Jalapeño-Cheddar Sourdough Bread

★★★★☆

Prep: 6 hours Cook: 40 minutes Serves: 1 loaf

Ingredients

330 grams bread flour
260 grams water
70 grams active sourdough starter (100% hydration)
6 grams kosher salt
Add-Ins:
60 grams sharp cheddar, diced
55 grams pickled jalapeño peppers, chopped
¾-1 teaspoon onion powder (~3 grams)
1½-2 teaspoons dried oregano (~2 grams)

Instructions

Day 1:
1. Autolyse: Combine flour and water in a bowl and mix well with your hand or spatula. Cover with towel or plastic wrap and let sit 30 minutes to 2 hours.
2. Add starter: After autolyse, add sourdough starter and combine well by pressing into dough with fingers and using Rubaud method. Dip hand in water before handling. Cover and let sit 30 minutes. Bulk fermentation time starts now.
3. Add salt: Sprinkle salt over dough and mix using same method as starter. Cover and rest 30 minutes.
4. Stretch and Fold 1 and 2: Take one portion of dough, pull up to point of resistance and fold over itself. Repeat around dough for 2-3 rotations. Cover and rest 30 minutes. Repeat process once more and wait another 30 minutes.
5. Lamination/Add-Ins: Spritz work surface with water and turn dough out. With wet hands, gently pull dough into large rectangle. Sprinkle most of onion powder and oregano over surface. Scatter most of cubed cheddar and chopped jalapeño over dough. Fold top and bottom corners 2/3 over, sprinkle remaining seasonings and add-ins, then fold other corners over first fold. Fold bottom in thirds or fourths. Transfer to glass baking dish seam side down. Cover and rest 30 minutes.
6. Coil Folds 1-4: With wet hands, pick up dough from center on each side and lift until one portion separates from dish, then tuck under rest of dough. Rotate and repeat on other side twice. Repeat every 30 minutes for 3-4 coil folds until dough gains structure.
7. Bulk Fermentation: Continue until dough has grown 50% to nearly double in size. Total time varies with temperature (5½-6 hours at mid-70s F). Look for bubbles on top, lighter appearance, and rounded edges.
8. Shape and Cold Retard: Dust banneton with rice flour. Turn dough out on lightly floured surface. Gently flatten, fold in thirds and roll into ball. Transfer to banneton seam side up, pinching seams together. Cover with plastic bag and refrigerate overnight.
Day 2 - Bake Day:
1. Put dutch oven with lid in c...

Alternative methods for seasoned bakers: Can mix all ingredients at once instead of intervals. May only need 3 coil folds instead of 4 - watch the dough. Can shorten to one stretch and fold before lamination. Overnight rest of 12 hours required. Rubaud method technique reference provided in original recipe. Total process spans 2 days with overnight cold retard.

Wine Pairing: Medium Red