This Hatch Chile Fiesta Bread was inspired by the fiesta rolls I used to get at The Flying Star in Albuquerque whenever I ordered the breakfast egg sandwich. The rolls were yeast rolls with green chile and cheese, which, as you can imagine, made for a very tasty bite of sandwich. Since Bobby and I love a good bread, I tackled making a loaf of yeast bread with chile and cheese. It took a couple of loaves to get the texture right and solve the moisture problem created by the chile, but once that problem was solved, I knew I would be making many more loaves of this fiesta bread.
Because of the chile, this Hatch chile fiesta bread is more moist than most yeast breads and less dense; however, the flavor is awesome and it is the best bread ever for a grilled cheese turkey sandwich. It also makes a tasty egg in a basket breakfast as well as a breakfast egg sandwich. If you include hot chile in the mix, you get a nice spicy kick with every bite. To provide this spicy kick I used some of the hot Sandia chile I got from The Hatch Chile Store. as well as some of their medium Big Jim chile.
Hatch Chile Fiesta Bread
A spicy yeast bread made with Hatch red and green chile and cheese. The best bread for grilled cheese and turkey sandwiches you'll ever eat!
This bread requires two, 1 hour rises so you should allow 3 – 3.5 hours from start to finish. Because I live a mile high in elevation, I've included both high elevation temperatures and times as well as sea level temperatures and times.
"*" See Kitchen Notes for more information or links to special ingredients.
- 1 cup warm water, ~110°F
- 2 Tbsp. honey
- 2 ¼ tsp. active dry yeast
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- ½ cup chopped, roasted chile*
- 1 cup (~3.5 ounces) cheddar*, grated, loosely packed
- 160 grams (~1 cup) whole wheat flour
- 210-280 grams (1 ¾ – 2 cups) unbleached AP flour*
In a large bowl, combine the warm water and honey, stirring until honey is melted. Sprinkle the top of the liquid with the yeast. Set aside to allow the yeast to activate.
Squeeze the chile to remove excess liquid*. Dice the chile and grate the cheese.
By the time you finish with the chile and cheese, you should see that the yeast has activated and bubbles have formed on the surface. Stir in the salt and oil.
- Add the chile and cheese. Stir to incorporate all ingredients.
- Add the whole wheat flour and stir to combine.
Add 1 cup or about 160 grams of the AP flour. Stir to combine.
Dust a clean surface with some of the remaining AP flour. Dump the dough on the surface, sprinkle a dusting of flour on top and begin kneading the dough.
- Continue to knead and dust with additional flour until the dough become smooth and looses its stickiness. This should take about 10 minutes of kneading.
- Clean the large bowl and wipe the inside with a thin layer of oil. Transfer the dough to the bowl and roll around to lightly coat the dough with oil. Cover with a damp paper towel and set in a warm place to rise.
Let rise for about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
Spray a bread pan with cooking oil or, using a paper towel, lightly coat all sides and bottom of the bread pan.
Dust your kneading surface with a light dusting of flour and coat the back of your hand with flour. Using the floured hand, punch the dough down into the bowl.
Dump dough out onto the floured surface, sprinkle with a touch of flour, and knead for a minute or two.
Roll the dough into a log shape that fits inside the bread pan. Transfer to bread pan, set back in a warm place, cover with damp paper towel and allow to rise. (About an hour)
Once the dough starts to rise above the top of the bread pan, set oven to preheat to 400° F (@5000 ft. elevation) or 375° F (@sea level).
Once the bread has risen to about an inch above the edge of the bread pan, carefully transfer the bread pan to the oven.
For 5000 ft. elevation – Bake 10 min at 400° F, reduce to 375° F and bake for 15 minutes, reduce to 350° F and bake for another 15 minutes or until internal temperature is 190° F.
For Sea Level – Bake 10 min at 375° F and reduce to 350° F and bake for another 25 – 30 minutes or until internal temperature is 190° F.
