Rattlers (1976) - Rattlesnake Bread

Rattlesnake Bread - a companion recipe for Rattlers (1976), directed by John McCauley - reviewed here by our movie companion for 31 Days of Halloween, Outpost Zeta.

Careful, this snake BITES, thanks to the addition of jalapenos and sharp chipotle cheddar. This is a gorgeous loaf and will take some time to make, but it's so much fun to shape it. We stuffed it with Sargento® Snack Bites® Chipotle BBQ Cheddar Cheese, which is made without animal rennet. (You can read more about their rennets here.)

For the bread dough:

1 cup warm water

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons white sugar

3 to 3.5 cups bread flour

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

3 fresh jalapenos, seeded and chopped (plus 1 more for final decorating if desired)

Stuff it with:

1 package Sargento® Snack Bites® Chipotle BBQ Cheddar Cheese

Optional:

1 egg for egg wash

Got a bread machine? Put the ingredients for the dough in the machine in the order it recommends and set it to the dough setting. Check the dough halfway through; you may need to add more flour because of the additional moisture created by the jalapenos.

To make the bread by hand, warm the water until it's lukewarm. Pour it into a very large mixing bowl, and add the sugar, salt, yeast, 2 cups of the flour, and the jalapenos. Beat 2 minutes vigorously by hand - this will take some arm strength! Gradually stir in the remaining flour until it forms a dough that pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl. Knead for 7 to 8 minutes, or until the dough is smooth, elastic, and springs back when you push on it.

Let the dough rest for five minutes. Preheat your oven to 350F.

Roll it out onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a long, thin rope, about 4' long. If you don't have that much counter/table space, divide in half and make two 2' ropes. Flatten the rope(s).

Place the pieces of cheese in the middle of the dough (like train cars) and then fold up the sides, pinching well to seal. Roll the dough over so the seam side is down, and shape into a coiled loaf. Remember that in general, poisonous snakes have a spade-shaped head. I used a couple carrot slices for eyes and tongue, and lightly scored the tail like rattles.

Gently transfer loaf to a cookie sheet or pizza pan; use parchment paper if you have it, and if using the optional egg wash, mix an egg well and brush over the whole thing. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the crust is golden.  Allow to cool 30 minutes before slicing.