A jalapeno cheddar sourdough bread recipe that’s loaded with flavor. A beautiful crust, soft interior, and sharp cheese and spicy peppers combine for a loaf you won’t forget.
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The eternal problem with sourdough bread is that your starter has to be fed and discarded all the time and you are forced to bake bread constantly. And sometimes…. your favorite recipes get a little… boring.
And the antidote to boring bread? Adding cheddar cheese and jalapenos!
The best part of this bread is that its just as easy as to make as regular artisan sourdough bread. The cheese and jalapenos don’t do anything to hurt the rise of the bread or anything like that. If you have a made successful loaf of sourdough bread, this recipe is going to turn out great.
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Helpful tools and special ingredients
- A kitchen scale. This is helpful any bread baking, but almost essential for sourdough. It is more accurate, less messy, and totally worth the cost.
- Bread flour! Don’t be tempted to substitute all purpose flour. Bread flour will give a chewy, crusty loaf and the hydration of this recipe is calculated using bread flour. If you can’t find it at your grocery store, you can order it online.
- A Dutch Oven with a tight fitting lid. This helps create a mini oven and lets the load bake in a steamy environment, which helps it rise. If you don’t have a Dutch Oven, you can simply preheat a rimming baking sheet on a lower rack and pour a cup of water on it to create steam.
- A proofing basket with a cloth liner. This will help your loaf keep its shape as it proofs overnight in the fridge. If you have a bowl that’s the right shape, you can line it with a tea towel. But the proofing baskets are pretty!
- Rice flour. This makes a HUGE difference if you are having trouble with your loaf sticking to the proofing basket.
Step by step jalapeno cheddar sourdough
We being with an autolyse stage. Don’t be alarmed. It just means to stir the bread flour, water, starter, and sugar together and let them sit in a bowl. This is not a very high-hydration recipe, so it might look a little rough and somewhat dry. Just use your hands to combine everything into one mass. Cover it with a clean tea towel and let them rest at room temperature for thirty minutes.
Once the dough has rested, it’s time to add in the salt, cheddar, and jalapeno. Dump it right on top of the dough and knead it in. You’ll want to knead by hand for a few minutes to make sure that everything gets incorporated well.
Now that the mix ins are worked in well, it’s time to let the dough rise. Put it in a clean, lightly oiled bowl and cover it with greased plastic or a damp tea towel.
The first rise will take about three to four hours at room temperature. But every hour during this rise, you will need to reshape the dough back into a ball. When the next hour passes, the dough will have relaxed again into the shape of the bowl, like this:
You want to build up structure in the dough and fold it back up like this:
After three folds, you can move on the next stage. It’s time for the second proof, which is a cold proof in the fridge, overnight.
Place the ball of dough into a well-floured proofing basket and cover it with plastic wrap. Pop it in the fridge overnight. In the morning, it should look like this:
In the morning, take the dough out of the fridge and preheat your oven to 450 degrees with a rack in the middle.
Turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper and slash with a lame. One slash down the middle is fine, or you can get fancy!
Place the paper and the dough into a Dutch Oven with a lid. Bake for 25 minutes with the lid on, 25 minutes with the lid off. Then (this is optional), remove the loaf from the Dutch Oven and the paper and bake directly on the oven rack for five more minutes. This helps to brown and crisp the crust all over.
Let cool for at least 3 hours, and slice and serve. Now since this is a jalapeño cheddar sourdough with tons of flavor, I like it best with something plain, like making a turkey sandwich or serving alongside a roast chicken. But of course, you can serve it however you like.
Here’s the recipe!
If you love this recipe, please give it five stars!
Jalapeno Cheddar Cheese Sourdough Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups bread flour 450 grams/ 15.85 ounces
- 1 1/3 cups lukewarm water 300 grams/ 10.6 ounces
- 3/4 cup mature well fed sourdough starter (165 grams/ 5.85 ounces)
- 3/4 tablespoon white sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1/3 cup diced jalapenos fresh or pickled (about 2 whole)
- 1 cup diced sharp cheddar
Instructions
- Combine the flour, water, sugar, and starter in a large bowl and stir. Use your hands to incorporate any dry bits. Cover with a clean, damp tea towel and allow to rest at room temperature for 3o minutes.
