Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough Bread
A jalapeño 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.
This is one of our favorite sourdough recipes of all time and one of the most popular on my blog. You won’t be disappointed ❤️.
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 jalapeños!
The best part of this bread is that it’s just as easy to make as regular artisan sourdough bread. The cheese and jalapeños don’t do anything to hurt the rise of the bread or anything like that. If you have made a successful loaf of sourdough bread, this recipe is going to turn out great.
Ingredients and Tools You’ll Need
A kitchen scale is helpful for any bread baking, but almost essential for sourdough. It is more accurate, less messy, and totally worth the cost.
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.
Keep your cheese cold and cut it into small cubes (about 1/4 inch) rather than shredding it. This gives you those gorgeous pockets of melted cheese throughout the loaf. Shredded cheese will disappear!
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups bread flour (450 grams/15.85 ounces)
- 1 ⅓ cups lukewarm water (300 grams/10.6 ounces)
- ¾ cup active sourdough starter, mature, well fed (165 grams/5.85 ounces)
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
- ⅓ cup diced jalapeños, fresh or pickled (about 2 whole)
- 1 cup diced sharp cheddar (cut into cubes, don’t shred it)
- rice flour (for proofing the banneton basket – This makes a HUGE difference if you are having trouble with your loaf sticking to the proofing basket.)
How to Make Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough
Step One: Mix Ingredients (Other Than Salt, Peppers, And Cheese)
Combine the flour, water, sugar, and starter in a large bowl and stir. Use your hands to incorporate any dry bits. 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.
Step Two: Rest
Cover with a clean, damp tea towel and allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Step Three: Add Salt, Jalapeños, And Cheddar
After the rest period, add the salt, cheddar cheese, and jalapeños and knead for a minute or two until everything is thoroughly mixed in.
Step Four: Bulk Rise, And Stretch And Folds
Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for three hours, reshaping the dough into a ball once per hour. To reshape, pull from the outside in to reform a ball (stretch and folds). You can do this right in the bowl.
Step Five: Overnight Proof
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 it with plastic wrap. Allow to proof overnight in the fridge.
Step Six: Prep For Baking
In the morning, preheat oven to 450℉ with rack in the center. (You can preheat the Dutch oven in there if you’d like.) Remove the dough from the fridge and turn it out onto a sheet of parchment paper, trying to have it land in the center. Slash the top with a lame or very sharp knife.
Step Seven: Place In Dutch Oven And Bake
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.
Step Eight: Cool And Serve
Remove from the Dutch Oven and remove the parchment paper. Allow to cool on a wire rack 3 to 4 hours before slicing. It will stay at room temperature, tightly wrapped, for a few days.
Serving & Storing Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough
This loaf keeps at room temperature for 3-4 days when wrapped well.
For longer storage, slice it up and freeze for up to a month. To reheat a whole loaf, spritz with water and warm in a 350°F oven for 10-15 minutes.
Make It Your Own
- Try this with smoked Gouda.
- Poblanos are your friend if you want that pepper flavor without all the heat.
- This bread makes the best grilled cheese!
Related Recipes
- If your starter is low or you don’t have any, you can make it with yeast! Try my jalapeño cheddar no-knead bread recipe.
- Jalapeño cheddar sourdough is not an everyday bread, but these crusty sourdough rolls are something you will always want on hand in your kitchen.
- If you love Cheez-Its, make some sourdough cheddar crackers!
Printable Recipe
Jalapeño Cheddar Cheese Sourdough Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups bread flour (15.85 ounces)
- 1 ⅓ cups lukewarm water (10.6 ounces)
- ¾ cup active sourdough starter mature, well fed (5.85 ounces)
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
- ⅓ cup diced jalapeños fresh or pickled (about 2 whole)
- 1 cup diced sharp cheddar
- rice flour (for proofing banneton basket)
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Instructions
- Mix ingredients other than salt, peppers, and cheese. Combine the flour, water, sugar, and starter in a large bowl and stir. Use your hands to incorporate any dry bits. 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.
- Rest. Cover with a clean, damp tea towel and allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Add salt, jalapeños, and cheddar. After the rest period, add the salt, cheddar cheese, and jalapeños and knead for a minute or two until everything is thoroughly mixed in.
- Bulk rise and stretch and folds. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for three hours, reshaping the dough into a ball once per hour. To reshape, pull from the outside in to reform a ball (stretch and folds). You can do this right in the bowl.
- Overnight proof. 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 it with plastic wrap. Allow to proof overnight in the fridge.
- Prep for baking. In the morning, preheat oven to 450℉ with rack in the center. (You can preheat the Dutch oven in there if you'd like.) 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 in Dutch oven and bake. 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.
- Cool and serve. 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
By Katie Shaw
Katie shares simple, reliable recipes from her home in Virginia, where she lives with her husband, three daughters, a chocolate lab, and over thirty chickens.
