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Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough Bread is a recipe you need in your back pocket. If you love a little heat and a little cheese, you are going to love this jalapeño cheddar sourdough bread recipe. The texture is soft and smooth. The cheese melts throughout the dough and the diced jalapeños give it the best kick of heat.
I make this sourdough bread often because it’s my husband’s favorite, along with my Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough Focaccia – he can’t get enough. I always make this loaf for bread classes and there are never any leftovers. I hope you love it as much as we do!
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Table of Contents
- Ingredients in Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough Bread
- Sample Sourdough Schedule for Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough
- Mix Levain
- Begin Bulk Fermentation: Fermentolyse
- Bulk Fermentation: Stretch and Folds
- Adding Inclusions to Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough Bread
- Bulk Fermentation: Resting and Pre-Shaping the Dough
- Shaping the Dough
- Cold Fermentation
- Baking Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough Bread
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Popular Sourdough Bread Recipes
- Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough Bread Recipe
Ingredients in Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough Bread
- Sourdough Starter: Use an active/ripe sourdough starter (doubled in size/bubbly/mildly sour aroma) to mix the levain.
- Bread Flour: I almost always use a 12.5% protein bread flour for any bread that I am kneading. The higher protein content and properly activating the gluten result in a lighter/springy baked good.
- Whole Wheat Flour: I add whole wheat flour to this recipe for a little extra depth of flavor and to encourage fermentation. You can use freshly milled whole wheat flour or whole wheat flour from the grocery store.
- Diced Jalapeños: Diced jalapeños are perfect for this bread. Drain them well before adding them to the dough. I love the flavor the diced jalapeños bring to every bite of this sourdough jalapeño cheddar bread.
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese: Sharp cheddar cheese has incredible flavor when paired with the jalapeños. I always recommend grating your own cheese before adding it to the dough, just like in my Sourdough Asiago Bagel Bread and my Italian Herbs and Cheese Sourdough. Pre-shredded cheese has “caking” additives added to it that keep the cheese from sticking together. Grating your own is the way to go for this recipe.
- Salt: Salt enhances the flavor, don’t leave it out!
Sample Sourdough Schedule for Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough
A sample baking schedule helps me when baking with sourdough. Sourdough takes much longer to rise than commercial yeast bread. This schedule helps me plan my bake.
A few notes: This schedule assumes the dough temperature is maintained at 78°F throughout the process. If you’d like to make the bread all on the same day, skip the cold fermentation and let the dough rise for a few hours in a banneton before baking
| Day 1 | Levain/Mixing/Bulk Fermentation/Shaping/Cold Fermentation |
| 8:00 AM –11:30 AM | Mix Levain. Let sit at 78°F for about 3-4 hours until doubled/bubbly and ripe. |
| 11:30 AM | Fermentolyse: Mix bread flour, whole wheat flour, water and ripe/active/bubbly levain. Let sit for 30 minutes before adding in the salt and reserved water. |
| 12:00 PM | Mix dough with salt and reserved water |
| 12:30 PM 1:00 PM 1:30 PM 2:00 PM | Stretch and Fold #1 Stretch and Fold #2 Add drained, diced jalapeños and shredded sharp cheddar cheese Stretch and Fold #3 Stretch and Fold #4 if desired |
| 3:30 PM | Bench Rest |
| 4:00 PM | Shape dough Begin cold fermentation |
| Day 2 | |
| 9:00 AM | Preheat Dutch oven |
| 9:30 AM | Score and Bake |
Mix Levain
1:1:1 Levain (ready in 3-4 hours/same day): This recipe calls for a levain mixed the same day you mix the dough. It should take 3-4 hours until it’s ready to be mixed with the dough, if you keep the levain temperature at 78°F. Levain is ready when it has doubled in size, has lots of bubbles, a slightly sour aroma and is just about to start going down from its peak height. Mix together:
- 35 grams of ripe/mature starter
- 35 grams of warm water
- 35 grams of bread flour
If you prefer to mix the levain the night before, you can mix a 1:10:10 Levain that is ready in 10-12 hours or overnight, assuming 78°F.
