Jalapeno Cheddar Burger Buns

in Bread, Burgers & Sliders, Cinco de Mayo, Mexican & TexMex

Jalapeno Cheddar Hamburger Buns

We baked up our share of popular dinner and sandwich rolls at my parents’ bakery but one menu item in particular had a small, cult-like following: golden brown loaves of Jalapeno Cheddar Bread.

It was your classic soft, fluffy white sandwich bread, but loaded with shredded sharp cheddar and fresh jalapenos. And they had to be fresh jalapenos. My dad would have it no other way. (To this day, my dad still eats every single dinner with a small plate of jalapeno slices served along side. He’s my hero.) Between the cheese and egg wash, the loaves would turn a deep golden brown – you’d probably guess that it was brioche or unbraided challah and not a Sunbeam-style white bread.

But a couple slices of that bread transformed an ordinary brisket sandwich into a serious Texas brisket sandwich that sent weekend barbeque guests into a frenzy. And substituting the bread for a hamburger bun can make any “plain” burger taste like a fancy, $12 burger-shack creation.

Jalapeno Cheddar Hamburger Buns

To recreate dad’s bread at home, I used my favorite go-to recipe for soft, fluffy white bread and then added a mountain of grated sharp cheddar and a pile of fresh jalapenos from our one pepper plant that survived the winter and is already cranking out peppers like crazy.

The cheese disappears into the baked bread, leaving the smell and flavor of cheddar behind. The peppers can make for either a “green” or spicy bite, depending on how hot they were.

We serve these buns on nights when we’re having “ordinary” burgers or doing something with a little Texas flair, like a Frito Pie burger or a Texican burger. As you can imagine, they don’t really pair well with a Greek or Italian-topped burger πŸ™‚

Jalapeno Cheddar Burger Buns

Sharp cheddar and fresh jalapenos transform an ordinary burger bun into a Texas specialty.

Ingredients

  • 1 package (2 1/4 tsp) yeast
  • 1 cup lukewarm water
  • 2 Tbsp oil (vegetable, canola, or olive) plus more for greasing bowl
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3 Tbsp sugar
  • 3 1/4 cups flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 6 oz sharp cheddar, shredded
  • 3 large jalapenos, seeded and chopped

Instructions

  1. Add warm water to the bowl of your mixer and sprinkle the yeast over top. Let sit 10 minutes, until frothy.
  2. Add the, oil, 1 egg, and sugar to the bowl.
  3. Add the flour, salt, cheese, and peppers and mix on medium-low speed with the hook until the dough holds together, about 2 minutes. The dough should clean the sides of the bowl. If not, add additional flour by the Tbsp.
  4. Increase speed to medium and knead the dough for 5 minutes.
  5. Transfer the dough to a large bowl that has been lightly greased with oil.
  6. Cover it with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1-1 1/2 hours.
  7. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
  8. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface.
  9. Divide the dough in half and each half into 4-6 pieces (depending on the size of your burgers, I typically get 8-9 buns per batch).
  10. Roll into rounds and flatten with the palm of your hand onto the baking sheet; placing buns about 1/2-1 inch apart.
  11. Cover with a damp towel and let them rise for 20 minutes + oven preheating time.
  12. Preheat oven to 350.
  13. Whisk the remaining egg with 1 Tbsp water.
  14. Brush the buns with the egg wash and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
  15. Store leftovers in a zip-top bag at room temperature. They freeze well, too.

Notes

Yields: 8-12 hamburger buns

Adapted from my dad and The Pastry Queen

Estimated time: 3 hours

71 comments… add one
  • These burgers look delicious. I like it a lot when burgers recipes change a bit from the ordinary. Creative recipe here.

  • These look (and sound!) amazing!

  • Love that it is burger season. Of course, it is probably always burger season in Texas.

    Why don’t your parents just give you the recipe for things like these?

    • It is nearly almost always burger season! I actually *do* have all of the old bakery recipes – in all their 15-loaf-yield glory, complete with my dads barely legible shorthand.

  • Holy yum, this looks amazing!!

  • Liz

    There are SO many reasons to love your blog but this recipe right here, just wraps it all up! Oh gosh, I cannot wait to make these. A thousand times thank you! πŸ˜‰

  • My favorite part is all of that cheese!! I need to try that.

  • Great minds think alike! I have cheddar jalapeno bagels in the oven right now! Love the flavor combination, and I love these buns. I’ll definitely have to give these a try.

  • That looks incredible. I’m salivating.

  • These look to die for! SO glad it is grilling season!

  • Dina

    Hi, will it be possible to provide the measurement of flour in grams? Thanks for sharing your recipe.

    • I subscribe to the “5oz per 1 cup” method. 3.25 cups = 16.25 oz = 461 grams. Good luck!

