Cheddar Jalapeño Oatmeal Bread

This oatmeal bread wins the award for best toast. It’s a hearty oat-flecked loaf with a buttermilk base studded generously with melty cubes of cheddar cheese and punctuated with thin slices of jalapeño pepper. Where the cheese touches the pan it turns to golden-crispy perfection.

Cheddar Jalapeño Oatmeal Bread

A good oatmeal bread is one of my favorite bakery items. When living in San Francisco, I would make my way to the Ferry Building Farmers’ Market most Saturday mornings. One of the things I would pick up is a loaf of oatmeal bread from Marla Bakery. I started baking my own oatmeal breads after moving to Southern California a few years back and I thought I’d share my favorite today. It’s a hearty, oat-flecked loaf with a buttermilk base studded generously with melty cubes of cheddar cheese and punctuated with thin slices of jalapeño pepper. Where the cheese touches the pan it turns to golden-crispy perfection. There’s an argument to be made that a thick slab of this bread makes the best toast in the world.
Slices of Cheddar Jalapeño Oatmeal Bread with Butter

Cheddar Jalapeño Oatmeal Bread: Ingredients

Let’s talk through the ingredients in this oatmeal bread. 

  • Old-fashioned Oats: Skip the instant oats, you want a more substantial flake here. 
  • Active Dry Yeast: I use this type of yeast for my non-sourdough bread recipes because, quite honestly, it’s the easiest yeast to find in most stores here in California.
  • Buttermilk: Mentioned down below, buttermilk is my go-to liquid for this bread if I have it on hand. I love the flavor of buttermilk. That said, milk and water work wonderfully as well, just use whatever you’ve got. One thing to note, if you heat buttermilk too aggressively, or too hot, it might break and curdle. It’s not the end of the world, and you can simply proceed with the recipe once you’ve cooled to the desired temperature, but if you heat gently, this can be avoided.
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Your olive oil doesn’t have to be special, it should just be good tasting. Whatever you use for sautéing. That said, for fun you might experiment with using a lemon olive oil, or basil or herbed oil for an alternative flavor profile and added dimension. 
  • Honey: This oatmeal bread uses a kiss of sweetness to round out the cheesy spiciness of the cheddar and pepper. My main advice here is that a good tasting runny honey is easiest to work with.
  • Unbleached All-purpose Flour: You have a ratio of one cup of oats to 3 cups of flour here. The amount of oats really delivers a wonderful element of whole-grain heartiness and flavor. I’d recommend giving the recipe a go as written. At that point, if you want to add some whole wheat flour in place of the all-purpose flour you absolutely should! I recommend swapping in 1/2 cup or 1 cup to start, make note of how you think it turns out, and adapt your next loaf from there. 
  • Jalapeño peppers: You want to actually taste the peppers here and I find that using two chunky mediums is just about perfect. You can tweak to your comfort level of course. Go ahead and leave the seeds and veins in the peppers.
    Loaf of Cheddar Jalapeño Oatmeal Bread on Counter

How to Make Oatmeal Bread

Proof the yeast. This is to be sure your yeast is working. If it isn’t your bread isn’t going to rise. If you have end up with an inactive packet of yeast, no big deal, simply start the proofing process over.
Ingredients to make Cheddar Jalapeño Oatmeal Bread on Marble Counter
Make your bread dough. This is the step where you combine your proofed yeast liquid with the remaining ingredients. I use one large mixing bowl from the start of the bread making process to the finish. One thing to keep in mind, this dough it is a little tricky to read because of all the chunks. Keep kneading  until the space between cheese cubes is smooth-ish and elastic. Also, pro-tip - you can simply wipe your mixing bowl out in between steps and use it for the initial rise as well.
Oatmeal Bread Ingredients Combined in Bowl
Let the bread dough rise. This is the initial rise and the key here is making sure your bread is cozy. If my oven has been on, I place the bowl on top of it. Or find a sunny spot. My dad has a proofing oven, and that is a dream. You can approximate one by heating your oven on low for a few minutes, turning it off, and then placing your dough in there to rise.
Cheddar Jalapeño Oatmeal Bread Dough Rising in a Covered Bowl
Shaping the loaf and the second rise. My main advice here is to continue to be nice to your bread dough. Gently handle. Press softly to deflate along the surface of the dough. Be nice shaping the dough, no ripping or pulling. Keep in mind you don’t want it pancake flat before shaping. I do a bit of a burrito roll to shape this dough - roll along the length tucking in the ends a bit. Place into the pan seam-side down.
Oatmeal Bread Dough in Metal Loaf Pan
Top with oats and bake. I like to top my breads with a little bit of whatever is inside (when appropriate). In this case the cheese cubes melt and ooze, crisp and color. They break through the surface on the top of the loaf, so I don’t feel compelled to add more. Green streaks of jalapeño are also visible, so we’re all good on that front. To add oats on top, brush the top of your oatmeal bread with a bit of well-beaten egg white, and then generously sprinkle with rolled oats before placing in the oven to bake.