- 6 grams of ripe/mature sourdough starter
- 60 grams white bread flour
- 60 grams water
Begin Bulk Fermentation: Fermentolyse
I like mixing together the ripe levain, flour and water to fermentolyse for 30 minutes before adding the salt and a little reserved water. This method helps strengthen the gluten strands in the dough and gives a better overall texture and crumb to this bread. As soon as the levain is ready (bubbly, doubled in size, peaked), mix together the ripe levain, bread flour, whole wheat flour and water. Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, add the salt and 25 grams of reserved water. Pinch chunks of dough and reincorporate them together gently. Pick up one side of the dough and fold it over on itself. Wet your hands as needed and continue to work with the dough, gently kneading until all the ingredients are incorporated and the dough is smooth. This will probably take 3-5 minutes. Transfer the dough to a plastic container or a glass bowl if desired.
Bulk Fermentation: Stretch and Folds
When making artisan-style sourdough bread we don’t use traditional kneading methods due to the high hydration in the dough. Instead we use a series of gentle folds to help strengthen the gluten strands in the dough. This dough usually gets about 3-4 sets of stretch and folds over a 2 hour period, if the dough is kept right around 78°F.
Stretch and Fold: To “stretch and fold,” wet your hand (so it doesn’t stick to the dough). Reach down to the bottom of the bowl of dough and pull the dough up and over the top of the dough. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat the stretch and fold. Turn another quarter turn and repeat. Perform one more quarter turn and stretch and fold the dough. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes. Repeat this process every 30 minutes for a total of 3-4 times.
Adding Inclusions to Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough Bread
Adding in Jalapeños and Cheese: After the first set of stretch and folds, prepare the mix-ins. Drain the jalapeños and grate the sharp cheddar cheese. Add them to the top of the dough at the beginning of the second set of stretch and folds. As you stretch and fold the dough, the inclusions will incorporate. Alternatively, you can use coil folds to add the inclusions if you prefer. Repeat another set or two of stretch and folds until the jalapeños and cheese are spread evenly throughout the dough.
You can also try adding inclusions by laminating the jalapeños and cheese into the dough in place of a stretch and fold or at the end of bulk fermentation right before shaping.
Bulk Fermentation: Resting and Pre-Shaping the Dough
Rest: After the 2-hour period of stretch and folds, let the dough rest in a warm 78-80°F place until puffed up and jiggly with a few scattered bubbles around the top. This usually takes 1.5-2 hours. If the dough doesn’t look right, give it another half hour and check again.
Pre-Shaping: Once the dough has rested and is showing signs of readiness, dump the dough out on the counter. Wet your hands and the bench knife if needed and push the bench knife under the dough on one side and your free hand on the other side to tuck the dough under itself. Turn the dough tightly on the counter until it forms a smooth round ball. Let the dough sit for about 30 minutes, uncovered. It will flatten out a little bit during this time and will be ready for shaping.
Shaping the Dough
Prepare a banneton or small bowl. Place a kitchen towel or hair net in the bowl and liberally flour. If you use the hair net, you should not need much if any flour, especially if using a cold ferment. Using the bench knife, lift the dough up off the counter and place it on top of the countertop – floured side down. Pull the dough down toward you and then fold up to the middle of the dough. Take the right edge and pull out and then into the middle of the dough. Take the left side of the dough and stretch out and then back to the middle.
Repeat with the top of the dough, forming a little “package” of dough. If any jalapeños pop out, remove them from the top of the dough and place them inside the bottom of the dough. This keeps them from burning on the top. Gather the bread into a circle or oval and lift the bread, placing it in your lined bowl.
Cold Fermentation
I almost always use a cold fermentation for my classic sourdough artisan bread, and the same goes for this jalapeño cheddar sourdough bread. Cover the dough in the banneton and place in the refrigerator for 12-20 hours. If it goes a little longer than that, it should be okay – up to as much as 48 hours depending on the temperature of your refrigerator.
Want to bake this the same day you mix the dough? Leave the dough to continue rising in a warm place for a few hours until puffy, jiggly and risen. Pre-heat oven and bake.
Baking Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough Bread
Pre-heat the Oven: Put a Dutch oven (top and all) into the oven and preheat to 500°F. Allow the Dutch oven to heat for about 30 minutes to an hour at 500°F. This builds up steam, which is necessary to achieve the beautiful oven spring and perfect crust that artisan bread is known for.
