Jalapeño Cheddar Cottage Cheese Pull-Apart Bread

Bydocshop

This may be my new favorite appetizer of all time! I took our high-protein dough and turned it into the most epic jalapeño cheddar cottage cheese pull-apart bread. It’s cheesy, spicy, and perfectly chewy. Make this for your next game day get together and your friends will be requesting it over and over again like mine are!

A loaf of savory bread with visible cheese and jalapeño slices rests on parchment paper, with a box of Land O Lakes butter in the background.
  • Amazing flavor: Jalapeños and cheddar cheese were made to be together. I love that this bread is perfectly cheesy, and a little bit spicy.
  • Protein-packed: 21g of protein per serving to be exact!
  • Perfect for game day: My friends straight up REQUEST this recipe for every game day get together.

Ingredients You Need

  • Blended cottage cheese: This not only amps up the protein in this pull-apart bread, it adds amazing moisture and flavor. Make sure you use at least 2% fat cottage cheese because low fat or fat-free cottage cheese contains too much water.
  • All-purpose flour: AP flour is the base of this pull-apart bread dough. It helps create the perfect crispy and chewy dough when baked. I have not tested this recipe (yet) with gluten-free AP flour or almond flour. Let me know in the comments if you try it!
  • Baking powder: Because this dough doesn’t have any yeast, it needs baking powder as a leavening agent. Don’t skip it!
  • Jalapeños: You’ll need to mince the jalapeños and remove the seeds if you’re sensitive to spice. Feel free to add more sliced jalapeños to the top of the bread before you bake it. It looks really pretty!
  • Cheddar cheese cubes: I used these cheese cubes, but if you want to use a block of cheese instead, just make sure you slice it into 1/2 inch cubes.
  • Melted butter: You’ll toss the dough balls in melted butter before assembling in the loaf pan. This not only adds great flavor, it helps the bread easily pull apart after baking.
A mixing bowl containing flour, yogurt, and chopped green peppers being stirred with a white spatula.
A person in a denim shirt cuts a roll of dough into pieces on a floured surface in a kitchen.
Small rounds of raw dough topped with cubes of cheese are arranged on a lightly floured surface, ready to be baked or cooked.
Close-up of unbaked dough balls in a pan, topped with sliced jalapeños and cubes of cheddar and pepper jack cheese.

How to Make Pull-Apart Bread

  1. Prepare the dough: Place the blended cottage cheese, flour, baking powder, sea salt, and jalapeños in a large bowl, and stir until combined. Then, using your hands, press together until a ball has formed. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface, and knead together until smooth.
  2. Make the pull-apart dough balls: Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces, and roll into a log about 6 inches long. Cut each log into 8 pieces, and place a cube of cheese in each piece and roll into a ball.
  3. Toss in butter: Place the dough balls into a large bowl and toss with melted butter. 
  4. Transfer the dough balls to the lined loaf pan and place extra cheese cubes between the dough balls on the top.
  5. Bake the pull-apart bread: Bake at 375℉ for 30 minutes covered and then uncover and bake for an additional 20-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the middle is cooked through. Remove from the oven and let the bread rest for 10 minutes before removing it from the loaf pan. 
  6. Drizzle the bread with honey and enjoy immediately.

Easy Substitutions

Reduce the spice: Love the flavor of jalapeños, but want to limit the spice? Make sure you remove the seeds before mincing the jalapeños.

Amp up the spice: Yes, girl! Leave the seeds in the jalapeños and add additional sliced jalapeños to the top of the bread before baking.

Serving Suggestions

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I love drizzling honey on the top of this bread before serving. It adds the perfect amount of sweetness that balances out the spicy jalapeños flavor.

Storage Suggestions

Store this pull-apart bread in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat either in the microwave or covered in the oven to get the cheese nice and melty.

Two hands pull apart a piece of baked bread topped with sliced jalapeños, with a package of butter visible in the background.

More Appetizers

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    Preheat the oven to 375℉. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.

  • Place the cottage cheese, flour, baking powder, sea salt, and jalapeños in a large bowl. Using a silicon or wooden spoon, stir until combined. Then, using your hands, press together until a ball has formed.

  • Transfer the dough to a floured work surface. Knead together until smooth. You may need to sprinkle more flour over the top so that it is not super sticky.

  • Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll into a log, about 6 inches long. Cut each log into 8 pieces. Place a cube of cheese in each piece and roll into a ball. Set aside.

  • Place the balls into a large bowl and toss with the melted butter.

  • Transfer the dough balls to the lined loaf pan and place extra cheese cubes between the dough balls on the top.

  • Bake for 30 minutes covered and then uncover and bake for an additional 20-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the middle is cooked through.

  • Remove from the oven and let the bread rest for 10 minutes before removing it from the loaf pan.

  • Drizzle the bread with honey and enjoy immediately.

  • Option to skip the honey drizzle and dip the buns in a little dish of honey.
  • If you would like a spicier bread, leave the seeds in the jalapeño.

Calories: 461 kcal, Carbohydrates: 36 g, Protein: 21 g, Fat: 26 g, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 2 g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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