My children love bread. We go through at least one if not multiple loaves every week. But when I pulled this freshly baked cheddar jalapeno sourdough loaf from the oven, they were delighted. My three-year-old ate two whole slices himself. And honestly, I don’t blame him. It is so soft, with such a perfect crumb structure. The crust is crunchy and chewy. But the best part is the pockets of melted cheese and little jalapeno chunks. It has an incredible flavor without being spicy (if you want spice I have notes for that down below). It truly is such a delightful loaf while still being a simple recipe. Serve it with a steaming bowl of creamy potato soup and you will have a meal that wows every time. Or simply toast it up and enjoy with some butter or cream cheese.
Sourdough
I am completely obsessed with sourdough. I love that it forces you to slow down. It isn’t like commercial yeast that has a very short window before it over-proofs. This makes sourdough more on the forgiving end. The fact that you can take a baked good and make it gut healthy by long fermenting it is amazing to me. It truly is an art, so I put together an e-book to help those who want to get started but are overwhelmed by all the different methods and rules out there. I made the process as simple as possible so it is something that can be enjoyed. I mean, what is better than filling your home with the smell oof freshly baked, homemade sourdough bread?
If you like this recipe, check out some of our other favorite sourdough recipes. Such as donuts, dinner rolls, cinnamon raisin bread, apple cinnamon rolls, and bagels. Or recipes that use sourdough discard, like lavender scones, tortillas, muffins, and pumpkin bread.
Tools
Tea towel – Any towel will work to cover the bowl, but tea towels are the easiest because they are easier to clean flour and dough off of.
Chef’s knife
Cutting board
Banneton basket (proofing basket)
Small oven safe pan – I just use a small stainless steel frying pan
Cast iron skillet, Dutch oven, or a large metal pot
Parchment paper
Lame or razor blade – For scoring
Ingredients
Active sourdough starter – Because we are not using yeast, the starter is what gives the bread the rise. I have experimented with making bread with discard, but the results are so much better when the starter has been fed and is at its peak.
Water – Filtered or purified water is always better than tap water. The impurities of the tap water can actually inhibit the starter and make the loaf not turn out as well. It does not have to be warm water, but it should not be ice cold or hot. Too cold will stall the starter, too hot can kill the wild yeasts in the starter resulting in a flat loaf.
Salt – I love adding sea salt for the extra minerals. Salt not only adds flavor to the bread, but it also balances and enhances the other flavors from the cheese and peppers.
Flour – Most people would assume bread flour should be used, we are making a loaf of bread after all. However, I usually just use all purpose flour and it turns out perfectly. Bread flour can still be used and will yield a lovely crumb structure.
Jalapenos – Fresh jalapenos are going to yield the best flavor for the bread. I just added one medium size pepper, and the flavor was great. Not so much that it was overpowering but enough that the dough had the taste of jalapenos in every bite. If you want a more intense flavor or more spice, chop up two and add that instead. Wrinkled jalapenos tend to be spicier, so be aware of this when selecting the pepper.
Sharp cheddar cheese – I really like the extra potency that sharp cheddar brings to the loaf. When it bakes the little cubes melt and turn into little pockets of cheesy goodness. If the cubes are cut really small, there will be more pockets, but they will be really tiny. I personally like the big blobs of cheese, and I find that they distribute really well.
Additional ingredients and substitutions
Canned jalapenos – Depending on the brand, these can be less or more spicy than fresh jalapenos. However, sometimes they are just easier or what we have on hand. They can definitely take the place of fresh jalapenos in this recipe.
White cheddar – There will not be the pop of color, but white cheddar has such a lovely flavor, it would pair so beautifully with the peppers.
Other cheeses – It depends on the type of cheese. I would not recommend a cheese like a mozzarella or a soft cheese such as brie. However, other semi-hard cheeses with strong flavor profiles do really well in this recipe.
Let’s make cheddar jalapeno sourdough bread!
Making the dough
In a large mixing bowl weigh out the active starter, water, and salt. Mix until there are no large chunks of starter left.
Add in the flour and stir by hand, or with a Danish dough whisk until fully incorporated.
Take one edge of the dough and gently stretch it up a few inches, then fold it over the rest of the dough. This is a stretch and fold. Turn the bowl a little less than a quarter turn and grab another edge of the dough and fold it over. Repeat until the dough has been stretched and folded 6 or so times, turning the bowl to grab a new part of the dough with each stretch.
Cover the bowl with a towel and let it rest for 20 minutes.
