Jalapeno Cheddar Sourdough Boule
My daughter-in-law is an amazing sourdough baker and when we visited she made this Jalapeno Cheddar Boule. Sorry, no pictures of the inside… but I can tell you it was DELICIOUS!
If you want to see the video of her making it, you can watch that here.
And she was kind enough to write the recipe out for me to share:
Jalapeno Cheddar Sourdough Boule
Necessary equipment
-Kitchen scale
-Dutch oven
Ingredients for sourdough sponge
(Optional, omit if you do not have sourdough starter)
-75 g filtered water
-75 g all-purpose flour
-50 g unfed sourdough starter
Ingredients
-500 g all-purpose flour (plus extra for shaping)
-350 g warm filtered water
-100 g sourdough sponge (Optional)
-12 g salt
-8 oz cheddar cheese (plus extra for topping)
-3 or 4 jalapenos
-1/2 tsp active dry yeast
Recipe
1. (Optional step for sourdough) 12 to 24 hours before you make your bread, make your sourdough sponge by mixing 50 g unfed starter, 75 g filtered water, and 75 g all-purpose flour. Mix until well combined in a bowl with space for it to double. Allow sponge to double and proceed to step 2 when it has (12-24 hours later).
2. In a large plastic or glass bowl, mix warm water and active dry yeast, let it sit until frothy (2-5 minutes). Add 500 flour and 12 g salt and mix until just incorporated. Cover and set aside for 10 minutes to let the flour fully hydrate.
3. (Optional step for sourdough) Add 100 g sourdough sponge. Mix until fully combined using the pincer method. Cover the dough and let the dough sit for an additional 20 minutes.
**If you are not making sourdough, still let the dough sit for an additional 20 minutes.
4. Now it is time to build some gluten in the dough. This is a no-knead method of building gluten. You want to stretch and fold the dough over itself until the tough tightens and forms a loose ball of dough (rather than a scraggy batter). Perform the stretch and fold and cover the dough, let sit an additional 30 minutes. Repeat this step twice (two stretch and folds) before going on to the next step).
5. Prepare the cheese and 2 or 3 jalapenos (leaving cheese and 1 jalapeno for topping on the bread) by dicing the jalapeno and cubing the cheese into 1/2-inch or 1-cm cubes. Lay the dough out on a clean counter and stretch into a large rectangle (stretch it out until it looks like it’s about to tear). Lay the cheese and jalapeno on top of the stretch rectangle in an even layer and roll the dough up first to form a long log, then roll the log on itself. Fold the dough over itself a few times until it forms a tight ball. It’s okay if toppings are falling out, just stick them back on. Transfer the dough back into the large bowl, cover, and let proof until it is 2-3x bigger. This can take 4-7 hours depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
6. Prepare a (clean) linen cloth, cloth napkin, or tea towel by dusting flour over a surface at least the size of a 12-inch diameter circle (roughly the size of a large plate). Also set aside a large clean, dry bowl or banneton. This is where the dough will do a 2nd proof.
8. Turn the dough out and form it into a boule, place the boule seam-side-up on the floured towel and place the towel into the bowl or banneton. Cover with the corners of the towel or a plastic bag. Preheat the oven to 450’F with a dutch oven (with lid) inside the oven during the preheating time. Your oven needs to preheat during the 2nd proof to ensure it gets to an even and accurate hot temperature.
While the dough proofs for the last time, prepare the toppings by shredding the remaining cheese and slicing the jalapeno. Set aside.
9. The dough is ready when it is visibly puffy, has gotten larger, has a fun wobble, and doesn’t bounce back fully when you poke it with your finger. When the dough is ready, turn it out onto parchment paper, score with a razor blade or a sharp knife (serrated knife will work better, trust me). Rinse the jalapenos under water so that they are wet and place them evenly over the surface of the dough. Sprinkle the remaining cheese.
*Carefully* Put the dough into the dutch oven, cover with the lid, and bake for 20 minutes with the lid on. Remove the lid, and bake for an additional 25 minutes. Carefully remove the loaf from the oven and ensure it is fully baked by tapping on the bottom. Listen carefully, it should sound hollow. If it doesn’t sound hollow, put it back in the oven and turn the oven off. Let it sit in there for an additional 10 minutes.
Allow the loaf to cool for 1 hour before slicing. This bread is delicious topped with cream cheese, butter, or anything that you’d put on a jalapeno bagel.
Resources
*Mixing by hand/pincer method: https://www.youtube.
*Fold and stretch method: https://www.youtube.
*Form a boule: https://www.youtube.
I want to minimze so badly. Your way I Love your quote “STUPID EASY” That is me i need stupid easy. I feel alone in my endeavor it’s. My husband and me he won’t be able to do this. I will have to get it to be a habit.
Can I add MORE cheese without ruining the recipe?