Cheddar Jalapeño Oatmeal Bread

How to Store

Oatmeal bread isn’t going to keep as long as, say, sourdough, but this cheddar version keeps nicely for 4-5 days. If you bake a version without the cheese it tends to get a bit dry after day 2. Toasting remedies this and extends the load another day or so beyond.

To Store: Once your oatmeal bread has cooled completely, store it in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days. The cheddar jalapeño oatmeal bread stays incredibly moist, the less decadent versions a bit less so. 

Oatmeal Bread Variations

  • Whole Grain Oatmeal Bread: Boost the percentage of whole grain flour. This is already a relatively hearty bread because of the amount of oats in the dough. You can make it even more hearty and wholesome by swapping out some of the all-purpose flour for a whole grain flour - start with 1 cup. Or take baby steps and start with 1/2 cup.
  • Saffron Honey Oatmeal Bread: You can take this loaf in an entirely different direction! Skip the cheese and jalapeño. Dilute a pinch of saffron in 2 teaspoons of almond extract and then stir this mixture into the 1 tablespoon of honey left after proofing. Combine some almond slices with the rolled oats added to the top of the loaf prior to baking.
  • Vegan / Dairy-free Oatmeal Bread: Skip the cheese, use water instead of buttermilk or milk, and skip the egg wash topping prior to baking.

Slices of Cheddar Jalapeño Oatmeal Bread with Butter

My Favorite Ways to Enjoy this Bread

  • Keeping it simple: toasted with a smear of salted butter and sprinkling of nutritional yeast.
  • Had a slice with this carrot soup and simple salad for a perfect lunch.
  • Go the panini route, this bread loves to be toasted, use it in a panini TLT.
  • The cheddar jalapeño combo make this the perfect match for a breakfast sandwich - put an egg on it!

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Cheddar Jalapeño Oatmeal Bread

4.36 from 28 votes

I like to use buttermilk for this bread if I have it on hand, for the flavor. Milk and water work wonderfully as well, just use whatever you’ve got.

Ingredients
  • 1 cup + 2 T. (270 ml) warm buttermilk, warm water, or warm milk (115F)
  • 2 1/4 teaspoon (one packet) active dry yeast
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 cup / 100 g old-fashioned oats, plus more for topping
  • 3 cups / 375 g all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup / 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
  • 6 ounces cheddar cheese, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
  • 2 medium-large jalapeño peppers, sliced very thinly
  • 1 egg white, well beaten
Instructions
  1. Oil a 1 lb. loaf pan (~9x5-inches) and set aside.

  2. To make sure your yeast is active, proof it in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together the warm buttermilk and 1 tablespoon of the honey, sprinkle with the yeast and stir to combine. Allow to sit and wait 5-10 minutes, until the mixture gets foamy and creamy.
  3. Add the remaining honey, the oats, all-purpose flour, and olive oil to the bowl and stir to combine. Sprinkle with the salt, cheese, and jalapeño, and stir just until a cohesive dough starts to come together. Allow to sit for 10 minutes so the oats and flour can absorb some the liquid.

  4. Turn out onto a counter and knead the dough for a few minutes, until it becomes more elastic and stretchy. It’s ok if the peppers are getting crunched up, or if the cheese cubes keep popping out. Just work them back in. If you need extra flour at this point, or extra liquid, add just a bit at a time until you have a dough that might be a bit tacky, but not sticky. I usually knead this dough for 6-7 minutes. Form the dough into a ball.

  5. Place the dough into an lightly-oiled mixing bowl, cover with a clean dish towel and let sit in a cozy place until it has risen. This dough won’t quite double in size, aim for 1 1/2 times. It typically takes 60 minutes or so.

  6. To shape the loaves, gently transfer the dough to your countertop. Softly deflate the dough with open palms, pressing into a rectangular-ish form. Roll the dough into a log slightly smaller than your pan and transfer it in, seam side down. For this second rise, cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise for another 45-minutes to an hour. You're aiming to have the dough fill out the pan.

  7. Just before baking gently brush the top of the loaf with the egg white and sprinkle generously with more oats. Bake at 350F, with rack in the middle, for 35-45 minutes. Or until the bread is golden and the internal temperature of the bread reaches ~195F.

  8. Turn out onto a cooling rack as soon as possible to prevent sogginess. You might need to carefully run a knife around the edge of the pan to release the loaf. Allow to cool. Store completely cooled bread in an air-tight container for 4-5 days. Remember this makes amazing toast - slice thick!

Notes

Makes one loaf.

