jalapeno raw cheddar sourdough loaf

INGREDIENTS:

*this will be used the night before

starter 50g

Flour for starter feeding 150g (I use organic all purpose)

Water for starter feeding 150g

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Flour 1000g (plus some for kneading)

Water 700g

Salt 20g

3/4 cup raw cheddar shredded

whole jalapeno [seeds included]

Dutch oven

Parchment paper

Proofing basket

Large bowl

Do you ever have a wild itch to do something different and it turns out amazing?! That was this loaf tonight! 

I was making our weekly sourdough loaf for dinner and usually I will make a sweet loaf for us to enjoy for the week too! [my recipe makes two loaves!] Tonight however I looked in the fridge and saw a block of raw cheddar & a jalapeno and thought, "YEP THIS HAS TO HAPPEN!"

I followed my sourdough recipe here up to the shaping part. Before I shaped the dough I shredded my raw cheddar and diced up my jalapeno very small [I only used half a jalapeno this time but will use a full one next time!] I spread out the cheese and jalapenos into each layer before the fold.

Did ya know I worked at einstein bagels for 5 years as a teen?! This loaf brought me all the asiago cheese bagel nostalgia! 

THE NIGHT BEFORE TAKE-

50g starter

150g flour (I use organic all purpose)

150g water (I use my filtered Berkey water)

1. Feed your starter in a mason jar or bowl mix all these ingredients and cover with linen towel until morning
2. The next morning add your starter and 700g of water to a bowl and mix by hand to make it nice and bubbly.
3. Add 1000g of flour on top and then 20g of salt on top of flour (do not let fed starter and salt touch)
4. Mix by hand and get it to a thick pancake consistency. Will not look like nice dough yet. Cover and lit sit for 30 min to ferment covered with linen cloth
5. Put flour down on counter and dump dough on it. Knead your dough for 6-8 minutes by hand folding your dough over itself over and over again while pushing it away from you
6. Put back in bowl place in warm environment (I like to put a coffee mug of water heated for 4 min in my microwave then put the cup in the corner of the microwave to help make it like a proofing box) place bowl of bread in microwave (do not turn microwave on with bread dough inside ever)
7. Every hour for the next 4-6 hours you will do a set of letter folding with your bread (sometimes I do it 2x a hour if I remember). To do this just grab one of the four corners of the bowl at a time and lift up as high as it can go while giving it a little shake and then slap it down. Repeat every hour 1-2x
8. Take dough out of “proofing box” & place on counter (no flour) and separate into two loaves. Place linen cloth over your dough & let sit for 30 min
9. Lay out your dough on the counter by gently stretching it into a square/rectangle shape.
10. Take shredded cheese & jalapenos and spread out evenly over loaf. Grab one side of your loaf and overlap to the next side-add more cheese and jalapenos. The goal is to get cheese and jalapenos in each layer before you do the shaping and pulling of the dough.
11. Shape your dough by pulling it towards you and keep it tight (you can see this on my insta stories or search on YouTube shaping sourdough)
12. Grab your proofing basket (or a wicker basket and linen towel) and place sourdough upside down in it. Make sure you sprinkle flour down first so it doesn't stick
13. Turn oven on to 450 with Dutch oven in it to preheat
14. Place dough in proofing boxes back in your “proofing box” or the fridge for 1 hour while Dutch oven is heating in oven. Your Dutch oven very hot before dough goes in makes the best crunch with your bread
15. Place parchment paper on counter with a small amount of flour dump one loaf on it score your bread (use a razor blade to do this)
16. Place dough into Dutch oven with lid on for 25 min and 15 min with lid off
17. Remove sourdough from oven and place on counter to cool
18. Now take other loaf out of proofing box and repeat same steps in oven
19. Let dough sit for at least 30 min before cutting into it!

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