Blog Post 7: Jalapeno Cheddar Sourdough Loaf

Jalapeno Cheddar Sourdough Loaf Recipe:

• 125 grams sourdough starter, active
• 375 grams filtered water
• 500 grams unbleached all-purpose flour
• 12 grams salt
• 1/3 cup fresh jalapenos, sliced
• 6 oz cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions:

1. 
   in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the active sourdough starter and 300 grams filtered room temperature water until combined
2. add the unbleached all-purpose flour. combine using hands or dough whisk. it may seem a bit dry, but you will add the remaining water soon
3. cover with damp tea towel and allow to rest for 30 minutes
4. uncover and sprinkle on the salt and remaining 75 grams of water. use your hands to knead and combine into the dough. it should become quite wet.
5. cover again with tea towel and allow it to rest for another 15 minutes
6. after the 15 minutes, wet hands and begin first set of stretch and folds--lift one side of the dough and fold it over on itself rotate the bowl 45 degrees and repeat until you have gone completely around the dough (4 total folds)
7. cover with towel and allow to rest for another 15 minutes
8. repeat stretch and folds on all four sides and recover with tea towel x 3 more times
9. after completing all stretch and folds, cover the dough with tea towel and allow to rise for 6-10 hours. 
10. after the bulk rise, turn dough onto lightly floured surface
11. stretch the dough as wide as you can into a rectangle without ripping the dough. sprinkle a little over half the cheddar and jalapenos over the surface of the dough. fold one end of the rectangle towards the center then bring the opposite side over top of that, forming one long narrow rectangle. 
12. sprinkle remaining cheddar and jalapenos along the dough
13. roll one end to the opposite end and push and pull the dough with hands to create surface tension
14. once the dough is shaped, place it into a lightly floured and lined banneton, seam side up. cover with towel/plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for 8-12 hours for the slow/cold fermentation
15. once ready to bake, place Dutch oven with the lid on in your oven while it preheats to 450 degrees F
16. once the oven has come to temperature, take the dough out of the fridge, and turn it onto a large piece of parchment paper. powder lightly with flour and score however you please
17. carefully place parchment and dough into the hot Dutch oven, cover with lid and place back in oven to bake for 25 minutes
18. after 25 minutes, remove the lid and bake for another 20 minutes, turning the temperature down to 425 degrees F
19. once finished baking, carefully remove bread and parchment from Dutch oven and allow to cool completely before cutting
20. once cooled, slice and enjoy!

Comments: 

I personally LOVE this loaf recipe. It is soft, chewy, and the pe
rfect mix of spicy and cheesy. I got the original recipe from "Our Simple Graces" and altered it slightly to work with my sourdough starter. While this recipe does end up being a bit more work and waiting, it is totally worth it. I like to eat this warmed with a bit of cream cheese on top for breakfast, absolutely delicious. Just have to make sure I have the time and patience to make it!

Reviews:

Tate: "I am personally not a big jalapeno guy myself. I don't like the flavor of them very much but besides that, the cheddar with the sourdough loaf is delicious. A recipe like this without the jalapenos would be more my style, but that's just a personal preference. This one does make our house smell so good though! 3/5 ★"

Haysten: he really loves this one too! the only downside is when baking sourdough loafs like this, the outer edge of the bread is usually a bit tough for him to chew. If I scrape out the softer inside, he is all for it! Just have to make sure I don't feed him too much and hurt his tummy from the spice. 4/5 ★