Do another series of 6 or so stretch and folds. Let the dough rest for another 20 minutes.
Repeat the stretch and rest 2 more times. The dough should have had a series of stretch and folds then been left to rest 4 times in total.
Allow the dough to proof, covered at room temperature, or a warm place, for at least 4-6 hours, or until soft and just about doubled in size. This time will vary due to kitchen temperature and humidity. If doubling the recipe, let the loaves rise together in a bulk fermentation. Then, once risen, divide in half before shaping.
Shaping the loaf
Chop the cheddar into small cubes, a little less than 1/2 inch each side. Set off to the side.
Remove the seeds and stem from the jalapeno. Chop up the pepper to a small dice and set aside.
Turn the risen bread dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
Stretch the dough to a small rectangle. 10 inches by 8 inches or so. This does not need to be exact. However, you do want the dough big enough to fit the toppings, but not so thin that the mix-ins tear through.
Sprinkle the dough with the chopped peppers and cheese until there is an even layer. Save a little bit of each and set aside.
Gently press the mix-ins into the dough so they do not fall off.
Start rolling the long end of the dough and continue until it is fully rolled and is a log shape.
Place it seam side up and press the rest of the mix-ins into the roll.
Starting with the short end, roll up the log into a ball.
Place it seam side down and slightly cup your hands. Tuck them around the dough, palms facing you. Pull slowly toward yourself. Continue this process a few times to smooth out the surface of the dough. Flour as needed and stop if the mix-ins start tearing through the top of the dough. It should be a pretty smooth ball if done correctly.
Place the shaped dough top side down into a well-floured banneton basket, or a bowl lined with a well-floured tea towel.
Cover and place the loaf into the fridge to ferment overnight. This also allows the flavors to meld and the dough to firm up.
Baking
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place a small oven safe pan (NOT GLASS) on the bottom rack of the oven to heat up as the oven preheats.
Once the oven is hot, turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper. Score it with a sharp knife or lame. The scoring does not have to be fancy, but there should be at least one cut that is 3/4 of an inch deep or so. This will allow the bread to expand while baking.
Place the parchment paper and bread onto a cast iron skillet, a large oven safe pot, or a Dutch oven. This is not the same pan that has been preheating.
Place the bread into the oven and pour about a cup of water into the preheated pan in the bottom of the oven. This is why it cannot be glass because the temperature change would cause it to explode.
Bake for 10 minutes.
Remove the water. Bake for another 25-30 minutes, or until the crust is perfectly golden brown.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool before serving. If it is cut as soon as it comes from the oven it can be a bit gummy in the middle. Cooling on a wire rack will speed this process up.
Enjoy!
Storing
Store any leftovers in a beeswax wrap, in a plastic bag, or cut side down for up to 5 days.
Freezing
This recipe freezes really well. Place the loaf into a freezer safe bag. It can also be wrapped in plastic wrap before tucking into the bag. Store for up to 6 months.
Long ferment cheddar jalapeno sourdough bread
This recipe is super easy to long ferment. Simply leave it in the fridge for up to 48 hours once it has been shaped. If leaving it longer than two days, decrease the starter by 50g so it does not overproof. Then bake as directed above!
A possible timeline for cheddar jalapeno sourdough
This is for if you wanted a fresh loaf of bread for dinner on Friday night. Adjust the days accordingly as needed.
Wednesday
9:00pm – Feed your sourdough starter. I like to feed my starter at night so the next morning it is ready to bake with.
Thursday
9:00 am – Mix up the dough and do the first stretch and fold. Cover and set aside.
9:20am – Complete the second stretch and fold. Cover and set aside.
9:40am – Complete the third stretch and fold. Cover and set aside.
10:00am – Complete the last set of stretch and folds. Cover with a towel and leave at room temperature to rise.
4:00pm – Add in the mix-ins and shape the loaf. Transfer it to a basket or towel lined bowl and place it in the fridge. (This time will vary depending on how long the dough is taking to rise. This is determined by the temperature and humidity of the room, as well as how active the starter was.)
Friday
9:00am – Bake the bread. If long fermenting, leave the dough in the fridge during the day and bake it before dinner. Allow time to cool before cutting.
Tips for success
Stretch and folds- This might seem strange, but it forms the gluten without having to knead it. The resting between stretches allows the dough to relax which makes the next series of stretches more effective.
Shaping – This may seem a bit tricky or like a waste of time but getting the top of the loaf smoothed out is going to result in a much prettier loaf. It also tightens the gluten strands and evens the surface tension which improves the crumb structure.
