This jalapeño cheddar sourdough bread is perfect for seasoned bakers or beginners alike. This nearly foolproof, no-knead sourdough recipe bakes up the most terrifically tangy sourdough bread with tasty, melty cheddar cheese and mildly spicy jalapenos. Or go for a walk on the milder side and skip the peppers.
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Why We Love This Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough Bread
- This cheesy jalapeno sourdough recipe is a fun way to try something new. It’s a beginner-level bread recipe, just like this Irish Soda Bread.
- The tanginess is perfect to combine with gooey cheese and spicy peppers. And the wonderfully easy overnight prep method makes this a practically no-fail recipe. So you know you’re going to be baking up delightful loaves every time.
- This cheesy bread is great to serve as a tasty centerpiece at any gathering. Or keep it on the countertop as a grab-a-slice-and-go treat for everyone in the house to enjoy as a quick snack!
Sourdough discard recipes like this are tried-and-true classics that continue to gain popularity with both new and longtime bakers. From easy sourdough sandwich bread to sourdough discard pizza crust or our apple sourdough discard cakes recipe, you can make almost anything! All with wild yeast, no commercial yeast needed!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
You only need a handful of ingredients and a bit of patience to make this recipe.
- An active sourdough starter is essential, of course. Be sure that your homemade sourdough starter has been fed within 12-24 hours so it’s ready to use! It should be a little hungry to help move the fermentation process along.
When we say active and bubbly, we mean a mature starter that is at least a week old and always doubles in size within 4-6 hours of feeding.
- Warm filtered water – too hot or cold will prevent it from rising properly
- Bread flour – We like to use King Arthur Bread Flour
- Sea salt – just a pinch
- Jalapeño peppers – or use a mild pepper like a poblano pepper.
- Sharp cheddar cheese – shredded 1/4-inch cubed chunks of cheese.
Recipe Substitutions
- If not everyone is a fan of peppers, you can leave them out for a super cheesy version with lots of flavors and no spiciness. Or use pickled jalapeños instead.
- For those who love a truly spicy heat, use pepper jack cheese instead of sharp cheddar.
- Use other types of cheese, like Mozzarella, Colby Jack or Monterey Jack to change the flavor or an extra long cheese pull.
How to Make This Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough Bread Recipe
- Feed your starter at least 12-24 hours before starting the recipe. You want a hungry starter that takes in the flour and water for energy and uses that to raise the dough.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the starter and warm, filtered water, stirring with a dough whisk or wooden spoon until dissolved. Then, stir in the flour and salt mixing until a thick, shaggy dough forms.
Cover the bowl it with a clean, damp kitchen towel and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- Lightly flour your countertop or surface then coax the dough from the bowl.
Add the minced jalapeno and cheddar cheese on top of the dough then do a set of stretch and fold to add tension to the dough. Pull the dough straight up about 4-5″ then fold it into the middle of the dough. Rotate the bowl 1/4 of a turn and continue to stretch and fold for a full rotation, until the dough tightens up and is difficult to stretch.
- Cover the dough bowl with a damp tea towel (or plastic wrap if you live in a drier climate), and let it rise in a warm space (70º-85ºF) , free of drafts for 4 to 12 hours. This recipe uses a room temperature fermentation rise (not cold ferment rise in the fridge).
See our Sourdough Bulk Fermentation Rise Times in the recipe below for rising time guidelines. Let the the dough ferment or rise overnight or during the day.
Do not put the dough in the fridge to rise.
After the Bulk Fermentation Rise
- Check your dough to see that if it has air bubbles on top or underneath (this is why we recommend a clear glass bowl for beginners) and has doubled in size. If not, find a warm place to let the dough rise for 2 more hours. See our tips below.
🎯 TFN Pro Tip
Ideas for keeping dough warm for the bulk rise:
Place the bowl in the oven with the door propped open and the light on to create a slightly warmer climate without actually turning the oven on.
Use a heated mat (like those used for germinating seeds) for rising.
Use the “proof” setting of your oven (I set mine at 85ºF) and set a timer. This will speed up the rising process, so check it at 4 and 6 hours.
If there is a sunny room in the house that stays warm, keep the dough covered in that area.
- Lightly flour your countertop and pull the dough from the bowl. Shape the dough by doing another set of stretches and folding, like the first set of stretches. If the dough is a little sticky, flour your hands and use a bench scraper to lift the dough when done. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Line a medium bowl with a floured towel, or use a banneton basket with a linen cover and dust heavily with flour to keep it from sticking. Let dough rise in it for 30 – 60 minutes.
