Jalapeño Cheddar Knots

I love a good savoury jalapeño cheddar loaf during the cold winter months, so I decided to turn my recipe into super pretty dinner rolls!

It looks so fancy doing these as knots, but it is actually very easy to make. Why not get the “wow factor” with just a minute or two of extra effort?

I have a bread maker and use it quite a bit; some of my recipes I will do by hand, but this one I just pop into the bread maker on the “dough” setting and it kneads and rises until the dough is ready for me to roll out and finish.

And NO! I am not going to give you some big, long story before getting down to the nitty gritty of h0w to make this recipe (YOU’RE WELCOME! haha)

First, add all the ingredients to your bread maker. Start with the lukewarm water, then salt, butter (or oil works if you don’t have butter), powdered milk, flour, and then the yeast.

Then, add the diced jalapeños and cayenne powder on top. I typically use pickled jalapeños because I almost always have them on hand, but fresh jalapeños work too!

Now hit that dough setting and carry on with your day! Mine runs for about an hour and a half before the dough is ready to be rolled out and cut.

If you are in the middle of something and the dough sits a bit after the bread maker beeps (signalling it is ready), that’s fine. Just make sure it doesn’t sit sooo long that it gets dried out or falls. This means you have 30-60 minutes grace period.

When your dough is ready, roll it out on a floured surface so it is long and wide, as pictured below.

Next, drizzle some melted butter over the bottom two-thirds of the dough and spread it so you have an even coating.

Then, sprinkle your shredded cheddar cheese over that same area. You can add more or less cheese, depending on your taste, but keep in mind that if you add too much it will melt out and make a mess in the bottom of your oven!

After you’ve added the cheese, fold the dough over by one third and then one more time (as pictured below).

Gently press the roll so it sticks together well.

Now you are ready to start on the fun part!

Find the middle of the roll and cut it in half (I typically just fold it in half to find the middle, but some people actually get out a ruler to measure). Then cut each of the sides in half again, then cut each section into three pieces.

This will give you 12 sections total, which is a perfect dozen to fit in your muffin tins!

Optional: before cutting into sections, you can trim the ends so all your sections will have even sides and filling. I hate wasting, so I don’t trim the ends.

Once you have 12 sections, make two slices in each section, leaving just a little dough connecting it at the top (pictured below). This will give you three strands of dough to braid.

Do a simple braid, as pictured below.

Then, tuck the ends underneath the jalapeño cheddar knot into a muffin tin that has been brushed with oil (or better yet, butter!)

They should look like the examples in the photo below.

Once you have repeated this step with all 12 sections, cover the jalapeño cheddar knots with a damp tea towel and allow them to rise in a warm location for about an hour.

Once your knots have risen, pre-heat the oven to 480°

Place the jalapeño cheddar knots in the oven and immediately turn it down to 450° – this method may sound odd, but it gives the perfect golden finish with a nicely baked (and fluffy) inside.

Bake for 13-15 minutes, depending on how golden you would like the knots to be.

Optional: before baking, you can brush your jalapeño cheddar knots with butter or egg wash to change the final look. I did not do this for the photos included and it is just a matter of personal preference.

You can also brush the knots with melted butter after they have finished baking for an extra soft, delicious finish. Once again, I did not do this in the example photos and it is a matter of personal preference and if you want to spend a little extra effort doing this.

Allow the jalapeño cheddar knots to cool just enough that they won’t burn you before you dig in! Haha

One of my favourite parts of making the jalapeño cheddar knots like this versus a traditional dinner roll is #1 – they look so pretty and #2 – they pull apart in tender little pieces that are fun to eat.

For the extra couple steps it takes to braid these, I feel like it elevates the look of a simple, homemade dinner roll to a high-end, luxurious experience. So why not?? (or should I say “KNOT?” lol)

I hope you have enjoyed my recipe! If you did, please be sure to share it with your friends and leave a comment below with a photo of how yours turned out!

Ingredients

• 1 cup lukewarm water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons butter (room temperature)
• 1/4 cup powdered milk
• 1/4 cup diced jalapeños (fresh or pickled)
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder (OPTIONAL)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
• 3 Tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in your bread maker with the paddle facing upward.
2. Select “dough” setting and start.
3. Once the dough cycle has finished, roll the dough out on a floured surface into a long, wide strip as pictured above.
4. Next, brush the dough with melted butter.
5. Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese over the bottom 2/3 of the long portion of the dough (refer to picture above, if needed).
6. Then, fold the dough over into thirds, longwise (refer to picture above, if needed).
7. Cut into 12 strips, then slice each piece twice, leaving a small amount at the top of each piece to connect them (refer to picture above, if needed)
8. Do a simple braid for each piece, then tuck the ends underneath and place in a greased or buttered muffin tin.
9. Allow to rise for 1 hour in a warm location, covered with a damp tea towel.
10. Pre-heat oven to 480º
11. Place muffin tin in the oven and immediately turn the oven down to 450º
12. Bake for 13-15 minutes (depending on the desired goldenness).
13. Remove muffin tins from oven and place on cooling rack; cover with a tea towel and allow to cool.

Optional Finishing Touches

• Brush the Jalapeño cheddar knots with egg wash prior to baking
• Brush with melted butter after removing from the oven

Serves 12

… The End… And they lived happily ever after. 😉

If you like short, to-the-point recipes, check out my other posts!