Spicy Sausage And Cheese Bread

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Brown the sausage in a skillet overmedium heat. Add the onions and jalapenos. Continue to cook for 3minutes. Remove from the heat and drain on a paper-lined plate. Setaside and cool to room temperature. Combine the yeast, sugar, and 2tablespoons of the oil in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with adough hook. Add the water.

With the mixer on low speed, beat the mixture for about 4 minutes todissolve the yeast. If the yeast mixture doesn't begin to foam after afew minutes, it means it's not active and will have to be replaced. In aseparate large mixing bowl, combine the flour, 1/2 cup plus 2tablespoons of the cornmeal, salt, sausage mixture, and cheese. Add thismixture. Mix on low speed until it lightly comes together, then increasethe speed to medium and beat until the mixture pulls away from the sidesof the bowl, forms a ball, and climbs slightly up the dough hook. Removethe dough from the bowl.

Coat the dough with the remaining teaspoon vegetable oil. Return thedough to the bowl and turn it to oil all sides. Cover the bowl withplastic wrap, set in a warm, draft-free place, and let rise untildoubled in size, about 2 hours. Remove the dough from the bowl and turnit onto a lightly floured surface. Using your hands, gently roll andform it into a narrow loaf about 24 inches long. Cut the dough into 18equal pieces . (each about 2 1/2 ounces) With the palm of your hand,roll the portions on a lightly floured surface to form small roundrolls.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle it with theremaining 2 tablespoons cornmeal. Place the rolls about 1-inch apart onthe paper. Cover the rolls with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm,draft-free place until doubled in size, about 30 minutes. Using a sharpknife, make a small X on top of each roll. Bake until golden brown,about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve w