The other day I was craving this childhood favorite, but given how much pickled jalapeños cost here, I decided to do a more elegant take on the rustic loaves I grew up on. Jalapeño Cheddar Rolls are essentially a brioche-based cinnamon roll with the cheese and jalapeños substituted in for the cinnamon and sugar. Rolled up, sliced, and stuffed into a brownie pan, the dough erupts into towering rolls of buttery bread, layered with cheese and jalapeños. By rolling the dough fairly thin before you roll it, the cheese creates a kind of laminated dough, with layers of flaky buttery bread and cheese. To ensure I get a pocket of cheese in every roll, I add a bit of extra cheese in the center of the roll, which melts into a reservoir of gooey cheddar in the center. I figured these would turn out pretty good (I mean how can you go wrong by layering brioche with lots of cheese?), but to call these pretty good would be a bit like calling the sun warm, or Mr. T self-assured. If the insanely hunger-inducing aroma of baking bread, butter and caramelizing cheese aren’t enough to entice you while they bake, then you’ll certain to be sold when you pull one of the rolls apart from the rest, crackling as the crisp cheddar encrusted exterior gives way to a flaky, buttery interior, with swirls of melted cheese and peppered with slices of jalapeño. These are perfect by themselves as a snack, but they also make an insanely good accompaniment to a bowl of Chile Verde, Baked Beans, or Chicken Chili.
📖 Recipe
