Sourdough with Inclusions: Jalapeño Cheddar Loaf & Dark Chocolate Almond Loaf

The classic sourdough loaf is a staple in our house; it’s so delicious and versatile. A slice of sourdough is the perfect base for any variety of toppings, or you can make it into all sorts of toasts or sandwiches. But have you considered adding different flavors to your sourdough before baking?

The term used most often for this is adding ‘inclusions’; it is simply any addition to the dough, whether savory or sweet – cheeses, nuts, chocolates, dried or fresh fruit, cinnamon, herbs, seeds, seasonings. There are so many options!

When adding inclusions to sourdough, there are a few different preferences on the best time to do that. Some people prefer to add inclusions during bulk fermentation, and others prefer to add them during shaping. Some inclusions can even be mixed in during autolyse. Any of these options will work, but the type of inclusion will help you determine when it is best.

For the loaves today, we are going to add inclusions during the second fold of bulk fermentation. Other than timing, you also need to consider how the specific inclusion you are adding will affect the dough. Is it dry or wet? Will it create moisture when added to the dough? Is it heavy or light? Is it small or chunky? If you are adding in small and dry items, it is usually ok to add those earlier in the process. If it is wet, do your best to dry it as much as possible so that the moisture won’t affect the loaf. If it is heavy or chunky, it might be best to fold it into the dough later in the process so that it doesn’t affect the rise. 

First, you need to know the basics of making a sourdough loaf. If you need a refresher, check out this post where I go through all of the steps in detail – autolyse, bulk fermentation, shaping, final rise, & baking. 

My main goal today is to show you one method for adding inclusions to your loaf so that you can create any flavor of bread that you like. We will walk through two different flavor loaves that are made with the same method – adding inclusions during the second fold of bulk fermentation. 

The savory loaf is loaded with sharp cheddar cheese and jalapeños. I used freshly shredded sharp cheddar and patted the jalapeños completely dry with a towel to remove all of the moisture. 

The sweet loaf is filled with dark chocolate chunks and sliced almonds. I roughly chopped the dark chocolate into chunks about a quarter of an inch.

Surprisingly, there really isn’t much that changes in the overall process of making these loaves! After the autolyse phase, where you initially mix the dough and then let it rest, the process moves on to bulk fermentation.

During this phase, there are 4 sets of rests and folds to the dough. After the first fold and subsequent rest, sprinkle the inclusions on top of the dough. Carefully complete the second fold, which will start to wrap and layer the inclusions into the dough. Continue the bulk fermentation process by doing 2 more rests and folds. After the fourth fold, cover the dough and let it rest for 2 hours.

Here are the loaves at the end of bulk fermentation:

The next part of the process is called shaping. Normally, I shape the dough, let it rest for 30 minutes, shape it once more, and then place it into the banneton for the final rise. Because the dough isn’t quite as strong with all of the inclusions inside, I cut the process down to shaping the dough once and then placing it directly into the banneton for the final rise. 

After the rise, score and bake the loaf just like normal. 

And there you have it! A tasty loaf loaded with all of your favorite additions. You can adjust amounts and types of inclusions until you find the perfect ratios for you.

I hope you enjoy, and you’ll have to let me know what combinations you try!

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Dark Chocolate Almond Sourdough

A delicious sourdough loaf filled with dark chocolate and sliced almonds!

Source: Anna Reid

Course: Breads

Yield: 1

Serves: 1 Scale Update

Ingredients

• 100 g active sourdough starter
• 375 g filtered water lukewarm
• 500 g unbleached all purpose flour
• 10 g sea salt
• ¹⁄₃ cup dark chocolate roughly chopped
• ¹⁄₃ cup almonds sliced

