Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough
This jalapeño cheddar sourdough bread will make your taste buds sing! It’s packed with tangy sourdough, zippy pickled jalapeños, and sharp cheddar. The pickled jalapeños add a kick while the cheese melts into little pockets throughout the bread, for an irresistible treat.
Ingredients
- 60 g sourdough starter active
- 250 g water warm
- 330 g bread flour
- 6 g kosher salt coarse
- 70 g cheddar cubed
- 35 g pickled jalapeños
Instructions
Build the dough:
- Combine 60g fed and active starter with 250g warm water, then add 330g bread flour.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel.
- Set the dough aside to rest for 30 minutes.
- Sprinkle in the salt and knead everything together for 2- 3 minutes. Recover the dough and allow to rest for another 30 minutes.
Stretch + Fold:
- With wet hands, grab the dough and gently pull it until the flap is long enough to fold over itself, then fold the flap, rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat 8-12 times, for 2-3 rotations around the bowl.
- Recover the bowl, and set it aside for 30 minutes.
- Repeat the stretch and fold process twice - stretch and fold followed by a 30 minute rest.
- During this last rest, prepare your jalapeños and cheddar cubes! Slice or dice your pickled jalapeños into your desired size, and cube the cheddar into ¼" cubes.
Add ins:
- Lightly dust your counter top with flour, then turn the dough onto the work surface.
- Carefully press/stretch the dough into a rectangular shape with wet hands. The dough may fight your pulling, but take care to not tear the dough - if required, stretch a bit, then let the dough rest for a couple of minutes before stretching more.
- Spread the pickled jalapeños and cubed cheddar over the surface of the sourdough, reserving about ¼ of each.
- Fold up the bottom of the rectangle about ⅓ of the way up, like you'd fold a letter. Sprinkle the remaining add ins on the piece you just folded up. Fold the top of the dough over the bottom. Gently fold the sides under to form a boule shape.
- Return the dough to it's bowl, cover and set aside to rise for 5-6 hours.
Shaping:
- Once the dough has nearly doubled, gently move it to a lightly floured work surface, then, fold the dough into a square-ish shape.
- Flip the dough, so the floured side is up, and tuck the dough underneath itself in gentle circular motion until a round boule forms.
- Transfer the dough to your proofing basket, banneton, or bowl. If using a proofing basket or banneton, flour well before transferring dough. If using a bowl, line it with parchment paper.
- Cover the dough and rest for another two or so hours, until the dough puffs up and becomes slightly jiggly. It won't double at this stage and that's ok. If you're not going to bake right away, cover the dough and place it in the fridge for 12-16 hours. If performing a cold ferment, bake sourdough cold, straight from the fridge, but add an extra 5 minutes of bake time.
Bake:
- Preheat oven with dutch oven inside to 475f.
- Once oven is preheated, turn the dough out onto a parchment sheet.
- Score the top of the dough with a bread lame or sharp razor blade.
- Lift the dough using the parchment paper as a sling and place it into the hot dutch oven.
- Bake at 475f for 35 minutes covered and then another 15-20 minutes uncovered, until the crust is golden brown.
- Remove from dutch oven immediately and place on a wire mesh rack to cool before slicing.
Notes
baker's schedule
- Day 1 -->
8 am: Feed the starter warm water. Set aside to activate.
1 pm: Mix up the the dough.
2:30 pm: The stretching and folding process is complete, add in the jalapeños and cheddar cheese. Set aside to proof.
7:30 pm: pre-shape and shape the sourdough loaf.
8:30 pm: Bake or place in fridge to cold ferment overnight. - Day 2 -->
8:30 am: Set a small dutch oven into the cold oven and preheat both together at 475f.
9 am: Flip the jalapeño cheddar sourdough loaf onto a parchment paper square, score. Then using the parchment paper sling, lower the loaf into the preheated dutch oven and bake.
Storage:
Your boule can be kept cut side down on a cutting board for up to 12 hours before the crust becomes too crisp. I recommend transferring it to a bread bag once cooled. Jalapeño cheddar sourdough loaf can also be frozen. To freeze, cool the loaf to room temperature, then tightly wrap in plastic wrap, slide it into a bread bag, seal it up and stick it in the freezer for 1-2 months. To use after freezing, remove the loaf from the freezer, unwrap and allow to come to room temperature (1 -2 hours) before slicing and enjoying.