Remove from oven, place on a cooling rack and let rest 15 minutes before removing from bread pan. Let cool another 10 – 15 minutes before you cut into it. It’s a very soft and moist bread, so the wait it hard, but necessary.
Hatch Chile – Because it’s a “fiesta” bread, I recommend both red and green chile if you have it. I use 1/4 cup medium green chile and 1/4 cup hot red Sandia chile from The Hatch Chile Store. An important step is to remove as much liquid as possible from the chile before adding it to the bowl. Too much liquid and you’ll have to add too much flour making a very doughy tasting bread.
A note about using frozen chile – Roasted chile has a lot of moisture; therefore, when you freeze it that moisture freezes and is released when the chile thaws. To make this bread work, it’s important to squeeze out a lot of the liquid. However, because it’s chile juice, save it, and add it to rice, soups, stews, or any dish that would benefit from a bit of chile flavor.
Cheese – Cheddar is my go to cheese for this bread. I’ve used both medium cheddar and sharp cheddar and really couldn’t taste much of a difference. For other flavors, you could use Monterey Jack or Queso Fresco.
Amount of flour – Because of the chile, this is a rather moist bread making it hard to state exactly how much flour you should use. For me, it normally takes almost 2 cups of the AP flour to get the stickiness out of the bread dough, creating a smooth texture. So be patience and just keep dusting with flour and kneading it in until you get a nice dough.
Suggested Uses – Grilled cheese sandwich with a slice of turkey, Albuquerque Turkey, Broiled cheese bread (with an egg on top, if desired), Egg in a Basket, bread for a Toas-Tite, side for soups or stews, and last but not least – toast and butter.
This Hatch Chile Fiesta Bread is a fun bread to make and even more enjoyable to eat. It puts a little gourmet into every sandwich. For more tasty bread ideas, check these out.
Again, I’d like to thank The Hatch Chile Store for taking the time to show me around and sending me home with some really tasty Hatch chile, some of which went into this bread. AND, if you are putting your holiday gift giving list together, don’t forget about your chile loving family and friends. You can always ship them frozen chile!
Parting Shots
One has to love the patience and creativity that goes into ristra making. This picture was taken in a shop in Hatch, NM. Lots of chile de arbol ristras along with sacks of dried Hatch red chile.
Pumpkin and red chile – the basic ingredients for a Red Chile Pumpkin Sauce and a Spicy Pumpkin Red Chile Soup.
Beautiful recipe! I made this last night and it turned out perfect. The only thing I tweaked was baking it with canned hatch chile (we unfortunately don’t get fresh ones out here) and a shallot sautéed in some butter with oregano and cumin before adding it to the dough. The texture of the bread was perfect – thank you for your tips on what temperature to use. It was a huge hit with my family, Will definitely make again and recommend to everyone! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Kritika, Thank you SO MUCH for your feedback! You’ve made my day. 🙂 I’m thrilled that it was a hit with you and your family. I know that my family likes it, so it’s great hearing that others do as well. Love the idea of the sautéed shallots and seasoning. Talk about creating a full depth of flavor. I’ll be trying your adjustments next time I make it, which should be soon. I’m picking up some fresh red and green chile next week to put up for the winter, and this bread is a perfect celebration of the process. 🙂 Thanks again for taking the time to provide your feedback! Cheers, MJ
In reading your intro to the recipe I saw something I’ve missed for years — “medium Big Jim chile”
Since I live in Central Texas now, I have to be satisfied with generic “Hatch chile” during the season, and only in mild or hot. When we would drive to Hatch to pick up our freshly roasted chiles, we would always buy medium Big Jim. I miss it so much. Just reading your words made my taste buds happy.
Thank you!!
Mary, Thank you so much for your comment! Glad to have made your taste buds happy. 🙂 Medium Big Jim has always been my favorite. I’m surprised you only get mild and hot in Texas. I guess there is such a demand for the medium here in NM, that they don’t ship much of it elsewhere.
You can make this bread with mild or hot, it’s just that medium is MY preference. The medium adds a little spiciness to every bite without setting your mouth on fire. 🙂 Hope to hear from you again!
