Cheesy Chorizo Bread {She Made/Ella Hace}

I have been in love with chorizo ever since the summer my grandmother sent me to Mexico to learn Spanish when I was 4 years old.  Whether it be served with scrambled eggs for breakfast, mixed with beans or potatoes and wrapped inside a warm flour tortilla for lunch, crumbled on top my favorite Mexican Pizza  for dinner, or grilled at El Rancho during one of our big family cook-outs, chorizo continues to be one of my favorite meats ever.  So, when Heather (Girlichef) suggested that we cook with chorizo for this month's edition of She Made/Ella Hace, I couldn't have been happier!

And I knew just the recipe I wanted to try...The Homesick Texan's Chorizo & Asadero Cheese Bread.  Spicy pieces of chorizo, Asadero & Manchego cheese, and smoky bits of chipotle chilies, all wrapped in a soft, buttery dough...Sigh!  It's everything I love in one savory loaf of bread.   

Cheesy Chorizo Bread
(recipe slightly adapted from The Homesick Texan Cookbook by Lisa Fain)

Ingredients:

• 1 packet yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 large egg
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 pound Mexican Chorizo, crumbled and cooked
• 1 to 2 canned chipotles, finely chopped
• 1-1/2 cup grated Asadero cheese
• 1 cup grated Manchego cheese

Directions:

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water in a large bowl; set aside.  Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Stir in the milk and the egg; whisk until well combined.  Pour the milk mixture into the yeast mixture; whisk until well combined.  Add the flour and salt to the liquids and stir until all of the flour has been incorporated. 

Knead the dough on a generously floured surface until smooth and elastic.  (About 5 minutes.)  Place the dough in a greased bowl; cover and let the dough proof (rise) for about 90 minutes or until double in size.   

Roll out dough onto a lightly floured surface to a 9 x 15-inch rectangle.  Sprinkle the chorizo and chopped chipotles all over the dough.  Top with 1 cup of the grated Asadero cheese and the Manchego cheese.  

Starting from the short end, roll up the dough tightly, like you would with cinnamon rolls.  Place the dough seam-side down in a greased 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.  Cover and let rise again for about an hour, or until the dough has passed a little over the top of the pan. 

Preheat the oven to 400F.  Brush the top of the loaf with melted butter, then top with the remaining Asadero cheese. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the dough has turned a golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.  Enjoy!!!    

Be sure to visit Girlichef's Blog to check out her Chorizo Verde AND Chorizo Stuffed Jalapeño Peppers.  

Also sharing this recipe with BYOB