Jalapeno Cheddar Sourdough Bread Recipe

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Jalapeno Cheddar Sourdough Bread Recipe

Gooey sharp cheddar and spicy jalapeño kick up this sourdough bread recipe! This loaf is great for making sandwiches, serving with soups for dipping, pairing with anything you cook on the grill, or accompanying a hearty meal.

Course Bread

Cuisine American

Keyword Jalapeno Cheddar Sourdough

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1

Other Time: 1

Servings servings

Calories 178kcal

Author Faith Gorsky

Ingredients

To Feed Your Starter:

90 grams 100% hydration ripe sourdough starter
90 grams unbleached all-purpose flour (organic if possible)
90 grams non-chlorinated water (I use bottled water at room temperature)

Dough:

188 grams sourdough starter (100% hydration; fed and bubbly; at room temperature)
520 grams non-chlorinated water (I use bottled water at room temperature)
750 grams unbleached bread flour (organic if possible)
18 grams fine sea salt
8 ounces fresh jalapeño peppers (de-seeded, diced, and patted dry)
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese (shredded on the large side of a box grater)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Feed Your Starter (4 to 12 hours wait time)

Feed your starter so that it’s at peak when you’re planning to make the dough. Around 4 to 12 hours before you want to make the dough is the general timeframe, but you know how long it takes your starter to reach peak after a feeding, so go with that.

Make the Dough (30 minutes wait time)

Add the active starter, water, and salt to a large container (TIP: use a glass or clear container so you can see through the sides and bottom), and whisk to combine. Add the flour, and stir to form a shaggy dough (don’t knead it).  
Cover the container and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Stretch and Folds (90 minutes wait time)

Wet your hands and perform your first set of stretch and folds. To do so, grab a piece of dough, gently stretch it up, fold it over, and then rotate the bowl 1/4 turn. Repeat this process 3 more times until you come to the point where you started. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.  
After 30 minutes, repeat the stretch and fold process. After that, cover the bowl and let the dough rest at room temperature for another 30 minutes. Repeat this process 2 more times, for a total of 4 sets of stretch and folds spaced 30 minutes apart.
Right before the fourth set of stretch and folds, sprinkle the diced jalapeños and shredded cheddar on top of the dough so they get incorporated into the dough during the final set of stretch and folds.

Bulk Fermentation (6 to 12 hours wait time)

Let the dough rest (covered) until bulk fermentation is over, about 6 to 12 hours at room temperature. Bulk fermentation is over when the dough looks puffed. (TIP: It doesn’t have to be fully doubled in size; it may be 75%. The top of the dough should be slightly domed and bubbly, and the bottom should look spongy.)

Shape

Line a large bowl with a clean cotton tea towel, and sprinkle an even layer of flour across the towel.  
Lightly spritz your countertop with a little non-chlorinated water and wet your hands (I prefer to roll out my dough with water instead of flour). Scrape your dough out onto the dampened countertop and roughly shape it into a rectangle about 13 to 14 inches long by 8 to 9 inches wide (it doesn’t have to be perfect and you aren’t rolling it out here). Gently press the dough with your fingertips to get rid of excess gas bubbles. Fold your dough in thirds like a letter, then starting with one end, roll up the dough into a log. To create surface tension, gently pull the dough towards you across the countertop a few times.  
Place the dough (seam side up) into the prepared towel-lined bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

Proof (1 to 4 hours at room temperature or 12 to 24 hours in the fridge wait time)

Let the dough rest until it’s properly proofed, about 12 to 24 hours in the fridge or 1 to 4 hours at room temperature. (TIP: You’ll know it’s properly proofed when it looks puffed (it’ll be roughly doubled in size), and jiggles when you gently shake the bowl. Also, the poke test is helpful as a guideline; lightly flour your finger and the dough’s surface, and gently press your finger into the dough. If it springs back slowly (instead of springing back quickly or not at all), it’s ready to bake.)

Preheat, Score, and Bake (1 hour wait time)

An hour before you want to bake, put a 6.5 to 7.5-quart Dutch oven with the lid on (or whatever vessel you use for baking sourdough) into the oven. Preheat the oven to 450F; once your oven reaches temperature, set a timer for 1 hour.  
After preheating the oven for 1 hour, take your dough out of the fridge, invert it onto a parchment paper-lined plate, and score the top. Use the parchment paper to carefully lift the dough up and place it into the Dutch oven (with the parchment still underneath it). Put the lid on.  
Bake for 25 minutes, then remove the lid and bake until done, about 20 to 25 minutes more. (TIP: The bread is done when it’s golden outside, sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom, and reaches an internal temperature of 205-210F.)

Cool and Slice (about 6 hours wait time)

Transfer the bread to a wire rack and cool completely before slicing, at least 6 hours, but overnight is better.

Notes

Recipe Yield: This recipe makes 1 (large!) loaf of bread, or about 24 servings. The nutritional information was calculated based on it yielding 24 servings.
Storage: Once it’s cool, store this bread in a bread bag or wrapped in a kitchen towel for up to 3 days at room temperature, or in a zip-top plastic bag for up to 1 week in the fridge.
Freezing: To freeze sourdough slices, let the loaf fully cool and then slice it. Arrange the slices in an even layer on a parchment paper-lined baking tray and freeze until solid. After that, pop the frozen slices into a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.
Reheating: After freezing, for the best flavor and texture, I recommend toasting the slices right before eating. You can reheat frozen sliced sourdough bread in a 425F oven for about 10 to 15 minutes (no need to thaw it first!), flipping each slice once halfway through.

Nutrition