Love the idea of this – and Happy New Year! Cheers
Thanks Carole!
I could eat a whole loaf of this bread, M.J.! And the photos of the chili at the end of the post are so vivid in color, just like the Southwest itself!
Thanks so much Roz!
What a gorgeous color on that fluffy bread, I would love a slice or two. 🙂
Thanks Adina!
Beautiful, MJ! What a gorgeous color and I bet the flavor is fabulous! You are such a great bread baker and this is such a lovely, unique recipe! 🙂
Thanks so much Anne! It does have a remarkable flavor and the color is so festive. 🙂
Amazing ….! your hatch chile..bread looks so soft and yummy, and i will make this like you. Thanks for sharing and keep shared your new ideas and delicious recipes….!
Thanks Debasis! I hope you get a chance to make this and maybe some of my other recipes. Please let me know if you do!
I love the last couple of images – the colours are so vibrant. And the bread looks really good too. It must have a wonderful flavour. Like you, I enjoy cooking with chillies xx
Thanks Charlie!
Love your parting shots! This is kind of place that you don’t want to be touching chilis and then rubbing your eyes.. LOL Also love the idea of a cheesy spicy loaf. Be great on a cheese board.
Thanks Bobbi! You got the not rubbing your eyes part right. Those yellow hots can be hotter than the regular chile we eat. 🙂
What a gorgeous loaf! Cheese and a little heat would make these slices wonderful to use for so many sandwiches!!
Thanks Liz! It does make a great sandwich bread!
I bet honey gives a delicious sweet note to this savory bread!
thanks Katernia! Yes the honey gives it a bit of sweetness but not too much and it’s quite complementary to the spicy chile.
Awesome parting shots! And yum on he bread. I have been eating a cheddar bread for breakfast this week. I can imagine a touch of roasted chile in there would bring it to the next level.
Thanks Evelyne! The chile takes cheese bread to a whole new dimension. 🙂
This is really a lovely loaf of bread and so flavorful.
Thanks Amy!
Hi MJ! I’ve held this in my inbox for days planning to get to your blog to check it out… Life gets in the way sometimes! This looks so amazing! I finally have a few pounds of chile in my freezer, and I’d love to make it. I wish my bread eater kids could come help. You know bread is such a temptation! Kudos on the recipe. Moisture content is half the battle with bread!
Thanks Tamara! Yep, that moisture content is a tricky thing. The first loaf I made with this was so moist that it was hard to cut without the pieces breaking in half. Once that was solved, the slices come out quite nicely.
Such a beautiful bake ! I love the use of roasted chile in it..
Thanks Darlin!
Even your bread has chillies! I love this idea
yes, Raymund…even my bread has chile. 🙂 Thanks!
It’s such a fantastic idea! I often prepare a French savoury “cake” (very practical whenever I have a party or friends for drinks) which could be called bread, changing boring ingredients such as dried tomatoes, olives, feta cheese… but now you have made me realise I could do it with grilled chile!!
It also looks so beautiful and perfectly shape, I almost smell the mixture of freshly baked bread and grilled chile…. I wonder what gives it this beautiful yellow colour…
I think I will never forget the shop’s photograph; I already see myself as a NM tourist: I would probably run out of it, buy an additional check-in luggage and buy as much chile as I could fit into it!
Oh Sissi…you’re the best! Thanks! There is nothing boring about dried tomatoes, olives and feta! A local bakery does an olive bread that is out of this world!
The color of the bread, I believe comes from the cheddar cheese as well as the red chile. The cheese is subtle, but it’s there and adds some depth to every bite. For lunch today we had a cup of green chile stew and then split a grilled cheese turkey made with this bread. So Good!!! And yes – you would have to purchase one of those steamer trunks because I would load you up with SO MUCH chile and NM products. 🙂
Am I in Heaven ? My salivary glands work overtime now 🙂 Will do this week end since some guests arrive tomorrow and luckily they all are into spicy food. Will let you know about new admirers. Thank you dear MJ.