How to Bake Jalapeno Sourdough Bread
- Preheat your oven to 450º (without the Dutch oven pot). Cover the proofing basket or bowl with a long piece of parchment paper, and turn it over onto the countertop.
- Right before baking, slash the top of the loaf with a lame or sharp knife. Gently lower the parchment paper dough into a Dutch oven or heavy pot and add the lid. Do not preheat the pot.
- Place the covered pot in the oven and bake, covered for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for 20 minutes.Then bake it directly on the oven rack for 10 minutes to crisp the exterior.
Let cool on a wire cooling rack for an hour before slicing and serving.
Wondering what to do with leftover bread? We suggest making a spicy grilled cheese sandwich and serving it with our easy 3 ingredient tomato soup.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, simply substitute bread flour 1:1 with all-purpose flour. This substitution may result in a smaller loaf.
Yes, it freezes well. Freezing over refrigerating will keep the crust soft for longer term storage. Place in an airtight zipper bag and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let it thaw at room temperature, then slice and enjoy. Get more tips with our how to store homemade sourdough bread post
The crust will be light golden brown, and sound hollow when you give the loaf a gentle tap. If you’d like to test the internal temperature, it should be 195°-200°F.
Yes, you can substitute whole wheat flour with a 1:1 ratio for up to 1/2 of the all purpose flour.
More Cheesy Recipes To Love…
- Pretzel Cheese Dipping Sauce Recipe
- Hamburger Tater Tot Casserole
- Recipe for Ham and Cheese Frittata
- Cream Cheese Stuffed Bell Peppers
If you tried this sourdough cheese bread recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Jalapeno Cheddar Sourdough
Equipment
- heavy pot with a lid, like a dutch oven cast iron pot or stockpot - (4 or 5 quart pot)
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (60 grams) sourdough starter, unfed or discard
- 1½ cups (350 grams) warm filtered water (95º to 100º F)
- 4 ¼ cups (500 grams) bread flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon (9 grams) sea salt
- 2 jalapeno peppers, membranes and seeds removed, minced
- 1 cup (4 ounces or 100 grams) cheddar cheese, shredded or 1/4" cubes
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the sourdough starter. Mix in warm, filtered water, stirring until dissolved. Add bread flour and salt. Stir with a dough whisk or wooden spoon until a thick, shaggy dough forms. Wet your hands, and finish mixing dough by hand. Cover the sourdough with a clean, damp kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
- Lightly flour your countertop or surface then coax the dough from the bowl. Add minced jalapeno and cheddar cheese to the top of the dough, then knead them in for about 1 minute. The fillings should be evenly distributed in the dough. Return the sourdough to the bowl, cover with a damp towel, and let rise in a warm space (70º-85ºF) for 8-10 hours. Overnight on the countertop or in the oven (turned off) is a good place. Do not refrigerate the dough.
- After fermentation or bulk rise, lightly flour your countertop and shape the dough by stretching and folding: pull an edge of the dough 5" and tuck it into the middle of the dough, then rotate the dough 1/4 of a turn and stretch and fold again. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
- Line a medium bowl with a floured towel, or use a banneton bowl with a linen cover and dust heavily with flour. Let dough rise in it for 30 – 60 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 450º (without the Dutch oven pot). Cover the dough bowl with a long piece of parchment paper, and turn it over onto the countertop. Slash the top of the loaf with a lame or sharp serrated knife. Gently lower the parchment paper dough into a heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid. Do not preheat the pot.
- Place the covered pot into the oven and bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove the lid from the pot and bake for 20 minutes. Using oven mitts, carefully remove the bread from the pot and bake it directly on the oven rack for 5-10 minutes to crisp the exterior. Let cool at least 1 hour before slicing and serving.
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Robin says
Delicious!! Easy! Cannot say enough about it..it’s is definitely worth the time.
Enjoy!
Samantha says
Hi, this looks amazing and so simple! My question though, the recipe calls for unfed starter but the written/blog portion of this post says that starter should be active and recently fed. Which one should be used? Thank you!
Danielle - TFN Team Member says
You’ll want a starter that has been fed within the last 12-24 hours. Thanks for using our recipes!
Rebecca says
Can this be refrigerated after the bulk fermentation? I started this recipe too late and it won’t be done with bulk fermentation until like 9PM.
Danielle - TFN Team Member says
Hi! We don’t recommend refrigeration at any point during our recipe because we haven’t tested this particular recipe with refrigeration. However, if you do decide to do so let us know how it goes!
Dina and Bruce says
Seriously, this sounds amazing. And guess what? We are going to be making it this weekend! Then gonna make sandwhiches with it! Yum!