In a large mixing bowl, add active, bubbly sourdough starter and room temperature, filtered water. Mix with a Danish dough whisk or your hand until it looks like a milky liquid.

50g (1/4 c) active sourdough starter, 350g (1 1/2 c) filtered water, room temperature

To the wet ingredients, add the bread flour and salt. Be sure to mix until all of the flour is incorporated. The dough will look shaggy, not like a uniform dough ball.

500g (3 1/2 c) bread flour, 10g (1 1/2 tsp) salt

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap (I use a reusable shower cap) and let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes before you move on to the next step.

With slightly wet fingers, scrape the dough away from the bowl. Grab a section of the dough and stretch the bread dough above your bowl. Then fold over on top of the dough.

Rotate your bowl clockwise a quarter of the way and repeat identical stretch and fold. Repeat the process until you come full circle, about 4-6 times. You will notice the dough will start to look much smoother than before.

Cover the dough again and let it rest for another 30 minutes.

Before starting your second set of stretches and folds, prepare the jalapeños and cheddar cheese.

You can use fresh or pickled jalapeños. If you are using fresh, remove the seeds and slice into thin rounds or dice into ¼-inch pieces. If using pickled, be sure to remove as much of the liquid as possible. Similar to the fresh, you can add sliced or diced pickled jalapeños depending on your preference. I prefer the diced jalapeños so you get a little bit in each bite.

70g (1/3 c) fresh or pickled jalapeños, diced or sliced, 113g (1 1/2 c) cheddar cheese, shredded

To the top of your dough, sprinkle 1/3 of each mix-in. Perform one stretch and fold. Then add another 1/3 of the mix-ins, do one more stretch and fold. Add the last 1/3 of the mix-ins and complete the rest of the stretch and folds. Some inclusions may break through the dough, totally fine. They will continue to be mixed in during your next rounds of stretch and folds.

Cover and let rest for another 30 minutes.

Repeat the identical stretch and fold two more times (for a total of 4 different rounds), waiting at least 30 minutes between each stretch and fold. Cover the dough after each stretch and fold.

Once you have completed the final set of stretch and folds, cover the dough and let it rest for the remainder of the bulk fermentation on your counter, about 9-11 more hours if the dough is kept at 68-70 degrees F.

Now this is the most finicky part of sourdough. There isn’t a set time for your bulk ferment. It is greatly dependent on the temperature of your environment. The warmer it is, the faster your dough will ferment. The opposite is true for cooler temperatures.

In an environment of 68-70 degrees F, doughs will typically bulk ferment for 9-11 hours more after the stretch and folds, but again, you will have to look for the signs that your dough is done fermenting, rather than the clock. Warmer temperatures will be faster, while cooler temperatures will be slower.

The dough should have increased in size by at least 50-75% and be domed on top.

The dough looks light, and jiggles when the bowl is shaken.

The dough should easily pull away from the bowl.

There should be visible bubbles in the dough and on top.

The dough doesn’t tear when you do a windowpane test

With slightly wet fingers, gently release the dough from the sides of the bowl. Be careful not to pop all of those lovely bubbles! Tilt the bowl and leave gravity to do the work to move the dough on the counter.

13, Shape the dough by doing another round of stretch and folds until you have gone full circle.

With a bench scraper or your hands, turn the dough upside down, so the seam is now on the counter. Cover the dough with the bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes.

While you are waiting for the dough to rest, prepare your proofing basket. This can either be a banneton or a small mixing bowl lined with a damp tea towel. The purpose of this proofing basket is to keep the tight shape that you will create, so make sure you are using a standard bowl that is small enough to help keep the shape.

Dust the banneton or the tea towel with flour (most will say to use rice flour, but I have used just regular all-purpose flour) to prevent sticking.

After 30 minutes of rest, flip the dough, with the seamed side up.

Gently pull the bottom of the dough towards you, then fold it towards the center of the dough. Pull the right side of the dough out and fold towards the center. Repeat with the left side. Finally, stretch the top of the dough away from you and fold towards the center of the dough. Flip the dough over again, seam side down.

Gently cup your hands around the dough ball. Turn the ball in a clockwise motion about a quarter turn and then softly pull the dough towards you. Do this repeatedly until you see the dough form a tighter and more round shape. Stop if the dough starts to tear.

With a bench scraper or just your hands, carefully scoop up the dough and lay it upside down (seed side down) into your floured proofing basket and cover it with a plastic bag or a shower cap.

Place your proofing basket in the fridge to cold-proof for 8-72 hours.

Cold fermenting the dough in the fridge slows down the fermentation process, which enhances the flavor of your loaf. It also gives you more flexibility in when you bake your bread.

But don’t wait too long! If left in the fridge for too long, your dough will over-ferment, causing the dough to not be able to rise while baking.

30 minutes before baking, place the dough in the freezer. This helps with the scoring design. At the same time, place your Dutch oven in your oven and preheat to 500 degrees F. Allow the Dutch oven to preheat for at least 30 minutes.

Place a piece of parchment paper on your workspace and gently flip the banneton upside down over the parchment paper. Since you dusted the banneton, your dough should slowly release and fall onto the parchment paper, landing in the middle with the floured side facing up.

With a lame / razor blade or sharp knife, score a crescent moon shape on top of the dough. This is necessary for your bread to be able to expand while baking.

Grab the corners of the parchment paper and carefully place the Sourdough Jalapeño & Cheddar dough into your preheated Dutch Oven and cover with the lid.

Lower the oven to 450 degrees F and bake the bread covered for 30 minutes. Then remove the lid of the Dutch oven and continue to bake the bread for an additional 10-15 minutes with the lid off.

Once golden brown, remove the Dutch oven from your oven.

Using the corners of the parchment paper, lift the sourdough bread out of the Dutch oven and place it onto a wire rack to cool.

Allow your homemade bread to cool for at least 1 hour before cutting into it. (I know! How can you possibly wait when it looks and smells so good? But trust me, if you cut in too soon, your masterpiece will turn gummy.)

Once the hour is up, slice into your work of art and slather on some butter, and enjoy!