- After the rest period, add the salt, cheddar cheese, and jalapenos and knead for a minute or two until everything is thoroughly mixed in. Cover with damp towel and allow to rise in a warm place for three hours, reshaping the dough into a ball once per hour.
- Heavily dust a banneton with rice flour. When it is time to shape the dough the third time, place the loaf into the banneton and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to proof overnight in the fridge.
- In morning, preheat oven to 450 with rack in the center. Remove dough from fridge and turn it out onto a sheet or parchment paper, trying to have it land in the center. Slash the top with a lame or very sharp knife. Place the parchment paper and dough into a lidded Dutch Oven and put the lid back on top.
- Bake for a total of 55 minutes: 25 minutes covered, 25 minutes uncovered, and then remove from the Dutch Oven and bake directly on the rack for 5 minutes to brown the crust. Bread should be 200-210 internally when it is done.
- Remove from Dutch Oven and remove parchment paper. Allow to cool on a wire rack 3 to 4 hours before slicing. Will keep at room temperature, tightly wrapped, for a few days.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Want more bread recipes?
- Dutch ovens make the best, crusty round loaves. Check out my favorite Dutch Oven bread recipes here.
- Jalapeno cheddar sourdough is not an everyday bread but these sourdough rolls are something you will always want on hand in your kitchen.
- And if your sourdough starter is taking over your life, don’t forget you can use your sourdough discard for all kinds of things
Jessica says
This recipe is perfection! Thank you!!!
Have you ever done a loaf with fruit and nuts in it? That’s my next “project”!
Katie Shaw says
yes! cranberry walnut! the process is pretty much the same but I add a little more sugar.
Jessica says
Hooray!!! I’ve got dried cherries and pecans just waiting to be baked into a loaf. Thank you!
This bread has such a lovely texture. My jalapeño loaf only lasted 2 days!
Diane says
Success!! I did end up leaving out for 3ish hours after pulling from fridge until it passed the poke test. Maybe didn’t let it proof enough on first go.
Used pickled jalapeños for this one but have a bunch fresh growing to use next time.
Smoked cheddar gave a great flavor.
Katie Shaw says
wonderful! so glad you liked it!
Rachel says
Wow. This bread is so good and fool proof. Even I could make it! I used candied jalopenos from my garden and it was so delicious. Will be making again.
Katie Shaw says
I’m so happy to hear that Rachel! we love it during jalapeño season too!
Alison says
Hi Katie,
I accidentally left the dough out proofing for 9 hours overnight. Since it has cheese I’m concerned about safety. Is it still okay to use or would you throw it away? Or put it on the fridge. It’s also very wet I was not able to really shape it. Thank you!
Katie Shaw says
Alison, I think the cheese would be fine in terms of safety. but its probably very over proofed. it won’t have any structure as it bakes and will be very flat. 🙁
Gina says
Hi! About to make this…the recipe is missing a word regarding jarred/pickled jalapeños. I assume it is “drain” the liquid. Is that correct? Want to make sure before I get started.
Katie Shaw says
yes, drain! 🙂 sorry about that
Charlie Brenner says
Just a quick question. Why the sugar? Does it affect the rise or proofing time, or is it just for extra flavor?
Katie Shaw says
hi Charlie, just for flavor! you can leave it out with not much of a difference 🙂
Charlie Brenner says
Thanks. I’m doing this recipe tomorrow!
Jeanne C. says
I have made this recipe at least 12 times now. It is almost fool-proof. I no longer measure the cheese or the jalapenos, I just toss in far more than the recipe suggests. I use a mixture of mild and hot pickled jalapenos. I have experimented a little and I like to let the dough rest once I pull it from the refrigerator if time allows. I have tried other recipes, but this is the best! The only problem I see is that I never want to make any other bread – this is just that good! Thank you to Hearts Content Farmhouse for this wonderful recipe.
Katie Shaw says
you are so welcome Jeanne 🙂 glad you are enjoying it
McKenna says
I just pulled this loaf out of the oven and if it tastes even half as good as it looks and smells, this is a wonderful recipe! I’m new to making sourdough bread, but found this to be quite easy to put together!
