Name: No Knead Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough Bread
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 605 min
Ingredients: 25 grams mature sourdough starter ((about 2 tablespoons)); 75 grams unbleached bread flour or all-purpose flour ((½ cup + 1 teaspoon)); 75 grams water ((90°F) (⅓ cup)); 100 grams ripe sourdough starter ((heaping ⅓ cup)); 300 grams filtered water ((90°F) (1¼ cups + 1 tablespoon)); 500 grams bread flour or unbleached all-purpose flour ((3½ cups + ½ teaspoon)); 10 grams sea salt ((2⅛ teaspoons)); 150-170 grams sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated ((¾-1 cup)); 1-2 medium fresh jalapeños, finely diced and patted very dry ((¼-½ cup))

This No Knead Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough Bread is the bold, savory version of my Easiest Ever No-Knead Sourdough Bread - the recipe that gets nearly 100,000 visits a month and has helped countless readers finally succeed with sourdough after being this close to giving up.

Instead of reinventing the wheel, this recipe uses the exact same dough and one-day timeline, then adds cheddar and jalapeños the right way - during shaping - so the loaf stays tall and airy, with cheese and peppers layered into every slice.

Sliced no knead jalapeño cheddar sourdough bread showing an airy crumb with melted cheddar and diced jalapeños throughout.

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For more reader-favorite sourdough recipes, check out my Sourdough Focaccia, Sourdough Discard Bread, and Smoked Sourdough Bread next.

After making a lot of sourdough over the years, I've learned that adding cheese directly into the dough can weaken gluten, flatten the loaf, and leave burnt cheese on the bottom.

This recipe avoids that completely by layering the cheese and jalapeños during shaping instead.

Recipe at a Glance

The Base: My proven no-knead sourdough dough
The Add-Ins: Sharp cheddar and fresh jalapeños
Hands-On Time: About 15 minutes
Total Time: One day (no cold proof)
Skill Level: Beginner-friendly
The Result: A tall, airy loaf with cheesy layers and just enough heat

Ingredients You'll Need

Mature Sourdough Starter: Use an active, bubbly starter that has doubled and smells pleasantly tangy. If you don't have one yet, you can make your own using my Easy Sourdough Starter Recipe.
Flour: I like to use bread flour, but you can also use unbleached all-purpose flour.
Warm Water: You want it warm enough to wake up the starter, but not so hot it kills it (about 90°F is perfect).
Sea Salt: Fine sea salt mixes into the dough easily.
Cheese: Use sharp or extra sharp cheddar. I highly recommend grating it yourself; pre-shredded cheese is coated with anti-clumping agents and starch. Stick with grated cheese - chunks can tear holes in the dough.
Jalapeños: I used chopped fresh jalapeños, but you can also use my Quick-Pickled Jalapeños. Because I don't like a lot of heat, I removed all seeds and membranes. But you can leave some in for more kick. Crucial Tip: Pat them very dry with a paper towel before adding them to the dough.

How to Make Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough Bread (Step-by-Step Instructions)

The Night Before: Build Your Starter (5 minutes + 8-12 hours rest)

In a clean jar, stir together 25g starter, 75g flour, and 75g warm water (90F) until no dry flour remains. The mixture should look like thick pancake batter.

Cover loosely and let it sit at room temperature overnight (8-12 hours).

What you're looking for in the morning:

The starter has doubled in size
Lots of bubbles throughout
A pleasant, slightly tangy smell

If it looks active and puffy, you're good to go.

A mason jar filled with active sourdough starter full of bubbles, showing it has more than doubled past the black line.

The Next Morning: Mix the Dough (10 minutes)

In a large bowl, stir 100g of ripe starter and 300g of warm water (90F) together until the starter is mostly dissolved.

Add 500g of bread flour and 10g of salt. Stir with a spoon until a shaggy dough forms, then use your hands to bring it together into a rough ball. It will be sticky. That's normal. Don't add more flour.

Cover the bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap (or a shower cap) and place it somewhere warm. The oven with just the light on works perfectly.

Step-by-step process showing how to make no-knead jalapeño cheddar sourdough bread, from mixing starter and water to forming a shaggy dough and forming a ball.

First Rise (Bulk Fermentation) (5-6 hours fermentation)

Now the dough does the work - not you.

Let the dough rise until it's noticeably puffy and roughly doubled in size. This usually takes 5-6 hours, depending on how warm your kitchen is.

No knead sourdough dough after mixing, resting in a glass bowl covered with plastic wrap before bulk fermentation.

No knead sourdough dough after bulk rise, showing bubbles and expansion in a covered bowl.

