Zuni Pepita Bread

At first glance these eye-catching chile peppers look like red jalapeno. However, they have a different flavor and are less meaty than Jalapeno. Red Fresnos are great roasted and added to salsas. Try grilling them alongside your steaks or in kabobs.

When roasting these they should char, blister, and become soft. Try substituting these in your favorite chile recipes.

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Ingredients:

1-3/4 cups lukewarm water
1 egg, beaten
2 red Fresno chiles, stemmed, seeded and minced
1/4 cup pumpkin seed oil or corn oil
1-1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
1-1/2 cups shelled pumpkin seeds, toasted

Dry ingredients:

2-1/2 cups bread flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup blue cornmeal
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage
2 tsp. salt
2 egg whites, beaten
1/2 cup shelled untoasted pumpkin seeds

Instructions:

Combine the water, egg, minced chile and oil in the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer or in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the mixture and stir it in, then let it sit for 2 minutes.

Grind the toasted pumpkin seeds in a coffee grinder or spice mill until finely ground, then add the ground pumpkin seeds and dry ingredients to the yeast mixture.

Mix with the dough hook (or knead by hand for 8-10 minutes, or until the dough appears silky and resilient, then transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with some plastic wrap.

Let the dough rise in a warm place for about 1-1/2 hours, or until it doubles in volume.

Punch the dough down, then re-cover it with some plastic wrap and let the dough rise again in a warm place for about 30 minutes.

Place a baking stone on the middle rack of the oven and preheat to 400F. Bake the bread for about 45-60 minutes or until done.

Recipe adapted from “Flavored Breads” by Mark Miller.