Sourdough Cheese Jalapeno Bread Recipes

JALAPEñO CHEDDAR SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix starter and water with a fork, until starter is dispersed.
• Add flours, mixing with a spatula first. Then with your hand until a shaggy dough is formed, just enough so that flour is not visible.
• Sprinkle salt on top of dough. Cover bowl with a damp cloth and let sit for 40 minutes to an hour.
• Now work the salt into the dough, as you perform your 1st set of stretch and folds. Then let rest for a half hour. Perform 2 more sets of stretch and folds, waiting the 30 minutes in between for each. In essence, you are doing a total of 3 sets of stretch and folds over the course of 1 1/2 hours.
• After you have completed your 3rd set stretch and folds, wait another 30 minutes.
• Now you will add the mix-ins. To do this, use a dough scraper to gently remove your dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Use your hands to gently stretch the dough out into a rectangle about 12 inches X 14 inches. Distribute the cubes of cheese and jalapeños over the inside of the dough, leaving about a 2 inch border. Gently pat the ingredients with your hands so that they stick to the dough.
• Using lightly floured hands, gently pull one long side of the dough out, and over 1/2 of the dough. Do the same with the other long side of the dough, so both meet in the middle. Now you'll have long cylinder like log. Gently roll the dough up so it is a round shape and put dough back into bowl. This step doesn't have to be perfect, it isn't the final shaping.
• Let the dough bulk ferment on your counter, covered with a damp cloth for about 5-6 hours if your house is around 72 degrees. It will take more time if it is cooler, or less time if it warmer.
• When your dough is about doubled in size (a little less is okay), has a glossy top and some bubbles peaking through the top, it is ready for shaping.
• Gently move the dough out of the bowl onto a floured work surface. Let the dough rest there for 10-15 minutes. Then, shape the dough. Once shaped, use a bench scraper to put the dough into a flour dusted, linen lined banneton (proofing basket), seam side of the dough facing up.
• Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise for a final time, on the counter. This will take about 2 hours, if your house is around 70 degrees. OR you can put it in the refrigerator in a garbage bag, and let the final rise happen overnight. The dough can be in the refrigerator for 8-10 hours at this stage. (If you do the final rise in the fridge, score and bake straight from the fridge. This makes it easier to score and hold its shape.)
• Preheat your oven with dutch oven inside of it, to 475 degrees F.
• Once your dough has gone through its final rise and has risen slightly and is puffy on top, you're ready to bake. You can test to see if your dough is ready by doing gently pressing a floured thumb into the dough. If it indents and gradually releases, but still holds a finger shape, you're ready. If it indents and the dough springs right back to the surface, it still needs time to rise. Let it ferment in half hour more increments, until ready.
• Wait until oven is preheated, then place parchment over the top of your dough and flip over, so that the seam side is now on the parchment paper and you are able to score the top of the dough. Score the dough with a bread lame, making sure to go at least 1/2 inch deep in a few spots so that dough can release gases. Otherwise your bread will not rise.
• Place dough on parchment paper into dutch oven, and put cover on it. Bake for 20 minutes, covered at 450 degrees F. Then remove cover, turn oven down to 435 degrees F and bake for 25 more minutes, until bread is golden brown and crackly.
• Remove from oven and place load on a cooling rack. Let cool for AT LEAST ONE HOUR before slicing. Otherwise the crumb will be squished and the texture will be gummy.

JALAPENO CHEESE BREAD

Steps:

• Mix 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 3/4 cup shredded extra-sharp cheddar and 1 tablespoon pickled jalapeno brine; season with salt and pepper. Broil 4 slices sourdough bread on a baking sheet until golden, then flip and spread with the cheese mixture. Top with chopped pickled jalapenos and a dash of paprika. Broil until the cheese is melted and bubbly, then cut each slice in half.

