Mexican Salsa Bread

Homemade bread with a kick, just a touch of salsa and spices. Makes great sandwiches, toast and fry bread. The reddish color is really pretty. And that little kick? Totally unexpected!

~ Skip Straight to the Recipe ~

Hello. It's Me, the Broken Record.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. We learned so much during that month-long cooking project we called Deep Mexico: Ingredient-Driven Mexican Meal Prep. And it was so-so easy to poke our heads into the fridge and just cook!

No surprise, we went through a lot of tortillas but about midway through the month, I wondered how to turn Our Daily Bread: My Easy Everyday Bread Recipe into a Mexican-ish bread. I'd already adapted this recipe several ways, gaining confidence of its flexibility. Frankly, it's taking almost anything I throw its way!

And remember, Deep Mexico is not about creating authentic Mexican cuisine so I'm making no claims for authenticity. We are happy with "Mexican-ish" – by our definition, that's Mexican ingredients applied to our everyday cooking and eating. The one requirement? Good eats!

Bread With a Little Kick

And sure enough, another winner! We love this bread, the "kick" from the spices is especially appreciated in sandwiches and burger buns.

The first batch, I learned that saltiness is an issue when you're using a store-bought taco seasoning which contains salt. But no problem, once you know that, the adjustment is simple enough.

You'll Love My Mexican Salsa Bread If You ...

• love sandwiches and burgers
• like bread that's a little but different without being weird
• like a little "heat" in your food

---

MEXICAN SALSA BREAD

Hands-on time: 20 minutes up front
Time to table: 4 hours
Makes 2 one-pound loaves

WET INGREDIENTS
• 1/2 cup (120g) sour cream
• 1/4 cup (60g) salsa
• 1-1/4 cups hot water
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 2-1/4 teaspoons yeast (either instant or active dry)

DRY INGREDIENTS
• 3 cups bread flour, fluffed to aerate before measuring or 375g
• 1 cup whole wheat flour, fluffed to aerate before measuring or 125g
• 1 cup grains and seeds (I use about 1/2 cup pepitas;1/4 cup rolled oats: plus 1/4 cup either/both white and black seeds plus either/both ground and whole flax)
• 1 tablespoon dried cilantro
• 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano (or regular oregano)
• 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
• 1 - 2 teaspoons kosher salt (use 1 teaspoon if taco seasoning includes salt)

EXTRAS
• Oil, for bowl
• Extra flour, for kneading
• Egg wash (1 egg white whisked with a little water)
• Sesame seeds, for top of bread

WET INGREDIENTS In a large bowl, stir together all the ingredients except the yeast, it should be warm, not hot or cool. Stir in the yeast and set aside while continuing.

DRY INGREDIENTS In a second large bowl, stir together all the dry ingredients.

POUR DRY INGREDIENTS INTO WET INGREDIENTS This leaves the dry-ingredient bowl empty, this is the bowl you'll use for the dough's first rise; pour a tablespoon or so of olive oil into that dry bowl. While your hands are still clean, put the extra flour for kneading near the clean work surface where you'll knead the bread, dust that work surface with some flour.

Now, work that dough! With a large spoon or your hands, work the wet and dry ingredients together until they begin to come together into a workable ball. Drop the ball onto the flour-dusted surface and knead for about 10 minutes, adding flour as needed but don't be too generous, the dough will start off a little sticky but will become easier to work with as you continue to knead. That said, don't struggle with sticky dough, just add a little flour at a time.

FIRST RISE Once the dough is kneaded, form it into a ball and place in the bowl, turning the dough so that the ball's surface is coated with a little oil. Cover the bowl with a clean towel and place in a warm spot to rise. The dough should double in size during the first rise. In my kitchen, it takes about two hours, some times longer.

DEFLATE THE DOUGH After the dough has risen the first time, deflate it with a gentle push of your fist. Really, it doesn't need "punching," just a gentle touch to deflate the dough.

FORM LOAVES, BUNS, ETC. Now form your loaves, either for bread pans or free-form loaves on baking sheets. This dough also makes great buns, about a dozen total. Or you can do one loaf and six buns, say, very handy for smaller households.

SECOND RISE Cover the loaves or buns with that clean towel and let rise again, the second rise takes less time, about 45 minutes to an hour.

BAKE Heat the oven to 350F/180C. Brush the tops of the loaves or buns with egg wash, then sprinkle sesame seeds onto the egg wash. Bake loaves for 30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 190F/88C; bake buns for about 15 minutes. Immediately move the loaves and buns from their baking pans onto racks to cool.

MAKE-AHEAD TIPS This bread keeps for up to a week. It makes wonderful sandwiches, toast, Fried Bread, croutons. My favorite? By the slice with a little butter, warm from the oven. Heaven!

ALANNA's TIPS When working out this recipe, I wanted to use as many Mexican-style ingredients as possible: thus chose sour cream and salsa, Mexican oregano, etc. The first loaf, I tried to use the earthy (and lovely) Mexican sugar called "pilancillo" but it was too difficult to grate so I compromised with a blend of brown sugar and molasses. I've been using the Trader Joe's Taco Seasoning because it was on hand but it would be easy to mix your own as well.

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Slice, Assumes 24 Slices: 186 Calories; 7g Tot Fat; 1g Sat Fat; 2mg Cholesterol; 123mg Sodium; 25g Carb; 3g Fiber; 3g Sugar; 6g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS Old Points 4 & PointsPlus 5 & SmartPoints 6 & Freestyle 6 CALORIE COUNTERS 100-calorie serving = 1/2 slice (3g protein).

Adapted from Our Daily Bread: My Easy Everyday Bread Recipe, that's the easy, European-style bread I've made every few days since 2016. It's such an adaptable bread, it basically takes everything I throw at it!

---

Yeast: So Rewarding, the Results

(hover with a mouse for a description; otherwise click a photo to view the recipe)

~ more homemade bread recipes ~

---

Shop Your Pantry First

(helping home cooks save money on groceries)

~ sour cream recipes ~
~ tomato salsa recipes ~
~ pepita recipes ~
~ sesame seed recipes ~
~ oatmeal recipes ~
~ flax recipes ~

~ All Recipes, By Ingredient ~
~ How to Save Money on Groceries ~

---

Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

---

© Copyright Kitchen Parade 2019