Scoring the Dough: Once the oven is preheated for 30 minutes, pull the loaf out of the refrigerator. Remove the plastic wrap (this is easy to do straight out of the refrigerator if the dough is chilled – not easy if the dough warms up) and place a piece of parchment paper on top of the bread dough. Flip the dough over so that it is now sitting on the parchment paper. Take off the bowl/banneton and kitchen towel. Smooth the flour over the top of the dough and use a bread lame or very sharp knife to score the dough. I find a simple score is best when working with this dough.
Baking the Bread: Carefully remove the Dutch oven from the 500°F oven with hot pads. Take the top off and place your bread into the Dutch oven (including parchment paper – this helps with the transfer). Be very careful not to touch the sides of the hot Dutch oven. Put your hot pads back on before you pick up the lid of the Dutch oven and place it on top of the bread. Put the whole Dutch oven back into your oven. Lower the temperature to 450°F and bake for 20 minutes. Once 20 minutes are up, take the top off the dutch oven and continue baking for 20 minutes until the bread is fully baked.
Frequently Asked Questions
I like to let my loaf cool completely. Then slice, stick in an airtight bag and freeze. You can also freeze the whole loaf and then let it thaw or warm back up in the oven for a few minutes before enjoying.
You can use any jalapeños that you want. I like the diced version because they are small and you get a little bit of heat in every bite of bread. Make sure you drain them well or else you’ll add more moisture to the dough which can make the dough spread more when baking.
Yes. Choose whatever cheese you like. I think sharp cheddar pairs really well with this bread. If you prefer chunks of cheese instead of grated cheese, you can also cut the cheese into small chunks. I think the cheese is incorporated better when it’s grated, so that’s my preference.
Popular Sourdough Bread Recipes
Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough Bread
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Ingredients
Levain (1:1:1, 3-4 hours before)
- 35 grams ripe/active sourdough starter, about 2 Tablespoons
- 35 grams bread flour, about 1/4 cup
- 35 grams water, about 2 Tablespoons
Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough Bread
- 100 grams ripe/bubbly/peaked levain, scant 1/2 cup
- 375 grams water, divided, 350 grams (scant 1 1/2 cups) and 25 grams (5 teaspoons) – reserved for after fermentolyse
- 450 grams bread flour, about 3 1/4 cup
- 50 grams whole wheat flour, about 5 Tablespoons
- 10 grams salt, about 1.5 teaspoons
- 100 grams diced jalapeños, drained, about one 4 oz can
- 100 grams sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated, about 1 cup
Instructions
Levain (1:1:1, 3-4 hours before, 78°F)
- Mix Levain: Mix together ripe/active sourdough starter with bread flour and water. Cover loosely and let sit 3-4 hours at 78℉ until doubled, bubbly & peaked.
Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough Bread
- Note: Maintain the dough temperature at 78-80°F during the bulk fermentation for best results.
- Fermentolyse: Once the levain is ready (bubbly, doubled in size, milky sweet smell), mix together 100 grams levain, 350 grams water (warm the water if the ingredients are too cold and cool water if the ingredients are too warm), 450 grams bread flour and 50 grams whole wheat flour. Let rest for 30 minutes.
- Mixing: After 30 minutes, add the reserved 10 grams of salt and 25 grams of water. Combine using your hands by squeezing the dough between your fingers, pinching chunks of dough and reincorporating together. The dough will break apart and then reform in the bowl through this process. Pick up one side of the dough and fold it over on itself. The dough will be sticky. Wet your hands as needed and continue to work with the dough until all the salt and water has been incorporated. Transfer the dough to a plastic container or a glass bowl and cover.
- Stretch and Folds: Perform a series of “stretch and folds” throughout the next 2 hours. The goal is to strengthen the dough. To “stretch and fold,” wet your hand (so it doesn’t stick to the dough). Reach around the dough down to the bottom of the bowl, pull the dough up and over and place it on top of the dough. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat the stretch and fold. Turn another quarter turn and repeat. Perform one more quarter turn, stretching and folding the dough. Cover and set aside. Take note of how the dough feels through this process. It will go from feeling a little shaggy to smooth and elastic. Cover the bowl and wait about 30 minutes in between stretch and folds
- Stretch and fold #1: 30 minutes into bulk fermentationStretch and fold #2: 30 minutes later, drain the jalapeños well. Spread the diced jalapeños and shredded sharp cheddar cheese on top of the dough. Perform stretch and fold #2, adding the inclusions in as you fold. Stretch and fold #3: 30 minutes later Stretch and fold #4: Optional, if you want to disperse the inclusions more or you think your dough needs a little more strength.