Directions

1. Preparation
2. Before baking, feed and refresh your starter. Feed a portion of your original starter as you normally do for the amount of starter that you like to maintain. Then, for this recipe, mix together 25 grams of starter with 50 grams of unbleached flour (I use 25g dark rye flour and 25g all purpose flour to feed my starter) and 50 grams of lukewarm filtered water. Stir the ingredients together until there are no lumps and pour into a glass jar. Place a loose fitting lid on top of the jar. It is helpful to place a rubber band around the jar at the current height of the starter so that you can see when it is active. Once the starter is active, it will be bubbly throughout and about doubled in size with a dome shape on top. This will take several hours.
3. Autolyse
4. In a large bowl, add 100g of active starter and 350g of lukewarm water and whisk the two together. Add in 500g of unbleached all purpose flour and stir together. The dough will be quite shaggy right now. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp dish towel and let it rest for 30 minutes.
5. After the rest, add in 10g of salt and 25g of lukewarm water. Using your hands, pinch the salt and water into the dough. Then, for about two minutes, continue working the dough by folding it in on itself and then lifting the dough from the bottom of the bowl and slapping it against the side of the bowl. Repeat this process for the full two minutes. This will help create elasticity in the dough and you will notice it change from a shaggy mixture to a more cohesive dough. After the two minutes, cover the bowl again and let it rest for 30 minutes.
6. Bulk Fermentation
7. After the rest, uncover the bowl. Get your hands wet so that the dough does not stick to you. To make one full fold, we will fold each of the 4 sides of the dough over onto itself. With a damp hand, slide your hand under the top edge of the dough, lift, and fold the dough down onto itself. On the left side, slide your hand under the edge of the dough, lift, and fold the dough over onto itself. Repeat this on the bottom side and on the right side. This is one complete fold. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 30 minutes. After the first fold and rest, sprinkle the dark chocolate and almonds on top of the dough. Carefully complete the second fold, which will start to wrap and layer the inclusions into the dough. Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes. Continue the bulk fermentation process by doing 2 more rests & folds. After the final fold, cover the dough and let it rest for a full 2 hours. For all of bulk fermentation you will follow this schedule: 30 min rest + fold + 30 min rest + add inclusions + fold + 30 min rest + fold + 30 min rest + fold + 2 hour rest
8. Shaping
9. After the two hour rest, uncover the dough, wet your hands, and gently turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter. Wetting your hands beforehand will help keep the dough from sticking to you while gently scooping the dough out of the bowl. Similar to the folds we did during bulk fermentation, gently lift each corner of the dough and fold into the center. Now, using either your hands or a bench scraper, gently flip the dough over so that the folds are now on the bottom. Gently and slowly pull the dough towards you across the counter. Push the dough back up and away from you and while rotating in a circular motion, tuck under the edges, and pull it back towards you. You are essentially sliding the dough back and forth across the counter while rotating it in a circle. Repeat this a few times. The aim here is to create tension on the top of the dough as you shape it into a circle.
10. Prepare the banneton by lining it with parchment paper. Be sure to leave enough extra parchment hanging over the sides so that you can use it as a sort of handle to lift and transfer the dough in and out of the hot dutch oven later. Lift the dough and place into the banneton. Loosely cover the dough. Plastic grocery sacks are handy for this because they hold their shape above the dough and don’t stick.
11. Final Rise
12. For the final rise, there are two options. If you would like to bake your bread immediately, simply leave the dough on the counter to rise for about 1.5 – 2 hours and then bake. Alternatively, you can let the dough do its final rise in the refrigerator for about 10-12 hours and then bake. This can be handy if you want to have fresh bread in the morning or if you need to space out your baking. If needed, you can leave the dough for up to 24 hours in the fridge before baking.
13. Baking
14. With about 45 minutes left in your rise time, place the dutch oven in the oven and preheat it to 500 degrees. We want both the pan and the oven to be very hot to help the sourdough develop a nice crust, so be sure to preheat for at least 45 minutes.
15. After the final rise, dust the top of the dough with flour and gently spread it around to make it even. You could use a pastry brush or your fingers. Using a bread lame or razor, score the dough to allow steam to escape and the bread to expand while baking. To do this, make a clean cut about 1/4 inch deep along one side of the dough.
16. Once the oven is preheated, very carefully remove the dutch oven from the oven. It will be HOT! Lower the temperature of the oven to 450 degrees. Using the parchment as a handle, lift the dough out of the banneton and place it into the dutch oven. Place the lid on top and bake for 20 minutes. After the 20 minutes, remove the lid from the dutch oven and continue to bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden. Carefully lift the loaf out of the dutch oven using the parchment. Place on a wire rack to cool for about 20 minutes before slicing.
17. Enjoy!

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Jalapeno Cheddar Sourdough

A delicious sourdough loaf filled with sharp cheddar and jalapenos!