Scoring – This can be super fancy, or just one basic cut down the middle. Doing this is so important though. The bread has what is called an oven spring. That is the big rise it does from being in a hot oven and the steam creating air bubbles in the dough. The crust wants to get dry and once it starts to dry out and get hard, it will not move much. This can result in the crust bursting open some random place to expand which makes for a less aesthetically pleasing loaf. It can also keep the bread from fully rising making the crumb structure far too dense. When the loaf is properly cut it gives the crust a weak point so it can expand as it rises. For the best results, the cut needs to be over half an inch deep and several inches long.
Spice – If your cheddar jalapeno sourdough bread is not spicy enough, add more jalapenos the next time you make it. Or use the wrinkled jalapenos since they tend to be on the spicier side.
Thank you
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do. It is always such a delight hearing about how much you enjoyed a recipe or what you think could be improved. So, thank you for leaving a comment! Don’t forget to share with friends and family so they too can enjoy making cheddar jalapeno sourdough bread. Thank you!
Cheddar Jalapeno Sourdough Bread
This artisan bread is filled with chunks of melty cheddar cheese and fresh jalapeno peppers. It is so savory and just the right amount of spicy. It goes so well with a bowl of soup, as a sandwich, or toasted with butter or cream cheese.
Ingredients
- 180g Active sourodugh starter
- 255g Water
- 14g Sea salt
- 400g All-purpose flour
- 1 jalapeno (50g)*
- 120g (4 oz) Cheddar cheese
Instructions
- In a bowl weigh out the starter, water, and salt. Mix until there are no large chunks of starter left.
- Add in the flour and stir by hand until fully incorporated.
- Take one edge of the dough and stretch it up a few inches and fold it over the rest of the ball of dough. This is a stretch and fold. Turn the bowl slightly and grab another edge of the dough and fold it over. Repeat until the dough has been stretched and folded 6 or so times.
- Cover the bowl with a towel and let it rest for 20 minutes.
- Do another series of 6 stretch and folds. Allow the dough to rest for another 20 minutes.
- Repeat the stretch and rest 2 more times. The dough should have been stretched and folded and left to rest 4 times total.
- Allow the dough to proof, covered at room temperature for 6 hours, or until soft and just about doubled in size.**
- Chop the cheddar into small cubes a little smaller than 1/2 inch. Set aside.
- Remove the seeds and stem from the jalapeno(s). Chop up the pepper to a small dice and set aside.
- Turn the risen dough out onto a lightly floured counter.
- Stretch the dough to a small rectangle. 10 inches by 8 inches or so. You do not need to be exact; the dough just should not be overly thin.
- Sprinkle the dough with the chopped peppers and cheese until there is an even layer. Save a little bit of each and set aside.
- Press the mix ins into the dough so they don't fall off.
- Start rolling the long end of the dough and continue until it is fully rolled and a log shape.
- Place it seam side up and press the rest of the mix-ins into the roll.
- Starting with the short end, roll up the log into a ball.
- Place it seam side down and slightly cup your hands and tuck them around the dough and pull toward you. Turn the dough slightly and continue repeating this process a few times to smooth out the surface of the dough. Flour as needed and stop if the mix-ins start tearing through the dough.
- Place the dough top side down into a well-floured banneton basket, or a bowl lined with a well-floured towel.
- Cover and place the loaf into the fridge to ferment overnight. This also allows the flavors to meld and the dough to firm up.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place a small oven safe pan (NOT GLASS) on the bottom rack of the oven to heat with the oven.
- Once the oven is preheated, turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper. Score it with a sharp knife or a lame. The scoring does not have to be fancy, but there should be at least one long cut that is 3/4 of an inch deep or so, this will allow the bread to expand while baking.
- Place the parchment paper and bread onto a cast iron skillet or a large oven safe pot.
- Place the bread into the oven and pour about a cup of water into the preheated pan in the bottom of the oven.
- Bake for 10 minutes, then rescore the large cut.
- Remove the water. Bake for another 25-30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool before serving.
- Store any leftovers in a beeswax wrap, in a plastic bag, or cut side down for up to 5 days.
- Enjoy!
Notes
*If you want a spicier flavor, add two jalapenos. If they are wrinkly, they tend to be spicier, so keep this in mind when selecting your pepper(s).
**The proofing time depends on how active the starter is, the humidity and temperature of the room, and the temperature of the other ingredients. Keep an eye on it and allow it more proofing time if needed.
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