Mexican Salsa Bread

Homemade bread with a kick, thanks to a touch of salsa and everyday spices, the kind of recipe that sneaks its way into regular rotation. It’s easy to make and not just for sandwiches. It's just the thing alongside a pot of chili, a bowl of soup or a simple salad — and yes, leftovers make the best toast ever. And that little kick? Totally unexpected!

Approachable, Memorable Homestyle Whole Food. Real Food, Fresh & Inventive. A Traditional Recipe Plus My Own Special Twists. Year-Round Kitchen Staple. Budget Friendly. Great for Meal Prep. Vegetarian. What're you waiting for?! So Good!!

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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 call 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 in the recipe's 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.

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Recipe Overview: Mexican Salsa Bread

• This is a homemade yeast bread with a rustic texture, a Mexican-ish adaptation of the master recipe and our "house bread" (see Our Daily Bread: My Easy Everyday Bread Recipe for kneading by hand or Easy Everyday Bread for the Stand Mixer for kneading with your stand mixer). It makes great loaves but also nice rolls, I usually do one loaf and about a half dozen rolls.

• When to Serve = We really love this bread for sandwiches and toast. But it would also be a good choice for a savory bread pudding.
• Diet Needs & Choices = As written, the recipe is Vegetarian. But only two ingredients (sour cream and 1 egg) need substitution to convert to Vegan.
• Distinctive Mexican-Ish Ingredients = Sour Cream + Salsa + Sesame Seeds + Pepitas (pumpkin seeds) + Spices (dried cilantro, oregano, taco seasoning)
• Full Ingredient List = all the above + brown sugar + molasses + yeast + bread flour + whole wheat flour + rolled oats + flax + salt + oil + 1 egg
• For Garnish = A few sesame seeds sprinkled on top are pretty.
• Kitchen Tools = A bowl for mixing + a baking sheet for baking free-form loaves and rolls.
• Hands-On Time = Allow about 20 minutes up front for mixing the dough.
• Total Time = Allow about four hours, start to finish, including two rises. The rise times can really vary depending on ingredient temperature, room temperature.
• Tasting with our Eyes = To my eyes, this is a pretty bread!
• Texture = This bread has a rustic crumb, it's studded with pumpkin seeds, oats and flax.
• Taste = This bread has a small kick! That's because of the salsa and spices. It's what really makes this bread stand out from others.
• Techniques = The bread dough required kneading, either by hand or in a stand mixer. (For an example of stand-mixer instructions, mostly changing the order of ingredient additions, please see Easy Everyday Bread for the Stand Mixer. A stand mixer makes excellent bread, don't feel like it's "better" to knead by hand. I make the case for and against here, Is a Stand Mixer Better for Kneading Bread Dough?.)
• Shop Your Pantry = This recipe is a pantry-friendly recipe, all the ingredients (except possibly the pepitas, but find those at Trader Joe's near the pecans and walnuts) are easy to find and easy to keep on hand.
• Staying Cost Conscious = This recipe is a budget-friendly recipe, in part because it calls for common everyday ingredients, ones you may already have on hand.
• Makes = Two one-pound loaves or a single loaf and a half dozen rolls/buns or sure, all buns!.
• So good! I hope you love it!


• I just love adapting the master recipe. A real favorite is an herb bread that's extra-excellent for good toast using this DIY Herb Blend for Homemade Herb Bread. It calls for twelve herbs! I usually make a triple batch, one for baking now, two for baking later.
• Not quite what you're looking for? Check out my other recipes for yeast breads.

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Why I Love This Recipe & You Might Too

• ... it's a great bread for sandwiches and burgers
• ... it's a bread that's a little bit different without being weird
• ... it's got a little "heat" but don't worry, just a little

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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 (7g) 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 sesame 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.

FOR MORE INFO If you "skipped straight to the recipe," please scroll back to the top of this page for ingredient information, ingredient substitutions, tips and more. Confused about salt, these days? No wonder, it is confusing. Check my FAQs for an explanation. If you print this recipe, you'll want to check the recipe online for even more tips and extra information about ingredient substitutions, best results and more. See https://www.kitchenparade.com/2019/05/mexican-salsa-bread.html .

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 & myWW green 6 & blue 6 & purple 6 & future WW points 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!

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Yeast: So Rewarding, the Results

• THE RECIPE Our Daily Bread: My Easy Everyday Bread Recipe An easy, European-style bread I make every few days.
• ANOTHER TAKE Soft Rolls for Sandwiches (NOLA-Style French Rolls) Especially for extra-good sandwiches, crispy crusts, soft interiors. (PIN This)

• THE RECIPE Swedish Rye Bread Slightly sweet, densely delicious. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Light & Fluffy Homemade Whole-Grain Bread The soft and fluffy texture that so many people prefer. (PIN This)

• THE RECIPE Best-Ever Oatmeal Bread Hearty and substantial, slightly sweetened with molasses. A family favorite! (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Light & Fluffy Homemade Whole-Grain Bread & Buns The light and fluffy texture that so many people prefer. (PIN This)

• THE COLLECTION Homemade Yeast Breads from Kitchen Parade and a long-time bread baker.
• JUST ONE AMONG MANY Homemade Breads from quick breads to cornbreads to muffins and more, super-organized so you can quickly find exactly what you want.

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Shop Your Pantry First

(helping home cooks save money on groceries)

~ sour cream recipes ~
~ tomato salsa recipes ~
~ pepita recipes ~
~ sesame seed recipes ~
~ oatmeal recipes ~
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~ All Recipes, By Ingredient ~
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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, you'll find my current address in the FAQs. 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, for more scratch cooking recipes using whole, healthful ingredients, 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.

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