New Mexicans are known for our addiction to chile. We find ways to integrate it into virtually every meal. We use it beyond traditional New Mexican cuisine. Chile Wine, Chile Chocolate, Green Chile Chicken Soup, Green Chile Fettucine Alfredo with blackened chicken, Green Chile Quiche, Green Chile and Bacon Omelettes, Green Chile Cheeseburgers, Huevos Rancheros, Green Chile Pizza, etc. I could go on, but I am already making myself hungry. The list of possibilities rivals Pvt. Benjamin Buford ‘Bubba’ Blue’s inventiveness with shrimp in the movie Forrest Gump.
For many New Mexicans, myself included, the smell, the taste, the mere mention of chile induces an immediate Pavlovian response. I have witnessed this on social media, where a bad cell phone video of green chile roasting has about a 90% chance of going viral if the audience is comprised of New Mexicans.
Red or Green?
“Red or Green?” is the official state question. Chile is like wine. Some people prefer red. Some people prefer green. Many don’t care about color, they simply prefer more chile. Responding “Christmas” means you want both.
Purists, like the owner of El Potrero’s Trading Post in Chimayo, are adamantly opposed to ordering “Christmas.” He says that eating red and green chile together cancels out the unique flavor of each, leaving only the heat on the palate. With an impressive variety of dried chile available at his store, including the prized Chimayo heirloom red chile, he demonstrated by having me taste them independently and together. He proved his point, but I feigned skepticism for the sake of sampling more. I was hungry and there’s always room for more chile.
Health Benefits of Chile
There are numerous possible explanations for the local obsession. The most obvious one is that chile tastes good whether used in sweet or savory dishes. However, there are additional benefits that shouldn’t be discounted. The heat of the chile causes the body to release Endorphins. Endorphins interact with the opiate receptors in the brain to reduce pain and alleviate stress.
Chile is also incredibly nutritious, with anti-bacterial, anti-carcinogenic, analgesic and anti-diabetic properties. Red and green chile are rich sources of vitamin C. Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant. It is essential for collagen synthesis. Collagen is one of the main structural proteins required for maintaining the integrity of blood vessels, skin, organs, and bones. ½ cup of chile, approximately 100 grams, provides about 240% of the recommended daily allowance for vitamin C, as well as 39% of vitamin B-6 (Pyridoxine), 32% of vitamin A, 13% of iron, 14% of copper, and 7% of potassium. Chile has also been found to reduce LDL cholesterol levels. It is like high octane fuel for your body.
I have written up several green chile recipes based on traditional New Mexican cuisine; however, there are so many ways to incorporate it into every meal. The following recipe for green chile cheese bread will spice up your sandwiches and take your toast to the next level.
Green Chile Cheese Bread
Servings: One Loaf
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
- salt to taste
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp butter
- A package of dry yeast
- 1 cup milk
- 1 ½ cups of chopped green chile (Drain the water if using canned chile. Dry with a paper towel if using fresh chopped.)
- A cup of shredded cheese, more or less based on preference (I like sharp cheddar.)
Directions
- Dissolve yeast in 1/8 cup of warm water. Add the milk, butter, salt and sugar. Stir until well blended.
- Add 1 ½ cups of flour to the mixture. Add the green chile and cheese. Stir until combined.
- Add remaining flour to make a soft dough. The dough will be a bit sticky. If it is too sticky to work with, add another tablespoon or so of flour. Place the dough in a greased bowl and allow it to rise for 1 ½ hours.
- Remove from bowl and shape into round loafs or put into loaf pans. Grease and flour the pan before baking or the cheese will stick.
- Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes.
- Bake at 450 degrees until brown, about 18-20 minutes (425 degrees in a convection oven)
Please leave your recipe modifications, or any questions that you may have, in the comments.
I baked this twice with chopped Jalapeño. I didn’t use a loaf pan, but shaped flat on a baking sheet (used silicone baking mat over it) and it turned out great both times! Crunchy outside, moist but not gooey inside. I just got a bag of hatch chiles yesterday so I’ll be trying that next. Thanks for the amazing recipes. I really enjoy your Tweets.
I just found your website. It was recommended by a friend. I am a New Mexican who has “been sentenced to life in Kansas”. Hubby is on a renal diet and needs to avoid foods with a lot of potassium, so I would be making the white flour method. Would it make much difference to substitute water for the milk in the recipe or would almond milk work?
If almond milk is a viable option, I would opt for that over water. I use it a lot as a substitute.
I have made this recipe three times – twice as you wrote it and just now with the help of a cooking friend to help me figure out what I was doing wrong. The problem I had all three times is that the dough didn’t rise. My friend suggested adding the sugar first to the yeast and water and letting it do its job before adding the milk, the butter, and the salt. We tried that. The dough still did not rise. The bread turned out very dense each time – we’re calling it green chile cheese biscotti – but good. I really want to figure out how to make this lighter like other breads. My friend suggests more flour and less wet ingredients. What do you think? Did your dough actually rise with these directions?
It did, but I drained the chile really well and patted it dry. I have a suggestion based on recent experiments I have been doing. 1/2 of dried chile. I am currently experimenting with the difference between adding it dry and reconstituting it slightly so it doesn’t pull too much moisture from the bread. Basically opposite problem in terms of dry rather than too moist. I will update this recipe soon with the results of the experiments.
I made this in a loaf pan and it is still doughy in the center. The loaf was very brown and sounded hollow, but the center is still too wet and falls out of each slice. The outside is delicious, but next time I WON’T bake it in a loaf pan!
That may have been due to moisture in the green chile. I have been draining mine and patting it dry. I also experimented with green chile seasoning (worked well with about 1 teaspoon) and dehydrated chile. I tried the latter twice. First time without rehydrating. That was the opposite problem, because it pulled water from the bread. Second time I let it soak in a tablespoon of water and it worked well. I am going to try a couple more variations and then I will update the recipe with the results of the experiments. Alternatively, I have cooked it in small dough ball loafs. That cooked through…that was the time I didn’t drain the chile all that well.
can i use all purpose flour for the entire 3 cups? what is the purpose of whole wheat flour?
You certainly can. My primary reason for using wheat is that I like wheat flour.
Costco sell New Mexico green Chile diced up and it tastes like roasted green chili can I use this when I’m making this resceipe
Yes, but if there is a lot of fluid when you thaw it…drain off the excess.
Thanks for the Green Chile Cheese Bread recipe. It sounds yummy! I plan to make it soon!
Oh how I love chilies and can’t thank you enough for the Grenn Chilie Cheese Bread recipe. I can’t wait to make it!!
I hope you enjoy it. Definitely uplevels sandwiches. I love turkey on green chile cheese bread. So tasty!