Birthday Brunch - Shakshuka and Jalapeño Cheddar Bread

Okay, time for the main dish of Belghit’s Birthday  Brunch: Shakshuka and Jalapeño Cheddar Bread! 

I wanted to make something other than the usual frittata for the egg dish, and I didn’t want to have to make poached eggs for seven people.  After sifting through my thousands (yes, literally thousands) of recipes I have saved on Food Gawker for brunch egg dishes, I finally decided on shakshuka.  As you need some sort of toast with such a dish, I decided to make jalapeño cheddar bread.  It is one of my absolute favorites!  It’s super easy (no kneeling required!) and keeps really well.  I use my homemade pickled jalepenos, so it’s not too spicy if you’re sensitive to spice!

Shakshuka

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced (not pressed to keep the oil from spitting)
• 2 red bell peppers
• 2 - 28 oz cans of crushed or diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon harissa (optional)
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Kosher salt
• Ground black pepper
• 8 eggs
• 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• Fresh parsley to garnish
• Toasted bread for serving

1. Using a broiler, roast the red peppers until the skin is blackened.  After removing from the broiler, place into a plastic bag and seal, leaving it to cool.
2. Once the peppers are cooled, remove the skin from the peppers.  Seed and chop them.
3. Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium heat.  Sauté the onions until soft and carmelized, approximately 20 minutes.
4. Add the bell peppers and garlic, cooking until fragrant, about 1 minute.
5. Add the tomatoes, harissa, and spices, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.  Simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
6. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 375 F
7. Once the tomato sauce is thickened, transfer to a 9x13 pan.  Make eight indents, cracking the eggs into them.  Cover the pan with foil and bake for 20 - 25 minutes, until the whites are just set.
8. After removing from the oven and allowing to cool slightly, sprinkle the shakshuka with feta cheese and chopped parsley.  Serve hot with toasted bread.

Jalepeno Cheddar Bread

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting [I use AP]
• 2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 3 jalapeños: 2 seeded and chopped and one sliced into rings
• 1 tablespoon Kosher salt
• 2 cups warm water
• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

1. In a large bowl, combine the yeast and warm water, allowing to proof for 5 minutes or so.
2. In a separate medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, chopped jalapeños, and 2 cups of cheddar cheese.
3. Once the yeast mixture is foamy, add in the flour mixture.  Mix just to combine with a rubber spatula.  
4. Using the spatula, fold the dough from the edges in the bowl into the middle, turning the bowl as you go, for a total of 8 folds.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm, draft free spot for about one hour, or until doubled in volume.
5. Using the spatula, fold the dough for another 8 turns, then allow the dough to rest for another 30 minutes.
6. In the meantime, place a Dutch oven with its lid into an oven and preheat to 450 F.
7. After the dough rests, lightly flour a work surface and turn the dough out of the bowl.  Flip the dough, brushing off excess flour, and carefully fold the outer edges into the center 8 times, marking a ball.  Turn this seam to the bottom and place on a piece of parchment paper.
8. Brush the top of the dough with oil, then sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.  Using a sharp knife, scare the top of the dough into four quadrants.  Top with the sliced jalapeños.  
9. Remove the pre-heated Dutch oven from the oven and transfer the dough, with the parchment paper, into the pot.  Cover with the lid and return to the oven.  Bake for 30 minutes.
10. Remove the lid, and continue to bake the bread for an additional 20 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown.  As the cheese can make this difficult to determine, you can also use a thermometer to check that the renter of the bread has reached 200 F.
11. Using the parchment paper, carefully life the bread out of the Dutch oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.