Serves
12
Prep Time
2 hrs
Cook Time
40 mins
Total Time
4 hrs 40 mins
 
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4.36 from 28 votes (19 ratings without comment)
Recipe Rating




Comments

Mmmm I loved this bread! I subbed 1/3 whole wheat flour for all-purpose and it turned out great. Maybe a little more dense than it would’ve been otherwise. Definitely will make this again.5 stars

hmamsden

Also, I want to know how Courtney converted this to sourdough, as it’s my preferred bread. Please share Courtney!!5 stars

Jana

Heidi, I made this Friday and it’s almost gone. I’m going to make another one as soon as I get more oats. It’s unbelievably delicious but I really had trouble getting it to rise. I wrapped the bowl in a towel and set it in front of my propane heater because it’s freezing in my house. Both bowl and dough were warmy-pie but it took 3 1/2 hours to rise. Is it because I used instant yeast? It’s brand new and it was in the fridge. I used warm water and dehydrated buttermilk powder as I don’t have any buttermilk but it tasted fabulous. AnywY this is a keeper and I’m making another batch ASAP!! Yum to the 10millionth degree.5 stars

Jana

I converted this to sourdough with great success. Beautiful crumb, tall and lofty. This is a very special loaf! Absolutely adding it to our regular rotation. Thank you <35 stars

Courtney

    I love reading this Courtney!

    Heidi Swanson

This bread was amazing. The taste was rich and flavorful. Thank you, Heidi!

My loaf was a bit crumbly — is that common for this loaf? Maybe I used too much sugar?5 stars

Daisy Schoen

Can you recommend an old fashioned oat brand and would I find it in the baking section with the flour, or in the cereal section. I’ve never bought oats before. Thank you.

Laurel

    Hi Laurel – King Arthur brand seems to be widely available. I think you can also find old-fashioned oats at Trader Joes.

    Heidi Swanson

Hi Heidi- I am brand new to baking bread and my loaf came out tasty but dense. I suspect I kneaded the dough too hard on the first knead. What do you think I might do to make the texture lighter?5 stars

May T

    Hi May! My first guess would be that there might have been a problem with your yeast. I’d give it a go again and be sure the yeast proofs. Alternately you could make it with instant dry yeast (try 2 teaspoons) – I increasingly use it and skip the whole proofing step…

    Heidi Swanson

Can you make this in a bread machine?

Anita

    Hi Anita – I haven’t tested it in a bread machine, but I suspect it could be adapted.

    Heidi Swanson

Made it. Loved it. Quickly devoured by my family. Will make a larger batch in the future.5 stars

cristen

Just made this for the first time and I really like it, but I’m curious about two things:

First, could I add more cheese and jalapeño without ruining the loaf? How much more do you think it would take?

Second, if I wanted to add a little sour flavor, cold I add all ingredients except cheese and jalapeños and let it sit out for a day or two, then add before kneading? I love sourdough but am not ready to take the plunge into full starter land yet.4 stars

Madison

It was a long time since I made bread, but this one was wonderful in all ways. Delicious, beautiful, and easy. Great bacon lettuce avocado sandwiches. (Could use veggie bacon.) Baked in a metal planter box when I couldn’t find my loaf pan.5 stars

Theano

    Love it! And way to improvise Theano.

    Heidi Swanson

How crucial is the 195 internal temp? Mine’s been in for 45 min now and not getting a reading that high with my digital thermapen. Top is medium golden brown. Don’t want to over or underbake!

GM

    Hi GM – How high was the readout when you wrote in? There are a couple strategies to deploy if your bread is getting too dark yet the interior isn’t fully baked. First, let’s say you’re hitting 190F and the top looks beautiful, I’d take it out of the oven. Close enough. But if you really need more time in the oven, you might need to drop to a lower level (and use that level the next time you bake this bread), it often depends on the oven. Lastly, you can protect the top of the bread from getting too brown by draping foil over the top of the pan while the bread finishes baking.

    Heidi Swanson

Hi Heidi! Could bread flour be used in place of all purpose flour?

Carly

    Hi Carly – yep! You should be fine.

    Heidi Swanson

Is it possible to make this with another kind of cheese, like feta?

laurajeanorama

    Yes – feta is amazing in it. Cut the cubes a bit smaller though – it’s so strong.

    Heidi Swanson

Great recipe, as usual. Have you subbed in oat flour?

Stacey

    Hi Stacey – I haven’t tested that. Let me know if you give it a go – I would definitely keep the rolled oats and then swap in some oat flour for the apf as a first try…

    Heidi Swanson

Looks yum but I don’t have jalapeños. Any substitutes or just leave it out? Also instead of kneading can I just use the dough hook on the mixer?

Sarah

    Hi Sarah – yes to both!

    Heidi Swanson

So sorry to be this person, but I couldn’t find this info – what size pan does this use, 9″x5″ or 8″x4″? It looks amazing and is on my grocery list for next week. Thank you!

christina

    Hi Christina – I use a 1 lb. loaf pan – roughly 9×5-inches. Enjoy!

    Heidi Swanson

Did I miss it, don’t see oven temperature?

Mark

    Hi Mark – it’s 350F. Thanks!

    Heidi Swanson

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