Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough Bread

4.28 from 18 votes

Spice up your sourdough bread with spicy jalapeños and sharp cheddar cheese stuffed into an artisan sourdough loaf.

Prep Time15

Cook Time50

Proofing Time6

Total Time7 5

Course: Bread

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

The night before (about 10 hours prior), feed your starter a 1:5:5 ratio (15 grams starter: 75 grams flour: 75 grams water). The starter is ready to use when it has doubled in size and is filled with bubbles of all different sizes along the sides and surface.
This step can be skipped if your starter is already ready to use.

Mix the active starter, water, and salt in a container with straight sides or a medium clear bowl. Add the flour and mix until the dough is shaggy and the flour is incorporated. Cover and let the dough rest for 30 minutes. For a similar timeline as listed, keep the dough at 75°F.
150 grams sourdough starter, doubled in size and bubbly, 500 grams bread flour, 350 grams water, 10 grams salt

Measure out the jalapeños and place them on a paper towel. Dab them with another paper towel to remove excess moisture. Shred the cheddar cheese.
150 grams cheddar cheese, 90 grams pickled jalapenos

Perform 3 sets of stretch-and-folds, spaced about 30 minutes apart. To stretch and fold, grab one side of the dough with a damp hand and gently shimmy the dough up, and then fold it on top of itself. Repeat this 3 more times, rotating the bowl 90 degrees each time. Keep the dough covered and resting at around 75°F between each set to maintain an active rise.
During the first set of stretch and folds, incorporate the shredded cheddar cheese and jalapeños.

Let the dough continue to rise at 75°F. The first rise (bulk fermentation) is done when the dough is jiggly, domed on top, bubbly on the sides, and has risen about 50%.
If it does not show these signs, continue to let the dough rise until it does. At a dough temperature of 75°F, my dough is usually ready in 4 hours from the time it is mixed.

Turn the dough out onto an unfloured surface and gently stretch it into a chubby square. Fold the top edge down toward the center, like you’re closing an envelope, pulling slightly to build surface tension. Fold the top two corners in toward the center so they overlap slightly, then repeat with the bottom two corners. Lift the bottom edge of the dough up and over so the seams are now underneath. Using cupped hands, gently rotate and pull the dough toward you, tucking as you go, until the surface feels smooth and taut. Flip the dough seam-side up into a 9-10 inch banneton basket that’s been lightly dusted with rice flour (or all-purpose). If you want jalapeños baked onto the crust, place a few slices into the banneton before adding the dough. Cover the basket.

Leave the dough on the counter for about 1-2 hours until it passes the "poke" test. When you poke the dough with a lightly floured finger and the dough slowly fills in, it is ready to bake. If the dough springs back immediately, it needs more time and if it does not fill back in at all it is overproofed and needs baked immediately. Place the dough in the freezer while your oven preheats.

Preheat the dutch oven in the oven at 450°F. Flip the dough onto a piece of parchment paper and score the bread with a bread lame, razor blade, or sharp knife about a quarter inch deep at a 30-45° angle. This can be one line or multiple, depending on your preferences. For more intricate designs, hold the blade straight and make shallow cuts.

Bake the bread in the hot Dutch oven for 30 minutes with the lid on. Take the lid off and bake for another 18-20 minutes. The bread should sound hollow when you knock on the bottom, this will tell you the bread is cooked through. Or you can check the internal temperature of the loaf has reached 205°F.
Remove the bread from the dutch oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack before slicing.

For extra spice, swap out some or all of the cheddar cheese for jalapeno pepper jack cheese. You can also swap 1-2 grams of salt with an extra spicy salt.
If you would like to add bacon, add 12 ounces of cooked bacon when you add the jalapenos and cheese.
If you’d rather prep the dough in the evening and bake the next day, you can place it in the fridge during its second rise and let it cold-proof for 8–12 hours. Bake it straight from the fridge—no need to bring it to room temperature. Check the blog post for a full breakdown of timing options under the sample schedule section.
You can use pre-shredded cheese, although I find it does not melt into the bread as well as freshly shredded cheese does.