This Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough is everything a savory bread should be: chewy, golden, and deeply flavorful. The combination of sharp cheddar, smoky roasted jalapeños, and tangy pickled peppers gives this savory sourdough incredible depth. It’s spicy, cheesy, toasty, and super satisfying.
If you’re craving an easy sourdough recipe that feels bakery-worthy without too much fuss, put this at the top of your list. It’s a no-knead sourdough that’s wildly flavorful, packed with melty cheddar pockets, and truly one of my favorite savory bread recipes.
For more savory breads, check out Herb & Garlic Sourdough, Roasted Garlic Parmesan Sourdough, and Sourdough Scones with Bacon & Cheddar.
Recipe highlights
- Big bold flavor. Sharp cheddar melts into little pockets of gooey goodness while roasted and pickled jalapeños add smoky heat and tang.
- No-knead sourdough magic. Just mix, stretch, fold, and bake — perfect for beginners or anyone who wants maximum payoff with minimal effort.
- Super versatile. Toast it, use it for grilled cheese, serve it with salad, dip it into chili, or build the best breakfast sandwich of your life.
- Bakery-style crust + chewy crumb. Thanks to the Dutch oven steam, you get that crackly crust and soft, chewy interior every time.
If you love my recipe for Cheesy Sourdough, you’ll adore this spicy cousin.
Recipe overview
⏱️ Prep: ~20 active mins • Bulk ferment: 2-3 hrs • Cold proof: 8–12 hrs • Bake: 45–50 mins
🍞 Yield: 1 large boule
💪 Skill level: Intermediate
😋 Flavor profile: Cheesy, tangy, and lightly spicy with smoky roasted pepper notes and pockets of melty sharp cheddar. Pairs well with: chili, tomato soup, breakfast sandwiches, fried eggs, salted butter, honey, hearty stews, any meal with Southwestern flavors.
Ingredients notes & substitutions
Here’s a look at what you’ll need to make this sourdough bread recipe:
- Active sourdough starter – you want it fed and bubbly! Use it at “peak rise”.
- Bread flour – for sturdy structure and chewy texture.
- Water + salt – the essentials!
- Sharp cheddar – chopped into small cubes or grated. You could also sub in just about any hard cheese you like. Smoked gouda, pepperjack, or provolone are all great options.
- Jalapeños – a mix of roasted and pickled peppers brings depth of flavor, but you’re welcome to use all pickled or all roasted if you prefer.
- Optional: extra cheddar to sprinkle on top for a crisp, cheesy crust.
How to make jalapeño cheddar sourdough
Find the full ingredient list and detailed recipe instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here’s a quick step-by-step overview of how to make this recipe:
1. Roast the jalapeños: Place whole jalapeños under the broiler until blistered, soft, and slightly charred. Chop, de-seeding if desired for less spice. Mix with drained, chopped pickled jalapeños.
2. Mix the dough: Combine active sourdough starter, water, salt, and flour into a shaggy dough. Cover and rest dough for at least 30 minutes.
3. Start the stretches & folds. With damp hands, grab one edge of the dough, gently pull it upward until it stretches, then fold it over onto itself. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and repeat. Do this on all 4 sides around the dough. Let the dough rest for 30-45 minutes, then repeat the stretch-and-fold process 2–3 more times during the bulk fermentation.
4. Fold in the goods: On the second round of stretches and folds, scatter in cheddar cubes and jalapeños. They’ll distribute throughout the dough as you continue folding.
5. Cold ferment: After you’re done with the stretch-and-fold process, cover the dough and place it in the refrigerator to bulk ferment overnight. Alternative: If you want to bake your bread the same day, you can shape it at this point, leave it to rise for an hour or two, then bake as directed.
6. Shape & rise: Shape the dough into a round, place it in a floured banneton or bowl, and let the dough rise until puffy and well-aerated. This can vary by kitchen temperature, but should take between 1-3 hours.
7. Bake: Flip the dough out of the bowl, score it, and bake in a preheated Dutch oven until the crust is golden, crackly, and lightly caramelized from the cheddar.
Pro tips for bakery-style jalapeño cheddar sourdough
Use an active, bubbly sourdough starter. Try to mix the dough when your starter is at “peak rise” – after you’ve fed it and it has at least doubled in size. A small piece of starter should float in water when it’s ready.
Cut the cheese into small cubes. Shreds can disappear; cubes melt into delicious pockets!
Drain your pickled peppers. Too much liquid makes sticky dough.
Use a mix of roasted + pickled jalapeños. Trust me — the flavor complexity is next level.
Bake with steam. A Dutch oven gives high heat + humidity for bakery-style oven spring and crispy crust.
What to serve it with
This loaf turns even the simplest meal into something unbelievably delicious. Try it with:
- Chili. Great with classic chili but above and beyond with White Chicken Chili (I love this recipe from Half Baked Harvest)
- Tomato soup. Absolutely perfect for dipping!