Source: Anna Reid

Course: Breads

Yield: 1

Serves: 1 Scale Update

Ingredients

• 100 g active sourdough starter
• 375 g filtered water lukewarm
• 500 g unbleached all purpose flour
• 10 g sea salt
• ¹⁄₄ cup sliced jalapeños dried well
• 1 ¹⁄₂ cup sharp cheddar cheese freshly shredded

Directions

1. Preparation
2. Before baking, feed and refresh your starter. Feed a portion of your original starter as you normally do for the amount of starter that you like to maintain. Then, for this recipe, mix together 25 grams of starter with 50 grams of unbleached flour (I use 25g dark rye flour and 25g all purpose flour to feed my starter) and 50 grams of lukewarm filtered water. Stir the ingredients together until there are no lumps and pour into a glass jar. Place a loose fitting lid on top of the jar. It is helpful to place a rubber band around the jar at the current height of the starter so that you can see when it is active. Once the starter is active, it will be bubbly throughout and about doubled in size with a dome shape on top. This will take several hours.
3. Autolyse
4. In a large bowl, add 100g of active starter and 350g of lukewarm water and whisk the two together. Add in 500g of unbleached all purpose flour and stir together. The dough will be quite shaggy right now. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp dish towel and let it rest for 30 minutes.
5. After the rest, add in 10g of salt and 25g of lukewarm water. Using your hands, pinch the salt and water into the dough. Then, for about two minutes, continue working the dough by folding it in on itself and then lifting the dough from the bottom of the bowl and slapping it against the side of the bowl. Repeat this process for the full two minutes. This will help create elasticity in the dough and you will notice it change from a shaggy mixture to a more cohesive dough. After the two minutes, cover the bowl again and let it rest for 30 minutes.
6. Bulk Fermentation
7. After the rest, uncover the bowl. Get your hands wet so that the dough does not stick to you. To make one full fold, we will fold each of the 4 sides of the dough over onto itself. With a damp hand, slide your hand under the top edge of the dough, lift, and fold the dough down onto itself. On the left side, slide your hand under the edge of the dough, lift, and fold the dough over onto itself. Repeat this on the bottom side and on the right side. This is one complete fold. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 30 minutes. After the first fold and rest, sprinkle the cheese and jalapeños on top of the dough. Carefully complete the second fold, which will start to wrap and layer the inclusions into the dough. Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes. Continue the bulk fermentation process by doing 2 more rests & folds. After the final fold, cover the dough and let it rest for a full 2 hours. For all of bulk fermentation you will follow this schedule: 30 min rest + fold + 30 min rest + add inclusions + fold + 30 min rest + fold + 30 min rest + fold + 2 hour rest
8. Shaping
9. After the two hour rest, uncover the dough, wet your hands, and gently turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter. Wetting your hands beforehand will help keep the dough from sticking to you while gently scooping the dough out of the bowl. Similar to the folds we did during bulk fermentation, gently lift each corner of the dough and fold into the center. Now, using either your hands or a bench scraper, gently flip the dough over so that the folds are now on the bottom. Gently and slowly pull the dough towards you across the counter. Push the dough back up and away from you and while rotating in a circular motion, tuck under the edges, and pull it back towards you. You are essentially sliding the dough back and forth across the counter while rotating it in a circle. Repeat this a few times. The aim here is to create tension on the top of the dough as you shape it into a circle.
10. Prepare the banneton by lining it with parchment paper. Be sure to leave enough extra parchment hanging over the sides so that you can use it as a sort of handle to lift and transfer the dough in and out of the hot dutch oven later. Lift the dough and place into the banneton. Loosely cover the dough. Plastic grocery sacks are handy for this because they hold their shape above the dough and don’t stick.
11. Final Rise
12. For the final rise, there are two options. If you would like to bake your bread immediately, simply leave the dough on the counter to rise for about 1.5 – 2 hours and then bake. Alternatively, you can let the dough do its final rise in the refrigerator for about 10-12 hours and then bake. This can be handy if you want to have fresh bread in the morning or if you need to space out your baking. If needed, you can leave the dough for up to 24 hours in the fridge before baking.
13. Baking
14. With about 45 minutes left in your rise time, place the dutch oven in the oven and preheat it to 500 degrees. We want both the pan and the oven to be very hot to help the sourdough develop a nice crust, so be sure to preheat for at least 45 minutes.
15. After the final rise, dust the top of the dough with flour and gently spread it around to make it even. You could use a pastry brush or your fingers. Using a bread lame or razor, score the dough to allow steam to escape and the bread to expand while baking. To do this, make a clean cut about 1/4 inch deep along one side of the dough.
16. Once the oven is preheated, very carefully remove the dutch oven from the oven. It will be HOT! Lower the temperature of the oven to 450 degrees. Using the parchment as a handle, lift the dough out of the banneton and place it into the dutch oven. Place the lid on top and bake for 20 minutes. After the 20 minutes, remove the lid from the dutch oven and continue to bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden. Carefully lift the loaf out of the dutch oven using the parchment. Place on a wire rack to cool for about 20 minutes before slicing.
17. Enjoy!

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