JALAPENO CHEDDAR SOURDOUGH

Steps:

• In a large bowl, add the sourdough starter. Mix in warm, filtered water, stirring until dissolved. Add bread flour and salt. Stir with a dough whisk or wooden spoon until a thick, shaggy dough forms. Wet your hands, and finish mixing dough by hand. Cover the sourdough with a clean, damp kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
• Lightly flour your countertop or surface then coax the dough from the bowl. Add minced jalapeno and cheddar cheese to the top of the dough, then knead them in for about 1 minute. The fillings should be evenly distributed in the dough. Return the sourdough to the bowl, cover with a damp towel, and let rise in a warm space (70º-85ºF) for 8-10 hours. Overnight on the countertop or in the oven (turned off) is a good place. Do not refrigerate the dough.
• After fermentation or bulk rise, lightly flour your countertop and shape the dough by stretching and folding: pull an edge of the dough 5" and tuck it into the middle of the dough, then rotate the dough 1/4 of a turn and stretch and fold again. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
• Line a medium bowl with a floured towel, or use a banneton bowl with a linen cover and dust heavily with flour. Let dough rise in it for 30 - 60 minutes.
• Preheat your oven to 450º (without the Dutch oven pot). Cover the dough bowl with a long piece of parchment paper, and turn it over onto the countertop. Slash the top of the loaf with a lame or sharp serrated knife. Gently lower the parchment paper dough into a heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid. Do not preheat the pot.
• Place the covered pot into the oven and bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove the lid from the pot and bake for 20 minutes. Using oven mitts, carefully remove the bread from the pot and bake it directly on the oven rack for 5-10 minutes to crisp the exterior. Let cool at least 1 hour before slicing and serving.

JALAPEñO CHEDDAR SOURDOUGH

Steps:

• Take 6 g of the starter and add 36 g of water. Mix it well. Then go ahead and add 36 g of flour and mix. Clean the edges and level the levain. Let it double or triple, whatever the peak of your sourdough starter looks like.
• In a large bowl add the flour and water. Retain about 5 g of water.
• Mix well to combine the flour and water properly so that no dry flour patches are left. Now clean the sides of the bowl and cover it with a cling wrap. Let it autolyze for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Add levain to the dough. Incorporate the levain well into the dough, either use the poking method or the pincer method. When combined, cover the dough and let it rest for about 40 minutes.
• Then sprinkle salt over the dough and pour the retained water. Start by first poking it into the dough and then stretching and folding the dough to a point where slat is well combined into the dough. Now let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
• Conduct four sets of stretching and folding spaced at about 40 minutes apart. Wet your hands slightly and grab the dough by putting your hands under and stretching it outwards. Now fold it under the opposite side of the dough. Rotate the bowl, 45 degrees, and repeat. Conduct three more stretching and folding to complete a set.
• Spread the cheddar cheese and jalapenos on the surface of the dough. Then, go ahead and grab the dough from the bottom and fold over them. Now add more cheddar and jalapenos and fold. Repeat until everything is incorporated.
• Now let the dough bulk rise at room temperature for 2-3 more hours maybe more hours depending upon your kitchen ambient temperature and the vigor of your sourdough starter. Look for a stage when the dough has risen by 75 percent.
• Invert the bowl on a lightly flour-dusted workstation and let the dough fall onto the surface.
• Start by dusting the hands with the flour and start stretching the dough to make it into a square. Then, Stretch the right side and bring it to the center, and seal. Now, stretch the left side and seal while bringing it to the center. Similarly, stretch the bottom side, and while sealing it, roll the entire dough so that the seams face down.
• Now, cup your hands and place them at the farthest end of the dough (away from you). Pull the dough toward you so that the surface of the boule tightens, and tension is built. Let it stay on the workstation with its seam facing down for 5 minutes.
• Now gently lift the shaped jalapeno sourdough batard into a flour-dusted oval banneton.
• Now let the dough proof in the fridge till it is ready to bake. I like to proof mine overnight. And always do a poke test to confirm if the dough is proofed right.
• Preheat the oven to 500 0F with the Dutch oven placed inside it.
• When the oven is ready, flip the banneton basket over a flour-dusted parchment paper to release the dough. Use a sharp scoring blade, to score an inch-deep slash on the cheese sourdough bread.
• Bake the jalapeno cheddar sourdough bread in a Dutch oven for 20 minutes at 500 0F and then reduce the temperature and bake uncovered at 450 0F for the next 22 minutes or more depending on how dark you like your sourdough crust.
• Let the jalapeno cheddar sourdough cool for at least half an hour before slicing.