The heart of summer there are fresh blueberries. I knew I needed to bake your recipe and include lemon zest and blueberries. What a taste thrill. My starter was pretty active, but got the dough into the frig right after the rest/folds,the mixing. I was in shock when I got up in the morning. It was overflowing my benneton basket. Good thing I had the shower cap on tightly. I gently coaxed it back into the basket. I got the Dutch oven heated, thenwith the help of parchment paper, got it into the oven. Right on schedule per the recipe, it was finished. I let it rest for an entire 24 hours. Then, I mixed up a batch of marscapone cheese with lemon curd. A half minute in the toaster to warm the bread, schemer with the cheese/curd mixture, and voila-a wonderful dessert! I will sure do this one again.
patricia i’m so glad youu enjoyed it and the desserts sounds lovely!!
First time making Sourdough and it was a hit with family and friend.
I just made it for the first time and could not get Jalapenos so used pickled chilli’s with the cheddar cheese and I have to say it is wonderful. My tasting slice was nearly 1/4 of the loaf as I did need to make sure it is as good as I thought!
This is terrific! Appreciate the tutorial and video about reshaping. Delicious on its own and just made sandwiches. Will make again for sure.
Love this recipe! May I know where to find your cranberry walnut recipe?
hi i havent actually posted that recipe yet! i bump up the sugar to 3 tablespoons and keep everything else the same as this method. (I use dried cranberries)
This is my favorite sourdough recipe. Make it all the time
yay! thank you for letting me know, scott!
Dear Katie, Oops, I did it again!! The cheddar/jalapeño bread was so delicious that I had to try a sweet batch. This one I did two loaves at the same time. I did use two different bowls for the dough so I could keep them apart for volume. This time I added dried tart cherries, 1 cup, chopped pecans, 1/2 cup, and chocolate chips 1/2 cup. I decided to try baking one batch in my Breadtopia oblong ceramic cloche. Each one was in a basket for the night in the refrigerator. There was no need for the extra 5 minutes baking after removing from pans. These were brown enough. I did put the Dutch oven onto a cookie sheet in the oven to help prevent too much bottom heat with the fruit and chips in it. Thank you again for a fabulous recipe.
Just made this recipe. It is delicious.
Hands down one of the nicest loaves that has come out of my kitchen, thank you for your great recipe!
I have made your recipe as written 4 times now and it is hands down the easiest most delicious sourdough I have ever made! Today, I used your recipe but made roasted garlic/kalamata instead. It too was fantastic!! Thank you for your recipe.
Wish I could post pictures:)
hi, id really like to try this recipe out, but can i omit the sugar? what difference will it make? is it necessary..thanks a lot
hardly any difference! go for it!
Amazing recipe. My favourite by far.
I’m looking forward to trying this! I just put the loaf in the fridge to proof- but it is 1pm. Should I plan to cook the loaf tonight instead of in the morning? Can I leave it out for a few hours instead of an overnight proof?
I’d like to know that as well! Thanks for asking the question.
I did let mine sit on the counter in the “basket” for several hours because I didn’t have room in the fridge. It expanded over the container so I poured out and baked as directed. Been on the sourdough adventure for two weeks and this is the best bread. Light and airy, crunchy and chewy. Perfect!
I’m a little concerned… I just did the first 3 hours and put it in the fridge. But it hasn’t risen at all in that 3-hour time frame. Should it be rising during that time?
I’m afraid I screwed it up somehow!
Ashley, yes it should have risen! is your starter active? did you have it in a warm place?
What if i only have shredded cheddar? I saw in your above comment that its just not as visible. Will this be an issue for me??
you just won’t see the pieces, no big deal!
What size Dutch oven did you use??
Hello. I just baked this recipe for the first time. Judging by the amount of flour, three cups, plus the cheese and peppers, four cups, I decided to use my smaller Dutch oven, a four quart. It has fairly straight sides and from experience, I knew it would raise higher instead of spreading out in a bigger pot. The overnight proofing in the refrigerator gave the sourdough a nice start to a good oven spring. Putting the dough into the pot without preheating was the best. I was able to get the loaf centered on the parchment paper really nicely before lowering it into the pot. For my preference, the crust was perfect. Chewy, but tender. The inside was amazing with great sourdough holes and tight crumb. I will use the very same recipe and add different items to the dough.
patricia i’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! if you search my site i have a lemon blueberry bread using this same base recipe. it feels very cheerful and springy!
Wow this recipe is a keeper. Love it.
So delicious and easy!
I make this loaf on a weekly basis and get consistent results every time. In my case I leave the lid on my dutch oven for 10 minutes more than stated, but keep within the allotted baking time. Thank you for a wonderful recipe that is easy to follow. A family favourite!
Gillian I’m so glad the recipe is a hit! thank you for the comment 🙂
I love this recipe and I have made it many times, everyone loves it!
I just have a question: what happens if I only have the thick shredded sharp cheese?
I guess I’ll find out tomorrow because I’m getting ready to start making it again:)
Giselle sorry I’m just getting back to you now! it will be fine! just not as visible inside the loaf. 🙂