“Challapeño” or “Challahpeño” (challah + jalapeño) began as a Jewish-Mexican fusion cuisine joke, but the bread actually exists and has become popular.
     
“CHALLAH-PENO” was printed in the San Antonio (TX) Express-News on January 14, 1990. Challa-peño was a food blog that published entries from July 2011 to June 2018. This resulted in the book Challa-peño: A Mother and Daughter in the Mexican Jewish Kitchen (2011) by Susan and Alex Schmidt.
   
“Made crazy good Challahpeño Cheese #Challahs!” was posted on Twitter by Challah Hub on November 25, 2014. “Spicy, sassy, super duper yummy…but sadly, they can’t order themselves. Orders due for the Challapeño” was posted on Twitter by Mandylicious on September 20, 2016.
   
“Have you guys heard about the new braided, spicy Jewish bread? Challahpeño” was posted on Twitter by Captain ACAB on February 26, 2015. “what do you call spicy jewish bread challapeños” was posted on Twitter by Rainbow flagmaggie!!!!! on January 24, 2016. “What do you call a spicy Jewish bread? Challapeno” was posted on Reddit—Jokes on August 15, 2021.
   
       
Wikipedia: Challah   
Challah (/ˈxɑːlə/, Hebrew: חַלָּה‎ Halla [χa’la] or [ħa’lɑ]; plural: challot, Challoth or challos) is a special bread of Eastern European origin in Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine, usually braided and typically eaten on ceremonial occasions such as Shabbat and major Jewish holidays (other than Passover).
       
Wikipedia: Jalapeño
The jalapeño (UK: /ˌhæləˈpeɪnjoʊ/ HAL-ə-PAY-nyoh, US: /ˌhɑːl-/ HAHL-, Spanish: [xalaˈpeɲo]) is a medium-sized chili pepper pod type cultivar of the species Capsicum annuum.
   
14 January 1990, San Antonio (TX) Express-News, “‘Mayor of ‘Martin’ reflective of city” by Susan Yerkes, pg. B1:
CHALLAH-PENO
 
Challa-peño
MY MEXICAN, AMERICAN, HUNGARIAN, JEWISH STORIES AND RECIPES
(Blog entries from July 2011 to June 2018.—ed.)
 
The New Yorker
How to Say Challapeño
By Macy Halford
August 24, 2011
Pozole con Matzoh Balls. Schnitzel Torta. Totopos de Gribenes con Guacamole. Schmaltz Tamales. What are these mysterious concoctions? They are the offspring of the unlikely marriage of two culinary traditions—Mexican and Jewish—that turn out to go together “like a chuppa and a mariachi band.” Or so writes Susan Schmidt, the author, with her daughter Alex Schmidt, of the Mexican-Jewish cookbook, on their blog, Challa-peño. Schmidt and Schmidt, who live in Los Angeles (full disclosure: for a brief time several years ago, Alex worked at The New Yorker), have been assembling their cookbook for years.
   
NPR
Jewish And Mexican Cooking Meet In ‘Challa-peño’
December 25, 2011 4:14 AM ET
Heard on Weekend Edition Sunday
ALEX SCHMIDT
(...)
From Challa-peño: A Mother and Daughter in the Mexican Jewish Kitchen by Susan and Alex Schmidt. Copyright 2011, all rights reserved.
         
Twitter
ideasinfood
@ideasinfood
Challah-peno
8:21 AM · Oct 15, 2013·Twitter Web Client
   
Twitter
Sattva
@SattvaSF
#localorganiceating Staff Picks from our “Challah-peno Hero,” Orly http://ow.ly/2Bk9va
7:41 PM · Nov 5, 2013·Hootsuite
 
Twitter
Challah Hub
@ChallahHub
.@cheese_report We love cheese!!! We even did a Challah-Peño and Gruyere #challah!
1:09 PM · Mar 17, 2014·Twitter for iPhone
 
Twitter
Challah Hub
@ChallahHub
Made crazy good Challahpeño Cheese #Challahs! Check out http://challahhub.com for the recipe Face with tongue #foodporn #nofilter
12:42 AM · Nov 25, 2014·Twitter for iPhone
 
Twitter
Captain ACAB
@Blurt_Vonnegut
Have you guys heard about the new braided, spicy Jewish bread? Challahpeño.
12:59 PM · Feb 26, 2015·Twitter Web Client
     
Twitter
Argemiro Jaramillo
@ArgemiroElPrimo
Challah! Challahpeño (jalapeño and cheddar), cinnamon-sugar and plain.:http://ift.tt/1U1BIjS
1:53 AM · Dec 9, 2015·IFTTT
 
Twitter
Rainbow flagmaggie!!!!!
@aWitchNamedMags
what do you call spicy jewish bread
challapeños
8:02 PM · Jan 24, 2016·Twitter Web Client
         
Twitter
Drew Dillon
@Dillonisms
Tonight I coined the phrase “T’challapeño Poppers,” and now I’m planning a Captain America Civil War party.
10:18 PM · Feb 23, 2016·Twitter for iPhone
   
Twitter
Mandylicious
@sprinklechallah
Spicy, sassy, super duper yummy…but sadly, they can’t order themselves. Orders due for the Challapeño and all… http://fb.me/7UrkPx81k
4:46 PM · Sep 20, 2016·Facebook
 
delish
Challapeño Cheese
by ELYSSA GOODMAN
SEP 26, 2016
Spice up your Rosh Hashanah with this hot and savory take on the classic recipe.
   
Twitter
Shawn Tinling
@ShawnTinling
Is Challapeño bread a thing? #MashupMonday
9:03 PM · May 8, 2017·Twitter for Android
   
Twitter
c0nc0rdance
@c0nc0rdance
I have just been made aware of TEX-JEX cuisine:
“Cryptojewish” Spanish colonists coming to Texas in 1800’s bring Sephardic influences, mix with local cuisines.
Jalapeño Challah (Challapeño!)
Lard-free bean dishes
Egg bread Pandulce with dried fruit and nuts
9:32 AM · Oct 10, 2018·Twitter Web Client
     
Twitter
Songbird
@BluehairCoffee
I read the word Challa-peño and people are going to have to deal with the spicy delicious consequences.
9:37 AM · Oct 22, 2018·Twitter for Android
 
Twitter
Josh Chafetz
@joshchafetz
okay but imo they really missed an opportunity by not calling it challapeño.
Quote Tweet
Yair Rosenberg
@Yair_Rosenberg
· Nov 14, 2018
They have Jalapeño challah
Show this thread
4:43 PM · Nov 14, 2018·Twitter Web Client
 
Twitter
Hallie Lomax
@hrlomax
a store that exclusively sells spicy jewish bread: challapeño business
11:46 PM · Feb 2, 2019·Twitter Web Client
   
Twitter
Steve Leibowitz
@StevenL57
I think I should combine my love of peppers and #JewishFood and make Challahpeno bread Smiling face with open mouth
4:31 PM · Sep 26, 2019·Twitter Web App
     
Twitter
Gerik
@GerikShark
I made a new recipe today, ChallahPeno Poppers. Jalapeños stuffed with cream cheese and spicy sausage wrapped in Challah dough and baked. Soooo good!
4:36 PM · Feb 1, 2020·Twitter for Android
 
Twitter
kristiffy
@kristiffy
Challahpeño should be a thing.
8:15 AM · Jun 29, 2021·Twitter for iPhone
 
Reddit—Jokes
Posted by u/bl1y August 15, 2021
What do you call a spicy Jewish bread?
Challapeno.