Jalapeño & Peppadew Grilled Cheese

I really don’t make New Year’s resolutions, but I do keep a running list of things I’d like to do more, or in some cases, less.  One of my “do more” things was to bake more bread.  There are few foods I enjoy more than warm home-baked bread, and I have a couple of absolutely fool-proof recipes that I have used for a long time.  About the time I was baking two loaves of bread last week, Allen told me he had decided to cut back on carbs.  Hmmm…this should be interesting.  So, now I have almost two loaves of bread in the freezer ready for toast, grilled cheese or sandwiches.  If you have a food processor, you can make this bread with confidence.  It has been perfect each time I have made it.

White Bread

From Cuisinart

• 1 package yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 cup warm water (105°F to 108°F)
• 3 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 2/3 cup ice water

Stir yeast and sugar in warm water until dissolved.  Insert metal blade in food processor.  Put flour, butter and salt in work bowl and process for 20 seconds.  Combine yeast mixture with cold water.  Turn on food processor and pour yeast mixture through the feed tube in a steady stream only as fast as the flour absorbs it.  Continue processing until dough cleans inside of work bowl, then let machine run for 60 seconds to complete kneading.

Remove dough from work bowl and shape into smooth ball.  Place in lightly floured plastic storage bag.  Squeeze out air and close end with wire twist, allowing space for dough to rise.  (I use a zipper-lock bag.)  Let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.  Open bag and punch dough down in bag.  Shape into loaf and place into greased 5-cup loaf pan.  Cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rise in warm place until dough rises just above the top of the pan, about 3/4 hour.  Bake on center rack of preheated 375° oven for 35 to 40 minutes.  Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

Yancey’s Fancy knocked our socks off with their smoked gouda process cheese, and when we shared the smoked gouda pimento cheese recipe on a previous post, we promised some more Yancey’s Fancy goodness to come.  Enter jalapeño & peppadew cheese with a great combination of sweet & spicy.  I had heard of peppadew peppers, but didn’t know much about them, and had never tasted one until recently.  Peppadew peppers are apparently the first new fruit to be discovered since kiwis in the 1970’s.  The small red fruit looks like a cross between a small pepper and cherry tomato, and was found growing in the Eastern Cape of South Africa.  It occupies a “mild” position on the heat scale, and definitely has a hint of sweetness to it.  Yancey’s Fancy combined it with spicy jalapeños in creamy and delicious aged cheddar.  The pepper combo yields just the right amount of heat and it seemed pretty perfect for a grilled cheese upgrade.  Since I had plenty of homemade bread on hand, it was perfect timing.

Try lightly brushing the bread with a small bit of olive oil before buttering, and grill it at a lower temperature to allow the cheese to melt completely.  Yancey’s Fancy process cheese is made to melt smoothly and evenly, and my grilled cheese sandwich was simply awesome.  I’m glad I have plenty of homemade bread in the freezer to make more!