Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough (Beginner-Friendly)
A flavorful and beginner-friendly sourdough loaf made with sharp cheddar cheese chunks, fresh spicy jalapeños, and jalapeño juice mixed right in the dough for an extra kick and delicious flavor. The cheese melts into rich little pockets throughout the bread, so you have pockets of cheese and jalapeños in every single slice.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Mix the Dough
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the water and active sourdough starter until it's frothy.
- Then whisk in the jalapeño juice and olive oil until fully combined.
- Add the bread flour and salt, then mix with the whisk until you can't mix any more.
- Using your hands, mix the dough vigorously until fully combined.
- Cover and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
- Chop the cheddar and jalapeños now and place them in the refrigerator. You will be adding those during the 2nd and 3rd sets of stretch-and-folds.
Chop the cheddar block into small cubes, and de-seed and dice the jalapeños.
Stretch and Folds
- After 30 minutes, perform the 1st set of stretch-and-folds on your dough.
- Cover and allow the dough to rest for another 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, sprinkle half of the cheddar cheese cubes and half of the diced jalapeños on top of the dough. Then, as you rotate around the bowl, lift each side of the dough and fold it over onto itself, incorporating all the cheese and jalapeños.
- Cover and allow the dough to rest for another 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese cubes and diced jalapeños on top of the dough. Rotate around the bowl, 3 to 4 times, until the cheese and jalapeños are fully incorporated.
Stretch-and-folds help strengthen the dough without kneading. Stretch one side of the dough upward, fold it over itself, rotate the bowl, and repeat on all sides. The dough will become stronger and smoother with each set.
Bulk Fermentation
- Cover the dough and let it complete bulk fermentation in a warm area for 6-12 hours.
Keep in mind that bulk fermentation times can vary based on several factors. These factors include the temperature of your kitchen or home, the environment where the dough is fermenting, the temperature of any added ingredients, and the temperature of the water used in the dough.
To determine if your dough has completed the bulk fermentation process, look for the following signs: The dough should be jiggly and pull away from the sides of the bowl. You may also notice bubbles forming on the surface. If you are doing a pre-shape, check the dough for an airy texture.
Shaping and Refrigeration (Cold Retard)
- On a clean surface, dump your dough out to shape. Before you dump it out, check the texture; if the dough feels a bit sticky, sprinkle a few drops of water on the surface to prevent sticking while shaping.
- With a bench scraper, if you have one, start pushing the dough up, and then while tucking the dough under itself, pull it back down.
- Continue this up-and-down motion until the top of your dough has some tension. Due to the cheese cubes in this loaf, you may notice some tearing. That's normal; just be as gentle as possible.
- Once the dough has been shaped, dust a banneton or a towel-lined bowl with a bit of flour (or rice flour if you have it!)
- Flip the dough upside down and place it in the banneton or bowl, seam side up.
- Dust the dough with a bit more flour (or rice flour), cover it tightly, and refrigerate for 6-12 hours.
My favorite way to shape dough is by pushing and pulling it up and down to create tension. I find this to be the easiest method without tearing or overstretching the dough.
Scoring & Baking
- Place your Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot with a lid in a cold oven, then preheat the oven to 450°F. Once the oven indicates that it has reached the desired temperature, let it heat for an additional 30 minutes to ensure that both the oven and the cooking vessel are at the correct temperature.
- Remove your dough from the refrigerator and uncover it.
- Turn it out onto a piece of parchment paper or a dough sling if you have one.
- Using a bread lame or a sharp knife, make a ¼ cut from top to bottom at a slight angle. You can do this on the side or in the middle of your dough.
- Once your oven and Dutch oven are preheated, remove them from the oven and carefully place the loaf inside with the lid on. Bake for 35 minutes.
- After 35 minutes, remove the lid and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the loaf is fully cooked. The internal temperature should reach 208-210℉.
- Once the loaf is fully cooked, carefully remove it from the oven and place it on a cooling rack.
- The loaf will need to cool for at least 2 hours before slicing.
This step is optional, but I recommend spraying your loaf with water or placing a few ice cubes into the Dutch oven before you place your dough inside to bake. It will create steam to help the loaf rise.
Keep a close eye on this loaf because the cheese will burn quickly.
Letting it cool is very important! Don't skip this step!