Shaping the Dough (How to Add Jalapeños and Cheddar)

Lightly flour your counter and turn the dough out smooth-side down.
Gently stretch it into a rough rectangle measuring approximately 10 x 14 inches. Keep it airy - don't press it flat.
First layer: Sprinkle cheese and jalapeños evenly over the entire surface, leaving a 1-inch border.
Fold a third of the dough in toward the center.
Sprinkle more cheese and jalapeños over the folded section.
Fold the top third down over everything.
Sprinkle the remaining cheese and jalapeños evenly over the dough.
Roll and tighten: Roll from the short end into a log, pinch the seam closed, then flip the dough seam-side down. Using cupped hands, gently pull the dough toward you, rotate it a quarter-turn, and repeat until the surface feels smooth and tight. This step helps the loaf rise up, not out.
Place the dough seam-side up into a well-floured proofing basket or towel-lined bowl. Cover loosely with plastic wrap.

Step-by-step photos showing how to shape jalapeño cheddar sourdough: stretch dough into a rectangle, add cheddar and diced jalapeños, fold in thirds with more filling, then roll into a tight ball.

Second Rise (2-3 hours)

Let the dough rise again until it looks light and puffy and nearly doubled. When gently pressed, it should hold the indentation instead of bouncing back. This final rise is what gives you a lighter crumb, so don't cut it short.

The shaped cheddar jalapeno dough in a floured banneton basket, covered with plastic.

The jalapeno cheddar dough covered with plastic, after the second rise.

Baking the Bread (45-50 minutes)

Remove the dough from the oven and preheat your oven to 450°F. Do not preheat the Dutch oven.
Turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper so the seam is now on the bottom.
Score the top ½ inch deep with a sharp knife or bread lame. A simple straight line works perfectly.
Carefully lower the dough into your Dutch oven using the parchment paper. Cover with the lid.
Turn the oven down to 425°F and bake for 40 minutes.
After the covered bake, remove the lid and continue baking 5-10 minutes more until the crust is deep golden brown.
The bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped and looks deeply baked, not pale. The internal temperature should be 190-205°F.

Step-by-step photos showing how to score and bake the cheddar jalapeno sourdough bread.

Cooling (The Hardest Part) (2+ hours)

Let the bread cool completely on a rack before slicing.

I know it's tempting. But slicing too early releases steam and can make the inside gummy. Waiting gives you better texture and cleaner slices.

Slices of no knead jalapeño cheddar sourdough bread on a wooden cutting board.

Jeri's Tips for Success

After helping thousands of bakers with my viral base recipe, I've seen where things can go sideways. Here are my tips for making sure this Jalapeño Cheddar version comes out perfect every time:

The "Jiggle" Test: Before you turn your dough out to shape it, give the bowl a gentle shake. The dough should jiggle like Jell-O. If it's still dense and heavy, it needs more time to rise.
Watch the "Seam": When you are doing the final roll and tension pull, make sure your seam is pinched tight. If it's loose, the steam will find that exit point and all your delicious cheddar will leak out onto the parchment paper. Don't use very much flour either, you want the dough to stick together easily when you press it.
Decisive Scoring: When you score the top of a cheese-filled loaf, don't be timid. Make one deep, ½-inch cut. If you hit a piece of cheese, that's okay! It will bake into what I call "cheese lace" on the crust - which is the best part.
Don't Cheat the Cool Down: I know the smell is driving you crazy, but cutting into hot sourdough is the #1 cause of a "gummy" interior. The bread is actually still "cooking" from the steam inside while it sits on the rack. Give it the full 2 hours - at least!

Variations

Once you master the layer, fold, and roll method, the possibilities are endless. Here are a few ways my readers love to switch things up:

The "Cowboy" Loaf: Use my Cowboy Candy instead of fresh jalapeños and add ¼ cup of crispy bacon bits during the shaping phase. It's sweet, salty, and spicy.
Pepper Jack Swap: If you want even more heat, swap the cheddar for shredded Pepper Jack cheese.
The "Everything" Sourdough: Add a tablespoon of Everything Bagel Seasoning to the outside of the loaf just before scoring.
Herb & Cheddar: Skip the peppers and add 2 teaspoons of dried rosemary or chives to the cheese layers.

Storage and Freezing

Store at room temperature in a paper bag for up to 3 days.

Slice and freeze for up to 3 months. Toast straight from frozen.

Close up of jalapeño cheddar sourdough bread crumb with melted cheese pockets.

Can I do a cold proof (refrigerate overnight)?

Yes. While this recipe is designed to be finished in one day, you can put your shaped loaf (in the banneton) into the fridge for 12-24 hours. This actually makes the bread easier to score and deepens the sourdough tang.

Is this bread spicy?

With the seeds and membranes removed, the jalapeños provide a mild warmth and great flavor without being "hot." If you want heat, leave the seeds in!

If You've Ever Struggled With Sourdough…

This loaf uses the same method as my No-Knead Sourdough Bread that has helped thousands of readers finally succeed with sourdough. If you're new or feeling frustrated, start with that recipe, then come back to this jalapeño cheddar version once you're comfortable with the dough. My No Knead Sourdough Sandwich Bread also uses the same easy method.

You don't need fancy tools. You don't need perfect timing. You just need a method that actually works - and this one does.

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