  • I’m thinking of black bean burger-ing these babies. it’s gonna be awesome.

  • Jalapeno and cheddar buns are a family favorite, now I must try making my own!

  • Wow, that is one fantastic looking bun (and burger)! The bread looks super fluffy, I am bookmarking this one in the hopes that burger season will arrive here one day πŸ™‚

  • YES! I cannot wait to make these for my family and serve them up with some nice cold Shiners. LOVE!

    • You should live closer, we’d get along awesomely. Can I send you the two listings for sale on my street πŸ˜‰

  • Jill

    How do you make a frito pie burger? Your buns sound amazing. Sorry, that sounded weird.

    • Ha! I put sliced fresh jalapeΓ±os, a small handful of Fritos, a spoonful of chili, some chopped white onion, and copious amounts of grated cheddar on a “plain” hamburger.

      • You need to blog that. It sounds amazing and I’d love something to “pin”!

        I’m thinking my hubby and I would love these, my kids probably not so much. How long do they stay fresh? Have you had luck freezing them?

        • They freeze great. I freeze them all the time, it makes too many for us to eat in the 2-3 days they stay fresh in a zipper bag on the counter.

  • I need these in my life! They sound and look incredible.

  • Liz

    Before I blow it, what are your thoughts on subbing half wheat flour?

    • Totally doable. You might use a tad less flour, reserve the last 1/2 cup or so and add it ~2 Tbsp at a time. You also might need a little extra time to achieve doubling status. Do you keep vital wheat gluten on hand? Usually when I sub wheat flour, I add 1 tsp per 1 cup of ww flour. Don’t go out and buy it specifically for this if you don’t already use it, but I do think it helps give the bread better spring and lift when it hits the heat of the oven.

      • Liz

        Awesome! And I do have vital wheat gluten on hand. I bought it last year to make the rosemary and black pepper rolls for Thanksgiving. Thrilled=me. πŸ˜‰

  • A reminder of what i can never have on the table!

  • Oh my word, I’m drooling over this! Looks delicious and can’t wait to try this recipe! πŸ™‚

  • Wow, I can honestly say I’m tempted to make this RIGHT NOW (late night food cravings). Great recipe and we’ll definitely have to try it out soon!

  • Debra Kapellakis

    OH MY! My mouth is watering! I can’t wait to try this. Thank you for sharing.

  • Wow This sound amazing! i never thought of adding cheddar cheese to the dough! Love cheddar cheese and i’ll try this very soon!

  • I have always loved your photos, but recently they have just been over the top. Magazine worthy for sure. This burger had me drooling on my keyboard. Keep up the great work!

  • Wow, I cannot wait to try these. I love the story/memory, and can totally see why a bread like that would have its followers!

  • Seriously. That is major. You are making me so hungry as wait for my Hubby to finish getting ready so we can go eat lunch. Jalapeno and cheddar is heavenly flavor combination. Combine it with fresh baked bread….salivating!

  • These look wonderful. I want to make a bunch for a BBQ, what do you think is the best way to freeze them? After I roll them into balls but before I bake them or already baked?

    thanks!

    • I usually freeze burger buns after I’ve baked them – just easier to get them out of the freezer and onto the table for dinner. They should do just fine if you freeze them after you’ve formed them into balls (I do this with dinner rolls a lot). You can set the frozen balls on a baking sheet, covered, for ~2.5-3 hours to thaw and rise.

  • Amy

    These look delicious! Is there a specific type of yeast to use? I’ve never tried making bread before so I’m a little foreign to the yeast world!

    • Thanks! I use dry active yeast. Red Star in the jar or Fleishmann’s in the packages.

  • I made these tonight, and they were absolutely amazing! Thanks for sharing the recipe!

  • Wow… what a way to seriously amp up a burger! These are definitely going to be on my mind come barbecuing season πŸ™‚

  • Kate Gates

    First, I love your recipes! I have been trying a few and everything is turning out beautifully. I do not have a stand mixer but do have a food processor with a plastic blade. I have used that to make my pizza dough which has turned out fine. Will that work for the bread recipes well?

  • These were awesome. I seriously drool when I think about these rolls and I daydream about things to make for dinner that would go with them, just so I can make them again. I made 1/2 with jalapeno and 1/2 without because of the kids. Everyone was so happy with them. I was surprised that the jalapeno wasn’t overwhelming, it didn’t remain hard, it was wonderful tasting and the aroma was incredible. I can not wait to make them again.

    • I’m so glad you’re a fan! They really are my favorite buns.

  • Renae

    Making these AGAIN tomorrow!! I’ve made them several times and everyone loves them. I’ve also made them into hotdog buns for our gourmet hot dogs and they are so good! Thanks for sharing such a great (and easy) recipe!

