Jalapeño Cheddar sourdough: A spicy cheese sourdough bread!

Jalapeño cheddar sourdough is something you have to try if you are searching for a cheese-based sourdough recipe. It is spicy, tangy, cheesy, and perfectly savory bread for all occasions. The pickled jalapeños give it spice and tang. And how can you go wrong with cheddar in bread!

Jalapeno cheddar is one of my favorite sourdough bread recipes. I make it almost every fortnight. Kids are not really up for the spice but, grown-ups are absolute fans. And why not we Indian love the heat.

The base recipe for this cheese-based sourdough bread is my basic sourdough recipe, nothing fancy about that. It is my rustic sourdough bread recipe. I have just reduced the hydration ratio to make up for the water from the pickled jalapenos. We do not need very high hydration for this recipe. Otherwise, the dough becomes difficult to handle after adding the jalapenos and cheese. The shaping process can become messy if the dough is highly hydrated. We want to keep it just on point. No more, no less!

Ingredients

Flour:

 I highly suggest using high-protein bread flour for this recipe. Since we are putting a lot of add-ins, we need good flour to keep a uniform texture on the bread. And, we need unbleached flours for making all sorts of sourdough bread and the same is true for the jalapeño cheddar sourdough bread.

For flavor reasons, you do not need to add whole wheat flour. The flavor of jalapeno and cheddar is very overpowering. The nuttiness of whole wheat flour will not shine through. But from a health perspective, if you want to add some fiber, you can substitute bread flour with whole wheat flour up to 10 percent without affecting the rest of the recipe.

If you do not have bread flour on hand, you can go with all-purpose flour, but the results may vary. 

 Levain: Sourdough starter

To make this jalapeño cheddar cheese sourdough bread, we need an active sourdough starter. An active starter is the one that is in its Growth or stable stage. In simple terms, the starter that is at its peak or about to reach its peak is considered an active starter. 

A mature starter is the one that has been around for 4-5 months or more. The microbiota inside such a starter is much stable, predictable, and resistant to various foreign contamination and unfavorable conditions.

These characteristics of a starter are crucial to making great sourdough bread.

Now, that we have a mature starter, we will make a levain from that.

For that we will need: 

6 g starter

36g bread flour

36g water

The levain should ferment for at least 7-8 hours before reaching its peak. So, I like to prepare my levain in a 1:6:6 ratio. 

You can always reduce the feeding ratio to suit the duration of fermentation you are looking for. 

But if you keep your starter refrigerated, I recommend that you stick to the ratio of 1:6:6 or even go to 1:7:7.

Hydration:

The hydration of this dough is around 71 percent. Try to keep it somewhere in this range only. The rest of the instructions are the same as for a sourdough loaf. Use unchlorinated water. 

Sharp Cheddar Cheese

As far as cheddar cheese is concerned, you can use whichever brand you like. Be it the full-fat or low-fat, it just does not matter. I like to use sharp cheddar cheese in my recipe.

Now, about how to prepare the Sharp Cheddar cheese for the sourdough bread?

I like to grate mine with the thickest side of my grater. 

Some people like to cube the cheese. If you add cheese cubes to the dough, empty pockets will form around the cheese cubes over baking. As a result, you will see big holes in the crumb wherever the cheese pieces were there. The best way is to stay somewhere in between. Use thick grated cheese or make very small cubes of the cheese. Like really thin cubes!

 This way you will have cheese more evenly distributed around the loaf with no big holes. 

Jalapeño

I like to use pickled jalapeños for making this jalapeño sourdough bread with cheddar. They are salty, spicy, and tangy! 

On the contrary, fresh jalapenos are just spicy. Nothing much of the freshness and flavor is left post-bread baking. So, I highly highly recommend making this recipe using pickled jalapeños. 

Whether you use sliced or whole pickles jalapenos, make sure to chop them finely. Also, make sure to soak the excess liquid from them, using a kitchen towel or a paper towel. 

