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sliced Jalapeno cheddar sourdough bread

Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough Bread Topped with a Hot Honey Glaze

Course: Appetizer, bread, sandwich bread, Snack
Cuisine: American, French, Sourdough
Keyword: artisan sourdough bread, beginner sourdough recipes, cheddar sourdough bread, cheesy sourdough bread, hot honey sourdough, jalapeño cheddar sourdough, jalapeño sourdough, savory sourdough bread
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 day
Servings: 1 Loaf
A fluffy artisan sourdough loaded with sharp cheddar, jalapeños, and savory minced onion, then brushed with hot honey butter for the perfect sweet and spicy finish.
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Equipment

Ingredients

Feeding your sourdough starter

Dough

Inclusions

  • 45 g sharp cheddar cheese cut into small cubes
  • 45 g sharp cheddar cheese freshly shredded
  • 30 g dried minced onion
  • 2 fresh chopped jalapeños OR about 60g pickled jalapeños patted dry

Hot Honey Glaze

  • 1 tablespoon butter melted
  • 1 tablespoon hot honey

Instructions

The night before making the dough, feed your sourdough starter at a 1:5:5 ratio:

  • Mix starter, unbleached flour, and filtered water in a jar. Cover loosely.
    The recipe calls for 100g of active starter, this ratio will leave you with 10g extra to keep your starter going.
    10 g sourdough starter, 50 g unbleached flour, 50 g filtered water

Mix the Dough (the next morning)

  • In a large bowl, combine the active sourdough starter and warm filtered water. Stir until the starter is mostly dissolved and the water looks milky.
    100 g active sourdough starter, 365 g warm filtered water
  • Add the bread flour, whole wheat flour, and sea salt. Mix until a shaggy dough forms. It won't be a smooth ball at this step.
    Cover and let rest for 1 hour.
    450 g unbleached bread flour, 50 g whole wheat flour, 10 g fine sea salt

Prep Inclusions

  • While the dough rests, prepare the inclusions.
    Cut 45g of cheddar into small cubes and shred the remaining 45g. Chop the fresh jalapeños, or if using pickled jalapeños, measure about 60g and pat them thoroughly dry. Measure the dried minced onion and refrigerate the inclusions until ready to use.
    45 g sharp cheddar cheese cut into small cubes, 45 g sharp cheddar cheese freshly shredded, 30 g dried minced onion, 2 fresh chopped jalapeños

Stretch and Fold + Add Inclusions

  • Complete 3 rounds of stretch and folds spaced 30 minutes apart.
    First round: With wet hands, lift one side of the dough, stretch it upward, and fold it over the center. Rotate the bowl and repeat on all four sides. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
  • Second round: Gradually add the cubed cheddar, shredded cheddar, dried minced onions, and diced jalapeños. Sprinkle a portion over the dough before each stretch and fold, continuing as you work around the bowl. This helps evenly distribute the inclusions throughout the dough.
    Once everything is added, gently flip the dough over so the smooth side is facing up, tucking any exposed cheese, jalapeños, or onions underneath.
    The dough should look like a clean dough ball with most of the inclusions tucked inside. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
  • Third round: Complete one more round of stretch and folds, or switch to coil folds if preferred, keeping the inclusions tucked inside the dough

Bulk Fermentation

  • Cover the dough and allow it to bulk ferment until it has roughly doubled in size and looks light, airy, bubbly, and slightly jiggly.
  • Use visual cues rather than time alone, but these temperatures can be used as a guideline:
    80°F / 27°C: approximately 5–6 hours
    75°F / 24°C: approximately 7–8 hours
    70°F / 21°C: approximately 11–12 hours
    65°F / 18°C: approximately 15–16 hours
    Bulk fermentation time begins when the dough is initially mixed.
    Avoid overfermenting, which can weaken the gluten and leave the dough overly sticky and difficult to shape.

Shape

  • Once bulk fermentation is complete, gently turn the dough out onto a clean surface.
    I don't recommend pre-shaping this dough. Since it's loaded with cheese, jalapeños, and onions, too much handling can cause the inclusions to break through the surface of the dough. Instead, we'll shape it once as gently as possible.
    With wet hands, gently stretch the dough into a rectangle. Fold the right side of the dough into the center, then fold the left side over the top. Starting at one end, gently roll the dough up into a log shape. Tuck any loose inclusions into the center of the dough as you're rolling.
    Place the shaped dough seam-side up into your floured banneton. Gently stitch the dough by pulling small sections from each side toward the center and overlapping them. This helps create tension while also tucking any exposed cheese or jalapeños back inside the dough.
    Try to keep as many of the inclusions tucked inside as possible. A little exposed cheese is completely fine, but larger pieces on the outside can burn during baking.

Final Proof

  • You have two options here:
    Cold Proof (recommended): Cover and refrigerate the dough for 14–18 hours, or up to 24 hours.
    Room Temperature Proof: Cover and proof at warm room temperature for about 2 hours, or until the dough has puffed up and filled the banneton. Bake immediately.
    For the best flavor and easiest scoring, I always recommend the cold proof.

Bake

  • Preheat the oven to 450°F with a Dutch oven inside.
    Remove the dough from the refrigerator and flip it onto parchment paper or bread sling.
  • Score the top with a bread lame so it can expand while baking.
    Carefully transfer the dough to the hot Dutch oven.
  • Bake covered for 30 minutes, remove the lid and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the center reaches approximately 205°F

Add the Hot Honey Glaze

  • While the bread finishes baking, combine the melted butter and hot honey.
    1 tablespoon butter, 1 tablespoon hot honey
  • Transfer the baked loaf to a cooling rack and immediately brush the hot honey butter generously over the crust.
    Allow the bread to cool for at least 1–2 hours before slicing.

Notes

Using cheddar two ways gives you the best texture: the cubes create gooey cheese pockets while the shredded cheddar distributes cheesy flavor throughout the loaf.
Fresh jalapeños give the bread a lighter flavor. Pickled jalapeños add a tangier flavor. Be sure to pat them very dry before adding them to the dough.
Freshly shredded block cheddar melts better than pre-shredded cheese.
A little exposed cheese is normal, but keeping larger pieces tucked inside helps prevent burning.
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