Gemma Gomba says
I am using le crueset Dutch oven to bake, just transferring the parchment paper with corn flour to it. The bottom crust tends to be hard. How do I prevent this? Thanks.
Katie Shaw says
try misting the parchment paper with water before you put the loaf on 🙂
Suzy says
I’ve made many loaves of sourdough, and this is the absolute best one I’ve ever made! The flavor is amazing and the crumb turns out perfect. I’m baking a second loaf this morning to give to a friend, with fresh jalapeños from her garden!
Katie Shaw says
lucky duck to have jalapeños already! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe 😊
Sheryll says
Bread tasted great! Will add more Jalapenos next time and will preheat the Dutch oven for at least 45 min as I usually do when making bread. This time around didn’t get the rise I was expecting. Thanks for the recipe!
Karly says
Hi! Two things. One, I don’t have rice flour, is AP or bread flour okay for dusting? And lastly, I haven’t gotten around to ordering a proofing bowl yet… a heavily dusted bowl work just fine? Thx!
Katie Shaw says
yes they will both work. line the bowl with a tea towel and flour. VERY. heavily. it might still stick a little. there’s nothing quite as good as rice flour!
Charlotte says
This is the best loaf of bread I have ever made. After removing it from the refrigerator in the morning, I accidentally left the dough on the counter all day and the dough doubled in size. Although I thought it was ruined, I baked it anyway and it came out soft, chewy, and picture perfect! Thank you so much
!
Katie Shaw says
I am so happy to hear it Charlotte! keep baking 🙂
Elaine Kurtz-Hardowa says
Can I use the bread maker for the kneading stage?
Katie Shaw says
I don’t love it for this recipe- its such a brief kneading time I think the bread. machine would overdo it. a stand mixer would be better.
Toni says
To conserve bread flour these days, I have used a combination of AP and high-gluten. I have also preheated my clay baker. This recipe is just absolutely amazing, and I have no idea what the hydration level of my starter is. This recipe is pretty forgiving in my opinion and has turned out great every time. At times, I have let it refrigerate up to
4 days before baking.
Katie Shaw says
toni i am so happy to know it help well in the fridge, that is so helpful! I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying it 🙂
Julie says
Does the hydration level of the starter matter? I have two starters, one is 100% and the other is at or just under 80%
Thanks so much for the recipe. I can’t wait to try it this weekend!!
Katie Shaw says
yes this is with a 100% hydration starter 🙂
Dwight Reed says
It doesn’t look like you are pre-heating the dutch oven before putting the dough in. Is that true?
Katie Shaw says
correct. 🙂
Dwight Reed says
Thanks. I’ve been wanting to try that. Seems like it would be a whole lot easier.
Janice says
The bread turns out and tastes great! Why is my bottom burning? Seems like from the cheese.
Katie Shaw says
Could certainly be the cheese. some People like to mist the parchment with water before baking 🙂
Jess says
If I want to use all purpose, how much water should I leave out to make it work.
Katie Shaw says
I would reduce the water by 25%. if it doesn’t come together as a a dough after the resting stage, try adding a bit more. but it makes a big difference.
Tasha says
My dough is not dry. It’s super sticky and isn’t forming into a ball. 😭 I’m at the final proofing stage. Is it too late to do anything with it?
Katie Shaw says
tasha, at the final stage the dough will definitely be sticky, that’s normal. just make sure you flour the liner very very well. (by the way did you use bread flour? if you try to substitute all purpose flour, it will come out extra sticky unless you reduce the water a little!)
Dana says
I have a question! What if we were making this bread earlier in the day? Could we let it proof at room temperature for a few hours instead of proofing in the fridge overnight?
Katie Shaw says
yes, absolutely. you’ll just need to keep an eye on it as the rising time will vary dramatically depending on the temperature of your room. for me, a room temp proof is about 3 hours, as a guideline.
Daniele says
Would all purpose flour work for dusting the basket instead of rice flour? Thank you!
Katie Shaw says
any flour should work in theory. but honestly there is nothing like rice flour in term of preventing sticking. if you’re using AP just be very generous and turn it out carefully in the morning 🙂