Step by step process for making jalapeño cheddar sourdough bread

Preparing the levain

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. Choose a transparent jar to prepare the levain. It helps in monitoring the growth of the starter. And know when the starter is ready. It is a good idea to mark the level of the levain in the jar with a rubber band so that you would know when it has doubled and is near its peak.

You can do a float test to see if the levain is ready to make the jalapeño cheddar sourdough bread.

Float Test: Take a drop of levain, without deflating it or stirring it, and put it in a bowl of cold water. If the levain is ready, it will float on the surface.

Making the dough

To follow the bread recipe correctly, each ingredient should be measured by weight and not by volume. So, use a weighing scale to measure the ingredients precisely.

In a large bowl add the flour and water. Retain about 5 g of water to add later with the salt. 

Mix well to combine the flour and water properly so that no dry flour patches are left. You can use the back of a wooden ladle to do so. It is crucial to ensure that the dough is well hydrated throughout. If needed, go in with your hands.

Please note: From the surface, you might feel that the dough is very dry and you might feel tempted to add more water. But as you will go in with your hands and start to combine the flour with water, you will observe that the dough will become fully hydrated without any need for further water. Keep on moving and work with the dough for a good 1-2 minutes, till everything is well combined.

 Autolyse

Now clean the sides of the bowl and cover it with a cling wrap. Let it autolyze for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Autolyse initiates the gluten formation in the dough. There are two key proteins in the flour. Glutenin and gliadin. On encountering water, there happens a chemical reaction. Glutenin and gliadin combine to form Gluten. 

To produce sourdough bread with open crumbs, gluten is essential. It is important not to add salt or a starter to the dough at this point. Salt and yeast fermentation is known to stretch the gluten. The gluten formed at this stage is not strong enough. The sole purpose of autolyse stage is to obtain maximum gluten formation.

How to adjust the temperature factor if you are baking bread in extreme weather?

If you are baking the jalapeño cheddar sourdough bread in an extreme climate, the timeline may vary for you. If you are living in the tropics and the temperatures are very high, the starter will rise very fast. When you will conduct the stretch and fold, the dough might double up very quickly. There will be an accelerated yeast activity. It will peak and start declining very quickly.

One quick fix is to work in an air-conditioned kitchen and maintain low kitchen temperatures.

The second way is to use cold water to make the dough to reduce the overall dough temperature and buy more time. 

 This can be done by measuring the temperature of all the ingredients and using cooler water to achieve the predefined Final Dough Temperature (FDT). Ideal FDT lies somewhere between 75-85 ⁰F.

The formula for measuring the water temperature is:

Water temp.= FDTx4 - (kitchen temp+ flour temp.+ levain temp. +friction factor)

 Read more on this in the rustic bread recipe.

The same treatment will apply if you are baking in very cold weather. Find a warm place in your kitchen to keep your rising dough and use warm water for kneading the dough. Determine the water temperature using the formula illustrated above. 

Adding starter and salt

Once the dough has autolyzed, you can go ahead and add levain to the dough. Incorporate the levain well into the dough. Either use the poking method or the pincer method. Make sure that the levain and dough become one. When combined, cover the dough with a plastic wrap and let it rest for about 40 minutes before adding the salt and retained water.

Combine the salt and let the dough rest for thirty minutes before conducting the first set of stretch and fold.

Stretching and folding

Conduct four sets of stretching and folding spaced about 40 minutes apart.

One set of stretching and folding should be as follows:

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 stretches and fold to complete a set.

Incorporate the cheddar cheese and jalapeno into the dough

When the dough is ready, toward the end of the stretching and folding, start to incorporate cheese and jalapeno. Spread them on the surface of the dough and then, go ahead and grab the dough from the bottom and fold over the add-ins. Now add more cheddar and jalapenos and fold. Repeat until everything is incorporated.

Now let the dough bulk rise ( bulk fermentation) 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. That is the right stage to start shaping the dough.

Shaping the jalapeño cheddar sourdough bread

You can shape it the way you want. You can shape it as a round boule or a bâtard (football-shaped). Also, you can make it form of a sandwich loaf in a loaf pan. There is no firm rule regarding the shape.

