Cheddar Sriracha Swirl Bread

Because I live with boys there is never, ever a lack of sriracha in our house.  In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to open the fridge right now and find at least five other types of hot sauce.  So, when I saw this recipe on The Curvy Carrot, I immediately knew I would be making it the next weekend.

Instead of using Shanon’s recipe for the white bread I used my own trusted recipe from King Arthur.  It’s my favorite recipe for white bread.  Admittedly, I’ve never tried any other recipe for white bread.  But I don’t feel like I really need to, the King Arthur bread is that good.

The blend of sriracha and cheddar in this bread is brilliant.  It is a spicy bread but not too spicy.  I’m sure it would be delicious on a sandwich and I’d love to try it like that if there’s any bread left tomorrow.  So far, all we’ve done is toast it with butter and it is so good.  This is definitely an easier recipe than the cinnamon raisin bagels so if you’re waiting for a good yeast bread to try, this would be a good one.  Make it.  Your friends will be impressed.

Cheddar Sriracha Swirl Bread
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Yield: 1 loaf, 16 slices

Ingredients

for the white bread:
3 cups (12 3/4 oz) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 Tablespoons (1 1/4 oz) sugar
4 Tablespoons (2 oz) butter
1/4 cup (1 1/4 oz) nonfat dry milk
1/4 cup (1 1/4 oz) potato flour, or 1/3 cup (3/4 oz) potato flakes
1 1/8 cups (9 oz) lukewarm water

for the cheddar sriracha swirl:
1/4 cup sriracha sauce
1 cup cheddar, grated

Directions:

For the dough: Combine all the bread ingredients and mix and knead them together – by hand, mixer (I use my kitchen aid, paddle attachment), or bread machine – until you’ve made a soft, smooth dough.  If using a stand mixer, remove the paddle attachment once the dough comes together and add the dough hook.  Knead the dough with the paddle attachment until it forms a soft, smooth dough that pulls away from the edges of the bowl when it turns.  Add more flour or water as necessary.  Remove the ball of dough from the mixer.  Place it in a greased bowl (I spray a bowl with olive oil).  Cover and let rise for 1 hour, until it’s puffy.

To assemble: Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface and shape it into a long, narrow rectangle, about 16×8 inches.  Brush the dough with the sriracha sauce (I used a pastry brush).  Sprinkle the cheddar evenly over the dough.  Beginning with a short edge, roll the dough into a log.  Pinch the side seam and ends closed and place the log in a lightly greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan.

Cover the pan with lightly greased plastic wrap and let the bread rise for about 1 hour at room temperature, or until it’s crowned about 1 inch over the rim of the pan.

To bake: About half-way through the second rise, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  Bake the bread for 35-40 minutes, until it’s golden.  Watch the bread carefully.  You may want to tent it with foil for the last 15 minutes if the top seems to be browning to quickly.  Remove the loaf from the oven, take it out of the pan, and place it on a wire rack to cool completely.  After 15 minutes, brush it with butter, if desired; this will give it a soft crust.

Source: White Bread 101 adapted from The King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion, Cheddar Sriracha Swirl from The Curvy Carrot