  • Candice

    I don’t have a stand mixer. Is there a way for me to make these without one?

    • Sure, just stir the ingredients when directed to use the mixer (the dough will be stiff) and then knead the dough by hand for 5-7 minutes until elastic. Might consider protecting your hands against the jalapenos with gloves, but other than that, it’s totally doable by hand.

  • heddt

    I just made these and they were delicious. I don’t have a mixer so they were made by the two best tools God gave me…my hands. When kneading them, I needed just a little extra olive oil. I served these with tex-mex sloppier joes!!!

  • Caitlin

    Did you use AP flour or bread flour? I’ve got both and I was just curious since you didn’t specify. Thanks!

  • lori johnson

    I’ve got mine rising. Made dough in bread maker, had to use alittle more flour to get texture right. Will let you know how it goes. Local burger joint makes these and will sell the buns for a dollar apiece. Ridiculous! They look just like these.

  • Just made these tonight! Thanks for sharing!

  • Looks good

  • Theresa

    These were amazing! I will never buy hamburger buns again! Thanks for sharing!

    • Pati

      Me either, Theresa !

  • Kay

    I made these a couple weeks ago for pulled pork sandwiches. They turned out good but tasted quite bland. What can be added to bring some flavor out. More sugar, more salt, etc? Went to a bbq restaurant that served alapeno cheddar buns that were moist like cake., any recommendations to achieve this?

  • Kim

    How can this be done in a bread machine? Any adjustments to the original recipe?

    • You shouldn’t have to adjust anything, possibly the order of wet/dry ingredients going into the machine (ie, no need to proof the yeast separately).

  • Kim

    Will be trying them out, thank you for sharing!!

  • Pati

    OMGOSH !!! These are most probably the BEST yeast rolls I have ever wrapped my lips around ! Made them the other day and my meat-loving husband said he didn’t even NEED supper, all he needed were these rolls…THAT, right there, is high praise, indeed, cos his excluding meat is unheard of ! LOL! Making them for Thanksgiving as well but leaving out the peppers…little ones don’t need it. Thanks again,tho ! AWESOME !

  • Karen

    I just took these buns out of the oven and they look and smell like the most amazing burger buns I have ever seen! I can’t wait to make these into frito pie burgers tonight. Thanks so much!

  • lonnie

    These are phenomenal. I shared the recipe with my mom. She loves them. We also mix it up by making rosemary parmesan buns with the same recipe just omitting the cheddar and jalapenos. Love love them. ?

  • abedabun dawn

    I made these tonight and they were great! The only thing I done differently was I made them smaller (roll size). And I used them to make sliders. Will definitely be making them again soon! Thank you so much for the recipe!

  • Aggie

    Excited to try this recipe this week. Recently moved from TX to CO any tips on baking these in a high altitude? Thanks!

  • I had pulled pork cooking away in the slowcooker and then realized I had some cheddar on hand as well as some jalapenos in the garden just begging to be used up. What’s a girl to do? Make your Jalapeno Cheddar Buns, of course! These turned out great and made for some amazing pulled pork, BBQ, and coleslaw sandwiches! I served them with some watermelon and homemade potato salad and it was a pretty epic Sunday meal. Thanks for the great bun recipe!

  • Elise

    These turned out so, so, SO good! I followed the recipe exactly. Mine took a little longer to rise but I live in humid Houston and it was a rainy old day. I tried just making 6 and they were as big as my head. Eight next time but there will DEFINITELY be a next time! Thank you!

    • Elise

      Also, can you tell me how to “follow” this blog? I’m on an iPad and can’t seem to figure it out. I am stalking you on Pinterest and Facebook though. Hahaha! Thanks again!

  • katelyn van zandt

    These look great! I am going to try them today! πŸ™‚ If I freeze them, how do I thaw and reheat for dinner?

    • Set the freezer bag on the counter and let them come to room temp (probably an hour or so) or use the defrost option on your microwave to speed things along.

  • BC

    Hey there,

    I made this today for the third time. It’s really delicious.. Just wanna add a comment. You said the dough should clean the sides of the bowl if not you should add by the tablespoon. I must say 3 1/4 cups are just not enough. I keep adding flour until it start separating from the bowl but the amount is not just one or two table spoons. It’s around 2 more cups of flour. So in total it should be 5 cups. Next time I make it again, I will measure precisely how much flour use and post it here πŸ˜‰

    Than you for the recipe!!!

  • Elise

    This dough is beautiful! It makes amazing hamburger buns but today I used it to make Kolaches. So, so good! I like to use 3/4 C water and 1/4 jalapeΓ±o juice. Thanks for the recipe! It is my go to!

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