I 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 stretching the dough to make it into a square. Then, bring the right side to the center and seal it. Now, stretch the left side and seal it while bringing it to the center. Similarly, pull the bottom side, and while rolling the entire dough, seal it so that all the seams face down, and the top of the boule will be facing you.

Now, cup your hands and place them at the farthest end of the dough (from you). Now, gently pull the dough towards you in a way that tightens the surface of the boule and creates tension. Let it stay on the workstation with its seam facing down for 5 minutes.

Now gently lift the shaped jalapeño sourdough batard into a flour-dusted oval banneton. 

Proofing the jalapeno cheese sourdough 

I like to put by banneton basket in a plastic bag and inflate it with air. Then I tie a knot at the top and put it in the fridge. The key is to let the dough rise and become fuller in volume. 

A correct judgment of when the dough has been fully proofed is important. Neither under-proofed nor over-proofed! 

I like to do the poke test to determine whether the dough is proofed and ready and to bake.

Finger Poke Test

*Poke a finger into the dough and see if it bounces back slowly, leaving an indentation. The dough is perfectly proofed and is ready to bake.

*If on poking, the dough bounces back quickly and leaves no evident indentation: Dough is under-proofed and needs more time to proof.

* If on poking, the dough does not merely bounce back: It indicated that the dough has been over-proofed.

Scoring and Baking

For baking this jalapeno sourdough cheese bread, begin by preheating the oven to 500 ⁰F with the Dutch oven placed inside it. My recommendation is to preheat for at least 1 hour. It ensures that the temperature of the Dutch oven also rises to about 500 ⁰F.

When the oven is hot, flip the banneton basket over a flour-dusted parchment paper or a bread sling 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 and then reduce the temperature and bake uncovered at 450 ⁰F for the next 22 minutes or more depending upon how dark you like your sourdough.

And there you have it! the gorgeously spicy and savory bread!

Let the bread cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

How to store and freeze jalapeño cheddar sourdough bread?

Jalapeno Cheddar sourdough bread can last 3-4 days at room temperature if stored properly. It is best stored wrapped in a cotton cloth or a cotton bread bag. Place it in a cool corner of your kitchen.

It is not advisable to refrigerate the sourdough bread. Though you can freeze it if you want to store the sourdough bread for longer.

 For freezing the jalapeño cheddar sourdough

Place the entire loaf or slices in a freezer-safe bag, with air removed. Now warp it with a double layer of foil, mark the date and place it in the freezer. It will freeze well for months.

How to serve?

Well, you do not need anything with this jalapeño cheddar sourdough bread. It is almost complete in itself. It is crusty, tangy, savory, and just delish! Just toast it nicely and you should be good to go. I like to toast mine in a skillet with some butter.

But you know there is no limit to indulgence. You can top it with cream cheese or ricotta cheese and, further, dress with chopped dill or thyme.

 

Frequently asked questions

 

Quick Tips

• Choose a transparent jar to prepare the levain. It enables us to monitor the growth of the sourdough starter and know when it is ready. It is a good idea to mark the level of the levain in the jar with a rubber band so that you would know when it has doubled and is near its peak.
• Chop the jalapenos into fine pieces, so that they are easy to incorporate.
• You can also use the pincer method to combine the levain and salt into the dough.
• Shape the jalapeno cheddar sourdough the way you want. You can shape it as a round boule or a bâtard (football-shaped). Also, you can make it form of a sandwich loaf in a loaf pan. There is no firm rule regarding the shape.
• It is crucial to judge the right stage when the dough for this jalapeño cheese sourdough bread recipe has proofed. Neither under-proofed nor over-proofed! Use finger poke test to judge
• My recommendation is to preheat the oven with the Dutch oven inside for at least 1 hour. It will ensure that the temperature of the Dutch oven reaches about 500 ⁰F.

Further reading:

• Making a quick sourdough starter with minimum discard: A Comprehensive guide
• Rustic sourdough bread with a perfect crust and open crumb
• Sourdough chocolate bread recipe: Easy and delicious !
• Batard bread: What it is and how to make French batard bread?

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