- Rest: Cover the dough and let rise for 1.5-2 more hours. You’ll know the dough is ready to shape when the dough is puffed up, jiggles when you shake the bowl, has scattered bubbles visible on the sides and top.
- Pre-shape: Tip the bowl upside down, allowing the dough to fall onto a clean counter surface. Be gentle to avoid degassing the dough as much as possible. Wet your hands and the bench knife if needed and push the bench knife under the dough on one side and your free hand on the other side to tuck the dough under itself. The goal is to introduce some tension into the dough. Repeat this process going around in a circle until you have a ball of dough.
- Bench Rest: Let the dough rest uncovered for about 30 minutes at room temperature. The dough will flatten (like a pancake) during this period of time. This allows the gluten in the dough to relax and prepares the dough to be shaped.
- Shaping: Prepare a bowl or banneton. Place a kitchen towel or hair net in the bowl and liberally flour as needed. Sprinkle a little flour on top of the dough. Using a bench knife, lift the dough up off the counter and place it on top of the countertop – floured side down. This ensures that the flour is staying mainly on the outside of the dough. Going around in a circle, pull the dough sideways towards you and then fold up to the top of the round. Turn 90 degrees and repeat the same process pulling the dough sideways and then folding up to the top. As you continue this process around the dough, increase the tension as you pull. Gather the bread into a circle and place into a lined bowl. Remove any jalapeños that have popped out on the surface of the dough to prevent burning in the oven.
- Cold Fermentation: Cover the dough with the tea towel/shower cap/plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to 12-20 hours. If you want to bake the same day, you can let the dough rise for about 3-4 hours until puffed up and risen. Then bake according to recipe directions.
- Preheat: Put a Dutch oven (top and all) into the oven and preheat to 500°F for 30 minutes. You are working with very high temperatures, so make sure you have some good hot pads. Once preheated for 30 minutes, pull the loaf out of the refrigerator. Remove the covering. Place a piece of parchment paper on top of the dough. Flip the dough over so it is now sitting on the parchment paper. Take off the bowl/banneton and the kitchen towel.
- Scoring: Use a very sharp knife or bread lame to score the dough. Take the bread lame and score on one side of the dough, at a shallow angle, about 1 inch deep. Remove any inclusions that pop out. Score straight from the refrigerator for best results.
- Baking: Carefully remove the Dutch oven from the 500°F oven. Take the lid off and place your bread into the Dutch oven (including parchment paper – this helps with the transfer). Put the lid on and put back in the oven. Lower the temperature to 450°F and bake for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, take the lid off the Dutch oven and continue baking for 20 minutes until the bread is a crackly deep brown. Remove the Dutch oven and let bread cool. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe is my favorite bread, now. I make two loaves from it, and use any leftover dough for rolls. It makes a great sandwich. Very flavorful. 🙂 Thanks, Amy.
Thanks for the review! Rolls would be delicious!
Can this be baked in a 9 by 5 loaf pan ?
That should work, yes!
Can you use just the bread recipe and not add the jalepenos and cheese? Wouid it just make a plain loaf?
This is based on this recipe for Classic Sourdough Bread, so I’d probably just use that original recipe if I wanted a plain loaf. Enjoy!
Made this recipe and I’m in between the stretch and folds. Im currently on my last stretch and fold (4th) and it’s really wet. Should I add more flour or what should I do? Thank you! Hopefully it still turns out!
I would add another set of stretch and folds instead of adding more flour. If it ends up not shaping well, you can always bake it in a loaf pan to give it more structure. I hope it turns out!
I’m new to sourdough bread baking and I must say you have made me look like I’ve been baking for ages. I’ve only used your jalapeño cheddar sourdough recipe because it has been an huge hit at my work.
Thank you for taking the time to give us all your recipes. They are wonderful and I look forward to baking many more.
I’m glad your baking is going so well! Thanks for the review.
A great loaf that everyone loved.
Thanks for the review!
Wow. This is an amazing bread. It’s only the third sourdough loaf I have made and it turned out perfectly. The jalapeño flour permeates the bread and the cheddar shines through beautifully.
I’m glad it turned out great. Thanks for the review!