Thanks!!! I certainly hope you and your guests enjoy it! Looking forward to your feedback!
Made one loaf; replaced cheddar with tofu since some vegans announced to come. They had it with spicy spreads and the rest of us had it with thick chicken soup. Definitely a keeper ! New admirers you have 🙂 Thank you !
Thank you SO MUCH for the feedback!!!! So glad you and your guests liked it. Serving it with spicy spreads sounds yummy. The tofu was an interesting choice. I would never have thought of that, but what a great idea!
That is my kind of bread! The cheddar and that chile hit…LOVE it!
Thanks so much!
I must try making this bread as soon as I can. All of my chiles are in the freezer so I appreciate the warning about the moisture. Also, I clicked on the link for the red chile pumpkin sauce. That’s also a must try!
Thanks Lea Ann! The moisture in the chile is the main challenge with this bread. The first time I made it, it had so much moisture than it collapse and was almost impossible to cut. But the flavor pushed me to try, try again. It’s so good. I hope you enjoy!
I am also a bread maker, especially for our morning toast. This vibrant loaf would be fabulous on a cold autumn morning.
Thanks Deb! I had a slice of it for my breakfast this morning with a touch of butter. 🙂
What a gorgeous loaf. So much flavor and deliciousness going on here (and is it ever pretty too! that color…). Although I don’t eat much in the way of bread anymore, nothing is fully off my list 😉 and like you, I sure appreciate a good one. My boys (that includes my husband) would adore this and I’m also revisiting your spicy pumpkin red chile soup with heart eyes… tis the season! How cool are those dried hatch chiles?
Thanks Kelly! Even though I’m not a fan of cold weather, I do love that it allows me to be able to bake bread. I’ve already made several loaves and it’d not even cold yet. Oh I hope you do make that spicy pumping red chile soup. I bought a pumpkin today and I’ll be making it this weekend and then serving it with a grilled cheese on fiesta bread. 🙂
Wow MJ, your fiesta bread looks and sounds so delicious! I can imagine so many things to make with this bread from sandwiches, to croutons, or toast alongside breakfast. Wonderful recipe!!
Thanks so much Jan! It does have a lot of possibilities!
Oh my, this would be awesome for grilled cheese or anything really … I have got to add this to my sprouted wheat burger buns! Brilliant recipe, MJ. Can’t wait!
You bet cha! The grilled cheese is my favorite. Thanks Judy!
That’s a beautiful loaf, MJ. Nothing beats the homemade bread and the use of cheese and fiesta chile must have given this bread some extra flavours and aroma.
Thanks so much Angie! I love making bread just for how it makes the house smells. So good!
This bead sounds perfect! I so love New Mexico in the fall. It has been a long time since we were there and we need to remedy that! Thanks for your photos. I do miss the fresh ristras!
This bread sounds so good and especially with a grilled cheese and turkey sandwich. I wonder – have you ever tried making this in a cast iron dutch oven? I may try that. The flavor of this bread must be sensational!
I think I can already smell this baking! I am making this on the weekend!
Thank you for all your chile recipes.
Wishes for tasty dishes,
Linda
Oh it does smell good while it’s baking! Hope you enjoy! Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks!
Looks like a very tasty bread.
Thanks Darlin!
Great bread! This must have wonderful flavor. I’m not sure if it’d work, but it might be fun to make French Toast out of this. 🙂
Thanks John! It does have a wonderful flavor! French bread would only work if you were to pour the egg when you put the bread on the griddle. The bread is so soft, that it would probably fall apart. However, the flavor would be awesome!
We just got back from a sublime vacation in your enchanted state (brought home ristras and green chili powder). I am so going to tackle this bread this weekend!!
I’m sure glad you had a good time here! Did you get to Santa Fe to see the Chinese Quilt exhibit? It’s awesome! Figured you stocked up on chile. 🙂 Hope you enjoy the bread. Let me know if you have questions.