Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough Bread

This jalapeño cheddar sourdough bread recipe is incredibly delicious and flavorful. A beautiful crust on the outside with a fluffy interior full of cheese and a hint of spice from fresh or pickled jalapenos.

This takes my normal no-knead sourdough bread recipe and turns it into the a cheddar jalapeno sourdough bread recipe.

When you have a busy schedule making a loaf of bread seems like such an extra job. But let me tell you that this is not the case. It is such an extra special thing for your whole family.

Bread baking doesn’t have to be hard or time consuming. Spend one even prepping the loaves, allow them to ferment overnight at room temperature, shape and pop into the fridge until you want to bake a fresh loaf.

I’ll prep enough loaves of bread for the entire week in one evening, then pop them in the oven throughout the week while I’m making dinner. We enjoy a fresh loaf just about every night.

My kids are thrilled when a crusty artisan loaf comes fresh out of the oven. It makes soup or sandwiches just a little more exciting. But this jalapeño cheddar sourdough recipe takes the cake… or should I say bread.

A ridiculously flavorful savory bread, you can eat it as is with a little butter or turn it into grilled cheese. So so good.

Tips:

• New to sourdough? Check out how to make a sourdough starter and how to care for one here.
• The amount of time it takes for your dough to double can be determined by many things: kitchen temperature, weather, and the hydration status and maturity of your sourdough starter.
• Love it or hate it, the most accurate way to get the best loaves of bread each time is to measure your ingredients with a kitchen scale.
• During the winter I love using pickled jalapeños we fermented in the summer.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

FAQ:

What cheese goes best on sourdough?

I love using sharp cheddar because it adds a delicious flavor to the bread.

What is the secret to good sourdough bread?

An active sourdough starter, stretching and folding to create those big bubbles, slowing down the fermentation, and creating surface tension when shaping is the secret to good sourdough bread.

Do I have to refrigerate overnight?

No, rather than placing it in the fridge you can let it ferment at room temperature for 3-4 hours in a warm place until it almost doubles. Place it in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour while the dutch oven is preheating.

Is jalapeno cheddar sourdough bread spicy?

This will depend on how spicy the jalapeños are. Really spicy jalapeños will give you a spicier bread, whereas a milder pepper gives you a ton of flavor but less spice.

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Cheddar Jalapeño Sourdough Bread Ingredients

Unbleached all purpose flour

Whole wheat flour – I use fresh milled hard white wheat. Store-bought also works.

Bread flour – Can omit and just add more to the unbleached all purpose. Bread flour contains more protein than the other flours which helps give those big holes in sourdough bread.

Active sourdough starter – Active and bubbly. Feed the sourdough starter about 4-12 hours before starting this recipe. It should be about double when it’s ready to use. To check to see if it ready, add a little dollop of starter to a small glass of water. If it floats it is ready.

Water – Preferably filtered water. Tap water can contain chlorine which may inhibit the wild yeasts and bacteria in the sourdough starter.

Salt

Cheddar – I prefer sharp cheddar cheese

Jalapeños – Fresh jalapeños or pickled will work. You would think adding jalapeños to bread would yield a super spicy bread, but it is usually pretty mild with a whole lot of flavor. The spicier the peppers, the spicier the bread though.

Tools:

Dutch oven

Banneton basket or bowl

Bench scraper

Scale

Lame, razor blade, or sharp knife

How To Make Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough Bread:

Feed a sourdough starter 4-12 hours before starting the bread, ensuring it is active and bubbly. When it is ready, it should be about double in size.

In a large bowl, combine warm water and flour until the dough forms. Cover with a damp towel and let the dough rest for 30 minutes. This autolyse process allows the water to hydrate the flour.

Add sourdough starter to the top of the dough. Dimple in with wet hand.

Sprinkle salt on top.

Mix the dough with your hands for about 5 minutes to combine all the ingredients well. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap while resting.

Let rest for 30 minutes.

Stretch And Fold

While the dough is in the bowl, grab the edge of the dough firmly and pull up, stretching it upwards. I pull it up and wide. Then place the dough in your hands back into the bowl. Turn the bowl about a quarter turn and do this stretch and fold again, and again one to two more times. This is considered one set of stretches. Repeat according to the directions below. If the dough is sticky, dip your hands in water to prevent sticking.

