Southwest Bread Gilroy

This is not a subtle loaf. Southwest bread Gilroy is a full-on rustic yeasted bread carrying black beans, corn, red onion, cilantro, sundried tomatoes, garlic, chili powder, cumin, and two kinds of chiles (Anaheim and jalapeño) in a whole-wheat-and-cornmeal base.

Cut a thick slice, drizzle with olive oil, and you’ve essentially got an entire Southwest lunch built into the bread itself.

Letting the whole wheat, cornmeal, and yeast mixture rest 30 minutes with water, yogurt, and honey before adding the rest is the autolyse step. It softens the cornmeal and whole wheat (both of which absorb slowly), producing a more tender crumb than if you dumped everything together at once.

Honest question: there are a lot of add-ins here. Drain the beans and corn thoroughly, and chop the sundried tomatoes small so they distribute instead of clumping.

Knead a full 8 minutes to develop the gluten enough to hold all those heavy ingredients without collapsing. Two 45-minute rises are the right timing, and cut those four diagonal slashes across each loaf so steam can escape during baking.

Tap the bottom of a loaf, if it sounds hollow, it’s done.

Kitchen Tips

• Bring the yogurt to room temperature before adding, cold yogurt can slow down the yeast
• Use very warm (not hot) water, around 110°F (43°C), hot water kills the yeast
• Don’t over-flour while kneading, extra flour past what’s needed makes dense, heavy bread
• Tap-test the bottom of the loaf for doneness, hollow sound means the interior is set

Variations

• Add ½ cup of shredded cheddar or pepper jack for a cheesy twist
• Swap Anaheim for poblano for a deeper, earthier chile flavor
• Use quinoa instead of corn for a higher-protein variation