I made a very special bread for our luncheon which I am going to share with you....my special cyber-friends.  This bread is made the "old-fashion" way which means you have to knead it and let it proof twice but don't be afraid.  Just follow me every step of the way and you will have fabulous bread in about 3 hours.  (And your house will smell GREAT too!)  I first saw this recipe online at www.lazyjbarcfarm.blogspot.com but it was listed as Jalapeno Cheddar Artisan Bread so as she suggested I changed the recipe to Roasted Green Chile Cheddar Artisan Bread.  I also am going to go step by step with the method I used for making this delicious bread!  Thanks to the Lazy J Bar C Farm for the inspiration and leading me on the path to yet another great cooking experience!!

Roasted Green Chile-Cheddar Artisan Bread

Shopping List:

Milk (1 cup)

Butter (2 Tablespoons)

4 ounce can of green chiles ( use 1/2 to the full can depending on your taste)

Cheddar Cheese (1 1/2 cups)

Bread Flour (3 cups)

Cornmeal (1 cup)

Sugar (1 Tablespoon)

Salt (1 1/2 teaspoon)

Yeast ( 2 tsp Instant Dry Yeast or 1 packet active dry yeast)

 I use instant yeast as you see in the plastic bag.  I keep it in the freezer to keep it fresh.  I also used some green chiles I had in the freezer left over from a white chicken chili I made in March.  They are in the glass container.  The Cornmeal is in the container with the black lid.  Do not use cornmeal mix....just cornmeal.

First you must warm your milk and butter.  I put mine in the microwave for 1 minute.  It should be warm to touch and the butter will start to melt.  NOT HOT!!  We are going to add the yeast and sugar to this mixture next.  Remember if the liquids are too Hot you can kill the yeast.  So be sure you can put you finger in the milk and it is warm (105-110 degrees if you have a thermometer).  

Add the yeast and sugar.  I use my clean finger to stir the yeast into the liquids so that it get fully dissolved.  Set this aside for about 10 minutes and let the yeast "proof" or start to grow.

Can you see the bubbles?  This means the yeast is active which is exactly what we want.

Now in your mixer bowl (if you have a Kitchenaid with a dough hook) or any bowl that you want to use if you are mixing by hand.  Put in Bread flour, cornmeal, and salt.  Give it a spin with the flat beater to mix or by hand with a wooden spoon.

Now get the cheese ready.  This is really a matter of preference too...use what you like.  I have a New York White Sharp Cheddar today.  I am going to grate it on my handy dandy dollar store grater.  I love this grater.  It catches all the shavings in the plastic box beneath.  No mess.  I really prefer to grate my own cheese.  It is fresher and did you know that pre-grated cheese is coated with a fine "wood dust" to keep it from sticking together.  Now I still buy the pregrated when I am in a hurry but think about what we are eating????

If you have the time this is much better.  And hey...it is usually a little cheaper by the pound than grated in a bag!!  Once grated measure out 1 1/2 cups and put in the bowl.  Add the green chilies now  ( I use half of whatever I have ( chilies and cheese) in the dough and save the rest to put on top of the dough before I bake it).  Use amount to your taste!!

Give it a whirl!!!  This will coat the chilies and cheese with the flour/cornmeal mix and make for a more even distribution of both in the bread dough.  Back to the yeast mixture which has been "doing it's thing and growing" while we were working.  Add this to the mixer or bowl and stir with spoon or flat beater till mixed.

Now add the dough hook and turn mixer to medium for 5 minutes.  If working by hand put dough out onto board covered with flour and knead for 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic.

This is what you want your bread to look like.  Smoooth like a baby's bottom....we could should you Miss Ella's but....we won't!!  You can see flecks of chillie's and cheese in the dough.

Now grease a bowl with oil and put your dough inside covering all sides with the oil so it won't stick.  Just swish it around in the bowl until covered with oil.
 Isn't it beautiful?  Don't you feel accomplished?  You SHOULD!!  But we aren't done yet.
Cover the dough.....I use wax paper but plastic wrap(loosely, so the dough can breath) works, a clean dish towel.... it is all to keep the dough from drying out on top.  Put your dough in a warm place to rise.  I use the back of my stove under the Halogen lights from my fan above.  The lights get hot!!



You should put it in the warmest place in your kitchen!  This helps the dough to rise.  Let sit , covered for about 1 hour or until the dough size has doubled.

 When dough has double remove from bowl.  Divide in half with a knife.  Take each piece and pull the ends underneath to form a "boule" or in other words a round loaf.  Do this with both pieces.  I put mine on parchment paper because I am going to bake them in the oven on a baking stone and this allows me to transfer them easily.   You can also leave them on the baking sheet and bake directly on it.   Slit the loaves on top.  I use a serrated knife and make an X as you see below.

 Then I add the remaining chili's and cheese.  Just pile it on top to your desired amount.
Now let the loaves rise 30 - 45 more minutes until doubled again.
Meanwhile preheat oven to 375 degrees.  I do this for at least 30 minutes to heat up my stone to enhance the crust.





After dough has doubled the second time I slide the loaves with the parchment paper onto my preheated baking stone. (Or bake directly on the baking sheet is fine!!)   Close the oven door and bake for 20-25 minutes.  (Yes, you have to wait that long!)










Bake my little darlings!!!  Mama waits...patiently...NOT!






Have you every seen anything so beautiful come out of YOUR oven.  We are talking ARTISAN bread here from the kitchen of an everyday mama.  I love the way the cheese melts and the chili's poke through with their green color.  And the SMELL.....can you smell it?  Heaven!!!

Now I have to choose which one to take with me for my lunch with the girls.

Such a hard decision!!!!











               
     This loaf won!!!  The other will stay home with me for later!!

Now I know you can do this!!!  Please do this and feel so good about yourself !!!  Three Cheers Hooray!!!  Your family will love you even more than they already do!!!












Please comment and let me know how it works for you and send pictures if you can.
We will let everyone see our new "crop" of Artisan bakers online.
The bread I brought for lunch is below on the board, cut and on the table ready to be devoured!   We had such a nice lunch.  Soup, Salad and Bread!!!  There is nothing better than good friends, great food and fellowship.  Take some time to be with your friends.  They are one of God's greatest blessings to us.  Tell your friends how much they mean to you!!!

My daughter, Jenny below,( aka Ella's Mama) and me (aka Mtn Mama) at the beautiful lunch table we shared with friends today.  Thanks Carol and Mary Beth!!!  You guys are "angels" unaware!!

Gotta run to a quilt gathering where we stitch and share for a couple of hours.  Love It!!!

Try the bread!!

Happy Trails

Mtn Mama