JALAPEñO-CHEDDAR SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• (9:00 p.m.)In a small bowl or jar, mix the Levain ingredients. Cover the jar and keep it at a warm temperature for 12 hours.
• (8:30 a.m)In a medium mixing bowl, add the 593g medium-protein bread flour, 132g whole wheat flour, 42g whole rye flour, and 516g water 1 and mix until no dry bits remain. Cover the bowl and let rest for 1-hour. Wash and dice the jalapeño peppers and shred/cube the cheddar cheese. Reserve until bulk fermentation.
• (9:00 a.m.)Add the honey, levain, and salt to the top of your dough already in the mixing bowl, and use a splash of water 2 (reserved water) to moisten. Mix the additions in thoroughly and if the dough feels like it can handle it, add the remainder of the water. Next, knead the dough for a few minutes either with the slap and fold technique or do folds in the bowl. For this dough, I did this for about 5 minutes until the dough begins to smooth out and become elastic. Transfer the dough to a container for bulk fermentation and cover.
• (9:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.)This dough will need 3 sets of stretches and folds during bulk fermentation where the first set starts after 30 minutes into bulk fermentation and the subsequent sets are at 30-minute intervals. During the first set of stretches and folds, add the jalapeño and cheese as you perform each stretch and fold. After the third set of stretches and folds, let the dough rest, covered, for the remainder of bulk fermentation.
• (12:45 p.m.)Lightly flour your work surface and scrape out your dough. Using your bench knife, divide the dough in half. Lightly shape each half into a round shape. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes, uncovered.
• (1:15 p.m.)Shape the dough into a round (boule) or oval (batard). Then, place the dough in proofing baskets, seam side up.
• (1:30 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. the next day)Cover proofing baskets with reusable plastic and seal shut. Then, place both baskets into the refrigerator and proof overnight.
• (The next day, bake at 9:00 a.m.)Preheat your oven with a baking surface or combo cooker/Dutch oven inside to 450°F (230°C).

SOURDOUGH WITH JALAPENO CHEESE SPREAD

Steps:

• Soften cream cheese to room temperature and transfer to a medium size mixing bowl. Add in all remaining ingredients and combine well. Transfer to an air tight container and allow to sit on the counter for 15 minutes or to 1 hour, to allow the seasonings and dried onion to become soft.
• Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Slice your baguette in half lengthwise. Generously slather both sides of the baguette with the cheese spread. Place in the oven for 10 minutes until the crust is crunchy and the spread is bubbly. OR you may place the baguette under the broiler for 3-5 minutes.
• Store leftover cheese spread in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

SOURDOUGH CHEESE BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Cut a checkerboard pattern into the sourdough bread round by cutting 5 or more slices about 1 inch apart into the sourdough bread round with a serrated knife, taking care not to cut all the way through the loaf. Rotate the bread a quarter turn, and cut 5 or more slices going the other way, to finish the checkerboard pattern. The slices will still be attached at the bottom.
• Melt the butter over low heat in a saucepan, and stir in the mustard, lemon juice, poppy seeds, seasoned salt, and onion until the mixture is well combined. Place the bread loaf onto the prepared baking sheet, and carefully pour the butter mixture all over the bread, including in the cracks between squares, letting the butter mixture soak into the bread. Stuff slices of Swiss cheese into the spaces between the bread squares.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the cheese is melted and bubbling, and the loaf is browned, about 30 minutes. To serve, let guests pull the bread apart into individual squares.

