You'll love this spicy, cheesy, Jalapeno Cheddar Sourdough Bread. It's easier to prepare than traditional sourdough bread, but just as tasty!
Over the years, I've tried many sourdough bread recipes. Some were great, some left a lot to be desired. Taking some hints from the good recipes, and adding a few ideas of my own, was how I came up with this Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough recipe.
Although it's not a "true sourdough" since I add yeast along with sourdough starter, this savory bread doesn't take as long as most true sourdough recipes take to develop.
It's excellent for gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, or dunking into soups, but my favorite way to eat it is slathered with butter!
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🛒 What Goes Into This Recipe
🔖 Recipe Ingredient & Substitutions
- Flour: Use bread flour
- Butter: If you don't have butter, you may use olive oil.
- Jalapeño Peppers: The jalapeños can be replace with Serranos, or your favorite peppers. If you don't have fresh peppers, you can even use pickled jalapeños.
- Sourdough Starter: Be sure to use active sourdough starter. Take a small portion and plop it in a glass of water. If it float, it's ready to use.
- Yeast: Check the expiration date on your yeast to make sure it's not expired.
- Cheese: I prefer sharp cheddar cheese. You can also use pepper jack.
*A full list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
🥖 How to Make Jalapeno Cheddar Sourdough
Step 1: Place one cup of flour in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add sugar, salt, and yeast, mix to combine.
Step 2: Add water and butter to a measuring cup. Microwave for approximately 30 seconds and pour over the other ingredients in the bowl. Add sourdough starter, then mix on medium until combined.
Step 3: Continue to add flour, one half cup at a time. Mix after each addition. The dough should to be slightly sticky. Knead for five minutes.
Step 4: Add cubed cheese and sliced jalapeños to the bowl, then mix on low.
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Pro Tip: Over mixing will cause the cheese to disintegrate, which is not your goal.
Step 5: Remove the dough and shape into a ball. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to oil the surface. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm location, or on the counter, for 2 hours or until doubled in volume.
Step 6: Punch down the dough, and form into a loaf. Place on a baking stone, or a baking tray that's covered with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Cover the dough loosely with a tea towel or a damp towel and place it in a warm location for one hour.
Step 7: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. When the oven is ready, make a few slits into the top of the dough using a razor blade.
Step 8: Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until nicely browned. Allow the jalapeno cheddar sourdough bread to cool completely before slicing it.
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
It's easy to find sourdough starter recipes on the internet. However, if you don't want to deal with the hassle of making your own, you can purchase it pre-made online; some claiming to be over 100 years old!
Being adventurous, I decided to make my own starter, which was in January of 2017. As it has matured over the months, it has developed that classic sourdough flavor.
In this recipe, we're adding cheese and jalapeños to our sourdough, but what are some other ingredients that can be added to your sourdough bread?
Olives are a great addition to sourdough, Kalamata olives are a great option! Or you can add herbs like basil, chives, oregano, or rosemary. Or how about some roasted garlic? You can also add seeds, for example, pumpkin or sunflower seeds.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- Start with a good starter. Before you can make amazing jalapeno cheddar sourdough Bread, you need a good sourdough starter; an equal mixture of water and flour, left in a warm environment to capture wild yeast. The starter is then fed more flour and water at regular intervals to help it develop further. The longer the starter is maintained the better it gets and the deeper and more complex the flavor becomes.
- You might consider purchasing a banneton basket for the second proofing. This basket helps the dough to keep its shape, instead of spreading.
- Since the dough has jalapeños in it, you might want to wear some latex gloves when you knead it.
- The cheese and peppers are not going to want to easily incorporate into the dough. This means you may need to work the dough a bit to shape it, as you push the peppers and cheese inside the loaf.
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📖 Recipe
Jalapeno Cheddar Sourdough
Ingredients
- 2¼ cups bread flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1½ teaspoon yeast
- ½ cup warm water
- 1 tablespoon softened butter
- ¾ cup sourdough starter
- ¾ cup sharp cheddar cheese (cubed)
- 2 jalapeños (sliced)
Instructions
- Place one cup of flour in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add sugar, salt, and yeast, mix to combine.
- Add water and butter to a measuring cup. Microwave for approximately 30 seconds and pour over the other ingredients in the bowl. Add sourdough starter, then mix on medium until combined.
- Continue to add flour, one half cup at a time. Mix after each addition. The dough should to be slightly sticky. Knead for five minutes.
- Add cubed cheese and sliced jalapeños to the bowl, then mix on low.
- Remove the dough and shape into a ball. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to oil the surface. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 2 hours or until doubled in volume.
- Punch down the dough, and form into a loaf. Place on a baking stone, or a baking tray that's covered with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Cover the dough loosely with a tea towel and place it in a warm location for one hour.
- After an hour has elapsed, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. When the oven is ready, make a few slits into the top of the dough using a razor blade.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until nicely browned. Allow the jalapeno cheddar sourdough bread to cool completely before slicing it.
Notes
- Start with a good starter. Before you can make amazing Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough Bread, you need a good sourdough starter; an equal mixture of water and flour, left in a warm environment to capture wild yeast. The starter is then fed more flour and water at regular intervals to help it develop further. The longer the starter is maintained the better it gets and the deeper and more complex the flavor becomes.
- You might consider purchasing a banneton proofing basket for the second proofing. This basket helps the dough to keep its shape, instead of spreading.
- Since the dough has jalapeños in it, you might want to wear some latex gloves for the next part, or you can be like me, and live on the edge!
- The cheese and peppers are not going to want to easily incorporate into the dough. This means you might have to poke them in with your finger and work the dough a bit to shape it, as you push the peppers and cheese inside the loaf.
Richard says
HI, Can this be baked in a Dutch oven? Thanks
Hilda Sterner says
Yes, it can!
Ashley Reaves says
Hi Hilda! Can I use discard starter or does it need to be just fed peak starter? Thanks! This looks amazing!
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Ashley,
Discard should be just fine. Thanks for your question. 😊