Cheesy Jalapeño Sourdough Bread
Ingredients
- 4 cups of flour
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter
- 1 & 1/2 cups water
- 2 teaspoons salt dissolved in 1/8 cup water
- 1/4 cup sliced jalapenos
- 1/2 to 1 cup cheese Depends on how much you like cheese
Instructions
- Initial Mix (Fermentolyse): In a large bowl, mix 4 cups of flour, ½ cup sourdough starter, and 1½ cups water until you have a shaggy dough (it won’t be perfect, but try not to have any dry flour sitting on the bottom).Cover the dough. Some people use a wet towel; if you do, be careful not to let it dry out. I prefer using a glass Pyrex bowl with a plastic lid, as I dislike rewetting towels frequently.Let the dough sit, covered, for 30 minutes. While you let it sit, the water and sourdough will penetrate the flour and work their magic to make the dough workable. This is called letting the dough fermentolyse.
- Add salt:Dissolve 2 teaspoons of salt in a little water (I usually use about 1/8 cup).Add the salt water to the doughWork it in by kneading until the salt water is fully incorporated into the dough.
- How to Stretch and Fold:Reach underneath the dough and grab a side. Gently stretch the side out as far as you can without tearing it. (Won't be far the first time.)Fold the stretched dough back into the middle.Repeat this action all the way around the dough 3 times. This is referred to as "one set" of "Stretch and folds".
- Do 3-4 sets of "Stretch and Folds": Let the dough rest covered for about 30 minutes between each set of stretch and folds.This process develops the gluten, which gives the bread strength to hold together and gives it that signature chewy sourdough texture. If the dough feels pretty elastic after 3 sets, you're good; if not, do a fourth.
- Determine when bread is done rising:After the "stretch and folds" are complete, it's time to decide if your bread is ready for shaping or needs a final rise. Sourdough is affected very much by temperature. For example, in the summer, my house is warm enough that it’s ready for shaping and putting in the oven. However, during the winter, it needs to rest and rise for around another 4 hours (unless my husband has been particularly zealous in feeding the fire in the wood stove we use for heat, then the summertime applies). How will you know when it's ready? The dough should be airy, stretchy, hold its shape, and have several air bubbles. Some people say let it rise 50 percent, but I found that difficult to tell, so I go off the other signs I just mentioned. If it's not ready yet, just let it rise longer. Sometimes when your dough is ready, you are not. If that happens, just put it in the fridge covered (not with a towel this time) to shape and bake later. I just put it in the fridge in my bowl with the lid, but you can put it in a Ziplock or wrap it with plastic wrap.
- Final shape and bake:When you are ready to bake your sourdough, preheat your Dutch oven to 450 °F if you don't have a Dutch oven preheat your oven to 375 °F. Then shape the dough on a lightly floured surface into a square or rectangle just under a half inch thick. We have waited until the end to shape and add the fillings because I have found that to be the best way to avoid the fillings tearing the bread and the bread to hold a pretty shape.Sprinkle on a layer of shredded cheese. Sometimes I am good and only use ½ cup; other times I feel like being extra and I use around ¾ or even up to 1 cup. Don't go over 1 cup, though, or it will be too greasy, and the bread won't hold its shape as nicely either. I use whatever cheese I have on hand, but I have found my favorites are sharp orange cheddar or Colby-Jack. Next spread out canned- sliced-jalapeños over the cheese. I just place them by hand evenly across. Now roll up the dough, tucking the end into itself as much as possible, then roll the dough the other direction to take it from being long to being more of a ball/roll, and tuck the end as much as possible again. At this point, you take sides and tuck them underneath to make it as round as possible, keeping any seams on the bottom or tucking them there as needed. Cut a slash between a quarter and a half inch deep on top of the bread to allow it to expand, and immediately put it into a preheated Dutch oven. Note: It’s easier to make a “sling” or hammock out of parchment paper and place the dough on that (preferably before slashing) to drop it into the Dutch oven without getting burnt. For the Dutch oven, cook for 30 minutes covered at 450, then uncover and turn the oven down to 400 to cook for 20 more minutes. If you're not using a Dutch oven, put your bread on a cookie sheet with parchment paper, then make your slash and put it into your preheated oven. Bake at 375 °F for 45 minutes. I started my bread-making journey without a Dutch oven and just used parchment paper on a cookie sheet, which changes your temperatures to 375 degrees (some finicky ovens that have trouble holding heat may need 400 degrees) for approximately 45 minutes. When you thump fully cooked bread on the bottom, it sounds kinda hollow. I know that’s not super helpful, but the best way to know is experiment with your oven after a couple of loaves, you’ll have time and temp down with no need for thumping. The reason bread is recommended to be cooked in a Dutch oven is that it traps steam and makes the crust crusty. Some people add dishes of water or use other tricks in their ovens to make up for the steam. I never came up with a method I liked, so I just put up with a slightly softer crust until we got a Dutch oven.
- NECESSARY STEP: Let your bread cool! After baking, pull out your bread and let it cool for 20-30 minutes before slicing. I know it’s hard, but it prevents the middle from being gummy. The bread will still be warm to enjoy after this necessary cooling time.
Notes
A Note on Measuring: I have always used cups for this recipe and have never tested it using a scale. However, a common conversion for these volumes would be approximately 480g flour, water, and 115g starter. If you test this and love the results, please let me know!