JALAPENO CHEESE BREAD

Steps:

• In a very large bowl, combine 7 cups of flour, cheese, jalapenos, 7 tablespoons sugar and the salt; mix well.
• In a separate bowl, combine the water, yeast and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Let sit about 10 minutes; stir until all yeast is dissolved.
• Add the oil to the liquid mixture, stirring . Add half of the liquid mixture to the flour mixture. Mix with hands to moisten flour as much as possible. Add remaining liquid mixture to dough and mix until flour is thoroughly incorporated.
• Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand until smooth and elastic to the touch, about 15 minutes, gradually adding only enough additional flour to keep dough from sticking.
• Place in a large greased bowl and invert dough so top is greased; cover with a dry towel and let stand in a warm place (90 - 100F) until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Punch down dough.
• To Make Bread: Divide dough into 3 equal portions. Form each into a ball, then stretch out dough with both hands and tuck edges under to form a smooth surface. Pop any large air bubbles by pinching them. Form into loaves. (Note: I like to use a rolling pin and roll out dough, which pops all bubbles easily and quickly.) Place in 3 greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pans. Cover with towel again and allow to rise until almost doubled in size, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) until dark brown and done, about 1 hour, rotating the pans after 25 minutes for more even browning. Remove from pan as soon as bread will easily lift out, after about 5 to 10 minutes. Let cool about 1 hour before slicing.

CORN CHEDDAR JALAPEñO SOURDOUGH BREADS

Steps:

• Mixing & Bulk Fermentation
• In a small bowl, mix together the corn flour and boiling water. Cover and set it aside to cool and let the pericarp (bran of the corn) soften for about an hour.
• In a large bowl, mix together the flour and water. Cover and set aside to let the gluten strengthen for about 30 minutes.
• Add the sourdough starter, salt, jalapeños, and corn porridge to the dough. Mix thoroughly, cover, and let rest for 20-30 minutes. The dough will feel quite sticky and weak, especially if you're making the whole wheat version.
• Stretch and fold the dough and then cover and let it rest another 20-30 minutes.
• Add the cheese to the dough using the laminating technique: Dampen your work surface, remove the dough from the bowl and stretch it into a thin rectangle, place about 1/3 of the cheese pieces down the center of the rectangle, and fold one side of the dough over the cheese. Layer on the second third of the cheese and fold the other side of the dough over it. Now put the remaining cheese on half of the dough and fold the other half over it. Return the dough to the bowl, cover, and let it rest 20-30 minutes.
• Perform one last round of stretching and folding on the dough, then cover and let it continue to ferment for several hours. My dough needed 6-7 hours at 77F from when the starter was mixed in for it to get a lot of air pockets visible through the sides of the bucket. Because of the heavy additions in this dough, it doesn't expand very much and gauging readiness is more difficult.
• Pre-shape, Bench Rest & Shaping
• Scrape the dough out onto a floured countertop. Flour the top of the dough and coax it into a boule shape using heavily floured hands or a bench knife.
• Let the dough rest uncovered for about 20 minutes.
• Create a thin layer of bran flakes in the intended shape of your bread on your countertop, on a floured tea towel, or in your proofing basket (spray the basket with oil so the bran sticks). I like how the bran absorbs some of the cheese oil, but you can simply flour your proofing basket if you prefer.
• Shape your dough into a boule, batard, or oblong loaf. Shaping videos can be found here.
• Using a bench scraper, flip the shaped dough onto the prepped bran flakes and roll the dough a bit from side to side to get the bran to adhere to the dough surface. Then place the dough in your banneton. The bran-covered top of the bread should be face down.
• Final Proofing & Baking
• Cover and proof the dough at room temperature for 1-2 hours, or in your refrigerator overnight for 8-14 hours. The dough will puff up and expand a little in the basket, but the heavy additions will prevent a large expansion of the dough.
• Preheat your oven and baking vessel to 500F for 30 minutes.
• Gently flip the dough out of the banneton and score it. This can be done directly into the bottom of your baking vessel or onto parchment paper first for an easier transfer. Cover the baking vessel and return it to the oven.
• Bake at:
• 500F for 20 minutes lid on
• 450F for 10 minutes lid on
• 450F for 10 minutes lid off
• The internal temperature of the bread should be at least 205F when it's done.
• Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool a minimum of 2 hours before cutting.
• Food safety guidelines say to refrigerate cheese after 4-8 hours at room temperature, with hard cheeses (like cheddar) being at the longer end of the time frame. My custom, and that of many other bakers I know, is to leave the bread at room temperature for about two days, and then slice and freeze anything that hasn't been consumed by then. The pepper and cheese additions do make the bread more likely to spoil/mold, but I haven't had issues with the two-day timeline.