- Breakfast sandwiches with eggs and bacon or sausage
- A bowl of fall stew, especially a classic Beef Stew
- A cheese board because yes, cheese-on-cheese is allowed
- A Southwestern salad or burrito bowls
And for serious cheese lovers: use slices to make jalapeño cheddar sourdough grilled cheese. It’s ridiculously good.
Make-ahead & storage
Cold proofing: Refrigerate your dough (shaped or unshaped) overnight for the best flavor.
Freezing: Wrap fully cooled slices tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat in a toaster or warm oven.
Storing: Keep the whole loaf at room temperature in a breathable bag for 2–3 days. Avoid the fridge, as it dries bread out.
FAQs for homemade sourdough
Absolutely! As is, this bread isn’t super spicy, but here are some options to bring the spice level down: Use fewer fresh roasted peppers (they’re hotter), rinse your pickled jalapeños, and remove the seeds.
You can still make amazing homemade sourdough! Bake on a hot baking sheet and cover the dough with an overturned metal bowl for the first 20 minutes to trap steam.
You can, but the flavor won’t be quite as deep. This jalapeño cheddar sourdough really benefits from an overnight rest in the fridge, as it slows fermentation, strengthens the dough, and develops that rich, classic sourdough flavor. If you’re in a rush, you can skip the cold ferment and bake after the dough has doubled, but expect a milder taste and slightly less structure.
Yes! If you prefer, you can shape the dough first, place it in a floured banneton, cover it, and then refrigerate it overnight. In the morning, take it straight from the fridge to the hot Dutch oven and bake.
My personal routine: I usually refrigerate the dough overnight before shaping, then shape it in the morning and let it rise at room temperature before baking. Both methods work — choose whichever fits your schedule.
If you make this Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough, please leave a star rating and comment below. I’d love to hear what you think or answer any questions. Thank you!
Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough Bread
Equipment
- Dutch oven with lid optional but recommended
Ingredients
Add-ins:
- ¼ cup fresh whole jalapeños, (3-4 peppers, depending on size)
- olive oil
- ¼ cup pickled jalapeños, strained, chopped
- 6 ounces sharp cheddar, diced into small cubes
Sourdough:
- 150 grams active, bubbly starter
- 330 grams water
- 10 grams salt
- 500 grams bread flour
Instructions
- Prep the add-ins. Preheat your oven broiler to high. Place fresh whole jalapeños on a baking sheet and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Broil until golden, soft, and blistered, about 10 minutes. Let cool.
- Chop roasted peppers into small chunks or thin slices, removing seeds if desired for less spice. Combine with ¼ cup chopped pickled jalapeños. Dice or grate 6 oz cheddar and set aside with peppers.
- Mix the dough. Combine sourdough starter, water and salt. Whisk to combine. Add flour; stir into starter mixture. Finish mixing by hand, folding mixture until it forms a rough ball. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let rest at least 30 minutes.
- Give the dough a stretch & fold. Pull dough from one side and give it a long stretch, folding the dough back to the middle. Turn the bowl a quarter turn, stretch again and fold back to the middle. Repeat on all four sides, cover dough back up, and allow to rest again for 30-45 minutes.
- Add the mix-ins. After this first rest, add in the jalapeños and cheddar. Give the dough another stretch-and-fold.
- Continue with stretch-and-folds. Over the couple hours, give the dough a stretch & fold about every 30-45 minutes or so (doesn't need to be exact). Plan to stretch & fold twice more after adding the jalapeños and cheese.
- Bulk cold ferment. Cover the dough, place in the refrigerator, and allow it to sit overnight.
- Shape. The next morning, pull your dough out of the fridge. Line a large bowl with a tea towel and dust it lightly with flour. Remove dough from bowl, pinching the dough together at the bottom to create a seam. Flip it over and pull it towards you a few times, rotating the dough and building tension to form a round boule.
- Proof. Place dough, seam side up, into the towel-lined bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Allow dough to rest and rise for about 1-3 hours, or until puffy (the time will vary quite a bit depending on your dough and the temperature of your house).
- Preheat oven & Dutch oven. When the bread is almost ready, place a Dutch oven with lid in the oven and preheat to 450° F. When oven comes to temperature, carefully turn your dough onto a piece of parchment, seam side down. Score the dough in any desired pattern using a bread lame or very sharp knife.
- Bake. Lift the parchment paper with your sourdough and lower it into the hot dutch oven. Cover with lid and bake covered for 25 minutes.Remove lid from Dutch oven and continue to bake uncovered for another 18-22 minutes, or until bread is golden and cooked through. The best way to tell if bread is done is to take its temperature with a meat thermometer – it should be about 205 – 215° F.
- Cool. Remove from oven and gently lift bread out of dutch oven, using the parchment paper as handles. Allow to cool at least 1 hour before slicing.
Notes
Did you try this recipe?
Be sure to leave a comment below!
Probably the best loaf of bread I have ever had.
Thanks, Ben! So happy that you loved it!