Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough

Before you start

Cheese and peppers are heavy, wet additions that can easily flatten a sourdough loaf. The trick is in when and how they go in. Adding them during an early lamination, after the gluten has started to develop, spreads them in even layers without tearing the dough. Cutting the cheese into cubes rather than grating it keeps distinct pockets of melted cheddar and stops shreds from coating the dough and weakening its structure.

The base dough sits at about 70 percent hydration, a little lower than a plain country loaf, because jalapeños release moisture and cheese adds fat that softens the gluten. A small portion of whole wheat adds flavor. Some cheese will melt out and crisp on the crust in the oven, which is part of the appeal; parchment under the loaf keeps it from welding to the pot.

Ingredients

• Dough100 g (scant ½ cup) active sourdough starter — 100% hydration, at its peak
• 335 g (1⅓ cups plus 1 tbsp) water — about 26°C (78°F)
• 450 g (3¾ cups) bread flour
• 50 g (scant ½ cup) whole wheat flour
• 10 g (1¾ tsp) fine salt
• Inclusions150 g (5 oz) sharp cheddar — cut into 1 cm (⅜ in) cubes and kept cold
• 60 g (2 to 3 medium) fresh jalapeños — seeded if you want less heat, finely diced and patted dry
• Dustingas needed rice flour

Method

1. Mix the starter and 315 g of the water, then add both flours and mix until no dry flour remains. Cover and rest 30 minutes. Add the salt and the remaining 20 g water and pinch and fold for 2 to 3 minutes until the dough feels cohesive.
2. Rest the dough for 30 minutes at about 24°C (75°F), then give it one set of stretch and folds.
3. About 30 minutes later, laminate: mist the counter with water, turn out the dough and gently stretch it into a thin rectangle about 50 x 35 cm (20 x 14 in). Scatter the cheese cubes and jalapeños evenly over it, then fold it in thirds lengthwise and in thirds again to make a small package. Return it to the bowl seam side down.
4. Continue bulk fermentation for another 3 to 3½ hours, giving 2 gentle coil folds in the first hour. Bulk is done when the dough has grown by about 50 percent and is airy and domed, with bubbles visible between the inclusions.
5. Turn out onto a lightly floured counter and shape into a tight round, tucking any exposed cheese under the surface so it does not burn. Place smooth side down in a rice-floured banneton.
6. Cover and refrigerate for 12 to 16 hours.
7. Heat the Dutch oven inside the oven at 250°C (480°F) for 45 minutes. Turn the loaf onto parchment, score a cross or a single deep slash and lower it into the pot by the parchment.
8. Bake covered for 20 minutes. Uncover, reduce to 230°C (450°F) and bake 20 to 25 minutes more, until deeply browned with crisp cheese spots and an internal temperature of about 96°C (205°F).
9. Cool on a rack for at least 2 hours before slicing; the cheese pockets stay molten and the crumb gummy if cut early.

Tips for success

• Pat the jalapeños very dry on paper towels. Wet peppers make the dough slack and the crumb gummy around each piece.
• Keep the cheese cubes cold until the moment you laminate so they stay separate rather than smearing.
• If you see a lot of cheese browning on the base, slide a baking sheet onto the rack below for the uncovered part of the bake.

Substitutions

Fresh jalapeños

Pickled jalapeños, well drained and patted dry, at the same weight. They add tang and a little salt, so the loaf may taste more seasoned.

Sharp cheddar

Pepper Jack or smoked Gouda cubes. Softer cheeses melt more and leave larger hollow pockets.

Whole wheat flour

Use 50 g more bread flour for a lighter crumb, or swap in fine cornmeal for a slightly crunchy, corn-flavored loaf.

Variations

Roasted green chile

Replace the jalapeños with 80 g roasted, peeled and chopped green chiles, patted very dry.

Cheddar chive

Swap the jalapeños for 15 g sliced chives and add 1 tsp cracked black pepper with the cheese.

Troubleshooting

Loaf spread flat

Too much moisture from the peppers, too much water or overfermentation. Dry the jalapeños well, hold back water if the dough feels slack, and end bulk at about 50 percent rise.

Cheese burned on the crust

Cubes sat on the surface after shaping. Tuck them in when shaping, and lower the uncovered bake to 220°C (430°F) if browning is very fast.

Gummy streaks around inclusions

The bread was underbaked or cut warm. Bake to about 96°C (205°F) inside and cool fully.

Storage

Keep the loaf wrapped at room temperature for 1 day. After that, refrigerate it wrapped because of the cheese and fresh peppers, and eat within 4 days, toasting slices to refresh them. Freeze slices for up to 2 months.

Safety notes

Wash your hands after handling cut jalapeños and avoid touching your eyes. Do not taste raw dough. Contains wheat and milk.