Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough Bread

Jalapeño Cheese Bread

Oh, baby, this is good bread. Like really REALLY good bread.

Why this recipe works:

• The TASTE! This bread is PACKED with cheddar cheese chunks and spicy jalapeño slices. When you’re a fan of both of those things, it works really well!
• SIMPLE. Now I know that sourdough seems like a monster to people who don’t make it regularly. But if you do, this bread just involves adding in the cheese and jalapeños. You’re making a crusty loaf with the extra step of adding in the goodies. That’s it!
• Doesn’t require a long second rise. Once you form the loaf, it doesn’t need to sit all day. The bread will puff up a bit, but it won’t need to double in size. Therefore, the second rise is quick.
• Impressive. If you want to impress some guests, make THIS one. It goes well with just about anything – plain butter, cheese slices, pimento cheese spread, etc.

Ingredients Used:

Only four base ingredients plus two bonus ingredients (cheese and jalapeños!) are required for this delicious bread! I use three different types of flour, however, but they’re always stocked in my pantry.

How to make Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough Bread:

Step 1
Carefully measure out the ingredients (in the order listed) and combine in a mixing bowl. Use a fork and stir.

Step 3
After 30 minutes, add the cheddar cheese. Then start the stretch and folds. Use your hand and lift the dough up on one side, stretching it upward, and then punch into the center of the dough. Turn the dough and repeat. Continue this process for about 30 seconds. This is the STRETCH AND FOLDS.

After another 30 minutes, add the diced jalapeños and do another round of stretch and folds.

You’ll want to try to get most of the cheese and jalapeños in the center of the dough during this process. Form the dough into a smooth’ish ball, and place towel back in the bowl.

Step 7
Place the dough, seam side up, in a bowl lined with a towel or a prepared banneton basket (pictured below). Cover with a damp towel and let it sit for two to four hours. For this bread, it does not need to double again in size. This is the SECOND RISE.

For both the bowl and banneton basket, you’ll need to prepare them. For a bowl, add a thin tea towel dusted with rice flour (or regular flour will work in a pinch). For the basket, add some rice flour as well. The rice flour will help prevent sticking while regular flour may not do this as well.

Step 9
Bake. Add the lid to the pan and bake for 20 minutes. Then remove the lid and bake an additional 30 minutes, or until bread is nice and golden on top and bottom.

Remove pan and then use parchment paper as handles to lift the bread out of the pan. Place on a cooling rack. Let the bread COMPLETELY COOL before slicing.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is sourdough? Sourdough is a slow-fermented bread that doesn’t require store-bought yeast to make it rise. It’s a LIVE fermented culture that creates a natural leavening agent. A starter is required to make sourdough.
• What is a starter? A starter is a live culture made over a series of days, consisting of flour and water. It can be kept alive for years with periodic feeding.
• How do you make a starter? A starter can be created in less than a week with a simple combo of unbleached flour and filtered water. It’s a process of removing half of the starter and then “feeding” it every day, storing in a jar on your countertop, and getting it to a bubbly, sour point where it floats in water. More on this later.
• Is sourdough bread healthy? Sourdough bread is NOT gluten-free, as it contains flour, but its long fermentation helps break down this gluten. It’s easier on the gut because it’s more digestible and easier for the body to absorb. It’s also DELISH!

How to prepare a banneton basket:

A new banneton basket will need to be prepped for baking. Spray the basket with spritzes of water (or just use your hand to sprinkle water) and then give it a dusting of rice flour. Let the basket completely dry before using it. (You will want to do this at least an hour before you proof your first loaf of bread.)

Expert Tips:

• Make sure your starter is ready. If you store your starter in the refrigerator between use, make sure it’s active and ready to go before baking with it. I often feed it 2-3 times before using it after resting (i.e. sleeping in the refrigerator).
• Be flexible. If you’re bulk rise is taking longer than normal, or the starter isn’t as bubbly as you’d like it, be flexible. You can add time to either of these and still make delicious bread. Many factors will come to play as to when your sourdough is ready. In the summer months, the humidity and heat will make the process shorter. In the winter months, the process may be longer.
• Measure carefully and then adjust as needed. Make sure you use a digital scale to measure your ingredients in grams. This is important. Even with measuring carefully, you MAY need to adjust slightly. When your hands are on the dough doing stretches and folds, you will come to feel if more water/more flour is needed to make the dough pliable and soft. This comes with practice. 
• Practice. As I said above, as you practice making this bread and enjoying the bounties, you’ll learn all the little nuances of the sourdough process. Practice makes perfect!
• Let the bread cool. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to slice the bread immediately after coming out of the oven. If you do this, it will be doughy/gummy tasting. Let the bread completely cool before slicing!

Kitchen Tools Used: (affiliate links)

• Dutch Oven
• Digital Kitchen Scale
• Parchment Paper Sheets for High Heat Baking
• Bread Knife, 10-Inch
• Bread Lame – Made in the USA!
• Round Proofing Basket Banneton 11 inch
• Oval Bread Banneton Proofing Basket – 10 Inch