hot and spicy cheese bread
{{short description|Cheese bread from Madison, Wisconsin}}
Hot and Spicy Cheese Bread, or Wisconsin Cheesy Bread is a popular cheese bread in Madison, Wisconsin. The bread is sold at farmer's markets across the city and at local bakeries. It was originally created by Stella's Bakery, which still sells the bread today.
Origin
The bread was created by accident when Coralia Harn of Stella's Bakery attempted to make an empanada that would appeal to the people of Madison. After getting frustrated with her empanada dough, she simply mixed the empanada filling into bread dough and sold it at the Dane County Farmers' Market the next day.{{cite web |last1=Siciliano-Rosen |first1=Laura |title=WISCONSIN'S TO-DIE-FOR SPICY CHEESE BREAD |url=https://www.ozy.com/good-sht/wisconsins-to-die-for-spicy-cheese-bread/81821 |website=The Daily Dose |publisher=OZY |accessdate=15 April 2019 |archive-date=3 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403183438/https://www.ozy.com/good-sht/wisconsins-to-die-for-spicy-cheese-bread/81821 |url-status=dead }} Over the years the recipe has been refined. Today, the bread is made with a brioche-like yeasted dough, mixed with Provolone cheese, Monterey Jack Cheese, and topped with crushed hot red peppers.{{cite web |title=Spicy Cheese Bread |url=https://www.cookscountry.com/recipes/8586-spicy-cheese-bread |website=Cooks Country |accessdate=15 April 2019}} It also contains chives and parsley.{{cite news |title=Campus Eats: Spicy - Stella's Bakery (Wisconsin) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUuh0AwbDys |accessdate=15 April 2019 |agency=Big Ten network |publisher=Big Ten Network}} The bread is often eaten as a snack bread, pulled apart and eaten while walking around the farmers market.{{cite web |last1=Shaw |first1=Tucker |title=America's Test Kitchen discovers Wisconsin spicy cheese bread |url=https://www.splendidtable.org/story/americas-test-kitchen-discovers-wisconsin-spicy-cheese-bread |website=America's Test Kitchen |publisher=The Splendid Table |accessdate=15 April 2019}}
The bread quickly became an important part of Madison's food culture. Over 2000 loaves are sold every Saturday at the Dane County Farmers Market, and in 2015 it was named by the Wisconsin state journal as one of 30 "plates that define Madison".{{cite web |last1=Arnold |first1=Amber |title=30 plates that define Madison: Stella's spicy cheese bread |url=https://madison.com/wsj/entertainment/dining/plates-that-define-madison-stella-s-spicy-cheese-bread/article_62b7c1ac-f4e4-502c-b7af-e55043559af7.html |website=Madison.com |publisher=Wisconsin State Journal |accessdate=15 April 2019}}