Spicy, crunchy and super easy to make in a cast iron frying pan is this skillet bread with chipotle. Goes well with any curry or as a delicious snack.

skillet bread with chipotle
Photography by Saskia Lelieveld

Skillet bread with chipotle

Initially I first made this chipotle bread using a Dutch oven. While certainly possible it is so much easier to do it in a cast iron skillet. It makes turning the bread out a lot easier. Getting it from the Dutch oven involves a bit more work, so use a skillet if you have one.

When I saw the recipe for a Jalapeno cranberry skillet bread on E-curry by my good friend Soma just this morning, I just knew I had to try this one. It looked so good and it looked so pretty too on Soma’s photos! Of course I did not have a skillet so I figured in terms of cast iron it was either my Dutch oven or my aebleskiver pan. Now the latter would have been a very interesting experiment but I will leave that one for another time… Although mmm, while I’m writing this all sort of ideas pop into my head how I can make mini buns this way! Oooo, next on the to do list!

Ingredients for the skillet bread
Photography by Saskia Lelieveld

Using chipotle or curry paste

Since that very first try I have baked this bread a zillion times as it is soo good. As you can see in the ingredient photo above I have also baked this bread using a simple curry paste instead of the chipotle. Once you get used to baking a skillet bread you can literally place anything you like into the bread. I do love to add cranberries so I use them on most occasions. I love using fresh herbs and something spicy. Like the chipotle in this recipe, or one or two tablespoons of red curry paste.

Making this skillet bread is especially fun for all people (including me) that tend to have a hard time making a regular bread. I think for me it is a matter of lack of patience for the dough to rise. So quick breads like this are absolute perfect!

Adding the batter to the skillet
Photography by Saskia Lelieveld

Super quick

One thing I love about using the skillet to make a bread is that it is so quick. One thing that is important is to make sure the skillet is really hot. Not so hot that the bottom of the bread burns immediately but you do want the cooking process to start right away. Once you place the batter in, you place the skillet in the oven and within about a minute or twenty the bread should be ready to go.

Also make sure you’ve used enough oil in the skillet to make sure you can release the skillet bread once it is cooked. It would be a shame if you can’t get it out of the pan. Like I said you can use curry paste instead of the chipotle. If I do I use roughly one tablespoon of red curry paste. But since most varieties have different spicyness levels, make sure you know how hot the curry paste is before incorporating in the skillet bread.

Variations

It’s super easy to make variations on this skillet bread. I have even made it into a sweet bread that resembled a Christmas stollen! It is that versatile. The basics are the flour, oil, egg, baking powder and the milk. Most of the other ingredients can be changed. Use a bit of sugar and cinnamon to make it sweet or how about adding some cardamom. I will share the Christmas version I made later, but for now just go wild with the flavors. It’s so easy!

skillet bread with chipotle

Skillet bread with chipotle

5 from 1 vote
GangBread
KeukenIndian

Delicious to eat as a snack, in between or in combination with delicious curry
Prep time 10 minutes
Cooking time 20 minutes
Total time 30 minutes

4 people

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet 22 cm

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 150 gr all purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 chipotle chili in adobo sauce
  • 2 tbsp fresh coriander
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 150 ml milk
  • 1 egg lightly beaten
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter melted

  • It's best to make this bread in a cast iron skillet. If you don't have one it would work in a Dutch oven as well.
  • Preheat the oven to 200 C.
  • In a bowl, sift the all purpose flour with baking powder, black pepper and salt.
  • Pound the chipotle and the fresh cilantro/coriander leaves until it is coarse paste.
  • Add the cranberries to the flour and toss for them to be coated.
  • Whisk the milk, honey and egg in a different bowl and stir in lightly with the flour mix. Add the paste of chipotle and cilantro/coriander. Add the melted butter and stir until just blended.
  • Add 1/2 tablespoon oil to the skillet and heat the pan over the stove top ountil the oil shimmers and is really hot. When the dough is added to this, it should sizzle loud.
  • Remove pan from the stove top and add the batter into the hot pan. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until the center springs back when gently pressed. The bread should be golden brown and crispy at the edges.
  • Turn the bread out onto a rack to cool and slice only when cooled.

Nutrition Information per portion

Calories: 333kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 583mg | Potassium: 135mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 586IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 182mg | Iron: 2mg

Disclaimer

The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.

Did you make this recipe?Mention @insimoneskitchen_ or tag #insimoneskitchen!

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Simone van den Berg

Food blogger from the Netherlands. Loves good food. Likes to create healthy and easy recipes for daily use, but also loves the occasional sweet dish. Lives in the Netherlands with her two cats; Humphrey and Buffy. Profession: Food photographer, food blogger, recipe developer and nutritionist