First 3 sets of stretch and folds – every 15 minutes.

Slice jalapeños and shred cheese.

*During the second stretch and fold, add the sliced fresh jalapeño peppers (or pickled) and shredded cheddar cheese to the middle of the dough.

Last 3 sets of stretch and folds – every 30 minutes. While I used to be a stickler with the timing, now I try to do it around that time, and as long as I get 6 stretch and folds in within a two hour period, I’m happy.

Bulk Fermentation

Cover bowl with a wet towel or plastic wrap and allow the dough rest until doubled. 

The bulk fermentation time will vary depending on your kitchen temperature, and the hydration and maturity of your starter. You want to let it double without over fermenting

Split the dough in half down the middle with a bench scraper. Be really careful not to break those bubbles.

Shape the first loaf into a ball by gently spinning it toward you in a circular motion creating tension against the counter. Repeat with the second loaf.

Set out 15-20 minutes uncovered. This allows the surface to develop a skin, so that it doesn’t stick to the tea towel during the overnight rise. 

Turn over and shape dough on a clean work surface by folding the two sides over to meet in the middle, and then the other two sides. This helps create surface tension which helps give it that oven spring.

Cold Ferment

Transfer to a floured banneton (proofing basket) or bowl with tea towel, seam side up.

Cover with a plastic bag and proof for 12-15 hours (or longer) in the refrigerator.

You could also allow it to rise at room temperature for about 3-4 hours until it almost doubles in size. I like to then place it in the fridge for an hour after that. This helps it hold its shape better.

Bake

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Place the dutch oven with a lid into the oven for 1 hour.

Remove bread dough from the fridge and place on a piece of parchment paper.

Dust with flour on top to make the scoring pattern stand out more.

Score with a razor.

Place parchment paper and dough in the dutch oven and place the lid on top. Carefully place the dutch oven into the oven with oven mitts.

Bake for 20 minutes at 500 with the lid on.

Take the lid off, turn the oven temperature down to 475, and bake for an additional 25 minutes or until browned.

Bakers Timeline For No-Knead Sourdough Bread

8 am: Feed sourdough starter with flour and room temperature water.

12 pm: If the sourdough starter is mature, then proceed to creating the dough. It takes usually 4-12 hours for a starter to get nice and active after feeding.

Combine the warm water and flour. Rest for 30 minutes.

12:30-ish pm: Add in sourdough starter and dimple in with wet hand.

Sprinkle salt on top.

Mix the dough with your hands for about 5 minutes. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap. Rest for 30 minutes.

1:00ish pm: Stretch and fold.

First 3 stretch and folds – every 15 minutes

Add jalapenos and cheddar during the second stretch and fold.

Last 3 stretch and folds – every 30 minutes

Cover with a wet towel or plastic wrap and allow the dough to bulk ferment until doubled.

8:00pm (may be much sooner or later): Split the dough in half down the middle with a dough scraper. 

Shape dough.

Sit out 15-20 minutes, uncovered.

Turn over and shape.

8:30pm: Transfer to flour banneton or bowl with a tea towel and cover with plastic. Place in the refrigerator for 12-15 hours.

The Next Morning

9:00am: Preheat the dutch oven on 500 for 1 hour.

Take the dough out of the fridge, dust with flour, and score.

10:00am: Bake the sourdough bread and let it cool.

How To Serve:

• Spicy grilled cheese sandwich
• During the stretch and folds, add chives to make a delicious jalapeño cheddar chive sourdough bread
• Breakfast sandwich: Use this as the base, add fried eggs, sliced avocado, and bacon. Yum!
• Use it for sandwiches. Top with all your favorite sandwich toppings.
• Avocado toast. Want even more flavor? Make guacamole and top the toast with that. Way better in my opinion.

Find More Of My Favorite Sourdough Recipes:

• Sourdough Sandwich Bread
• Easy Sourdough Pita Bread
• Cheesy Sourdough Pull Apart Bread
• Sourdough Bread Bowls
• Rosemary Sourdough Bread

If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you could come back and give it 5 stars!