Jalapeno Cheese Rolls

One of my favorite foods as a kid was a cheese roll my grandma would get from the bakery by Times Supermarket. These are pretty easy to find in the mainland, and here they come with jalapenos. So, when a co-worker brought me a bag of jalapenos from her garden, I thought jalapeno cheese rolls would be the best way to share with the rest of the office.

Unfortunately there were not many roll recipes, so I sort of blended two recipes. One I found online wanted me to use eight (yes eight) cups of flour, and I felt like that was just too much. So, I used the rustic white bread recipe from ATK, but added cheddar and jalapenos, and then baked according to the online recipe instructions.

And...I overproofed my dough, so everything kind of rose together and made one big piece of bread. It was not pretty, but it tasted good. I decided that next time I would watch my dough raise and then also bake on a cookie sheet rather than in a 9x13 pan.

Jalapeno Cheese Rolls
adapted from America's Test Kitchen's Rustic White Bread and a recipe found on Just a Pinch

2 cups bread flour*
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 envelope (2 1/4 teaspoons) rapid-rise yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1 3/4 cups water, warm
2 tablespoons honey
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese,shredded
1/2 cup fresh jalapenos, sliced*

Pulse the bread flour, 2 cups of all-purpose flour, yeast, and salt in a food processor to combine. While the processor is running, add the water and honey and process until a rough ball forms, about 30 to 40 seconds. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes, then process for 30 more seconds. Turn the dough out onto a clean counter and knead by hand to form a smooth, round ball, about five minutes, adding the remaining 1/4 cup of flour as needed to prevent sticking. Add the 1 cup of the cheese and all the jalapenos, little by little, during this time. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until nearly doubled in size and springs back slowly when indented with a finger, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Pinch the dough down, and pinch off small portions (about 1/3 cup), roll into balls. Arrange close together in well-greased 9x13 pan. Cover and let rise again until doubled, about 45 to 60 minutes. Sprinkle the dough with the remaining cheese.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake until rolls are brown and cooked through, about 40 minutes (the recipe says 1 hour). Transfer to rack, cool 10 minutes. Cool 1 hour before serving.

*I used unbleached bread flour because I had it on-hand. Depending on the type of jalapenos you use, this can get spicy (although mine wasn't), so if you really don't like spicy, de-vein and de-seed the jalapenos.