Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough Focaccia

If you love a good sourdough focaccia with a little kick, this Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough Focaccia is such a fun one to make. It's an overnight sourdough focaccia recipe with a soft, airy crumb, crisp golden edges, melty sharp cheddar and just the right amount of heat for sharing, snacking and summer grazing boards.

This topping is also featured in our Sourdough Focaccia Muffins!

Jump to:

• Ingredient Notes
• Step-By-Step Method
• Important Tips
• Serving Suggestions
• Storage
• More Sourdough Focaccia Recipes
• Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough Focaccia

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Inspired by our Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough Bread, this version is a little easier (no building surface tension, no shaping, no Dutch oven required), a little softer and perfect for tearing, dipping and making sandwiches without that extra-chewy sourdough bread crust.

Looking for something fancier? Try our Jalapeno Smoked Cheddar Sourdough Croissants!

Ingredient Notes

Here's everything you'll need to make this jalapeno cheddar focaccia:

• Strong white bread flour. Use bread flour with at least 12% protein for the best structure and that classic airy sourdough focaccia texture.
• Water. This is a high-hydration dough, which helps create a light, open crumb. It will feel wetter than many sourdough bread doughs, and that's exactly what you want.
• Active sourdough starter. Your sourdough starter should be bubbly, risen and ready to go. A strong starter will make all the difference here.
• Salt. Essential for flavour and gluten strength.
• Olive oil. A good glug of olive oil gives focaccia its signature soft interior and crisp, golden crust. You'll use it in the dough and for dimpling the top of the dough before baking.
• Sharp cheddar cheese. Sharp cheddar brings the best bold flavour here. Mature cheddar works beautifully too and melts into all the little crevices of the dough.
• Pickled jalapeños. These add gentle heat and a lovely tang. I keep this jalapeño cheddar focaccia fairly mild in real life because Seb and I are on very different spice levels - what I call "pleasantly warm", he often needs to chase with a glass of milk. If you like more heat, feel free to add extra.

Find ingredient quantities, detailed instructions and nutritional information in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. 

Step-By-Step Method

1. Feed your starter

First thing in the morning, feed your sourdough starter and leave it in a warm spot until it at least doubles in volume.

Why? A strong, active starter gives your focaccia lift, flavour and a better fermentation.

2. Fermentolyse and mix the dough

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the bread flour, water and active sourdough starter. Mix briefly on low speed until no dry flour remains. Cover with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap and leave for 1 hour.

Why? This fermentolyse gives the flour time to hydrate and starts gluten development before kneading.

3. Add the salt and olive oil

Scatter the salt over the dough and drizzle in the olive oil. Use your hands to squish everything in evenly before mixing again.

Why? Olive oil should be added after the rest and incorporated by hand first - if added too early, the dough can split instead of coming together smoothly.

4. Knead until elastic

Using the dough hook, knead on medium speed for 10-12 minutes until the dough looks smooth, stretchy and starts pulling into a smooth ball around the hook. It will still be sticky.

Why? Proper mixing builds strength in this wet dough so it can trap air later.

5. Coil folds and bulk fermentation

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl or container. Cover and leave for 30 minutes. Then, over the next 3 hours, perform 6 sets of stretch and folds or coil folds (my preferred method) at 30-minute intervals using wet hands.

Why? Coil folds strengthen the dough gently without knocking out all the air you're building.

6. Let the dough finish rising

After the final fold, leave the dough to continue bulk fermentation for another 1.5-3 hours, depending on your kitchen temperature.

Why? You're looking for a dough that feels lighter, puffier and full of bubbles rather than following the clock too strictly.

7. Cold proof overnight

Cover and refrigerate the dough for 8-24 hours.

Why? This overnight sourdough focaccia recipe develops deeper flavour and makes the dough much easier to handle the next day.

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8. Transfer to the tray

The next day, line a roughly 22 x 22 cm baking tray with a piece of parchment paper. Carefully tip the shaped dough into the tray and gently stretch it towards the corners without forcing it.

Why? A gentle transfer helps preserve all those lovely fermentation bubbles.

9. Second rise

Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and leave in a warm spot for 1-2 hours, until puffy and blistered.

Why? The second rise gives you that airy focaccia crumb and helps the dough relax fully into the pan.

10. Add the toppings

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Scatter over the cheddar cheese and jalapeños. Drizzle with a little olive oil, then use oiled fingers to dimple everything deeply into the surface and even slightly into the side of the dough if needed.

Why? Pressing the toppings in properly helps stop them from catching too much in the oven.

11. Bake

Bake for 20-25 minutes until deeply golden and bubbling. Leave to cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing.

Why? Letting it rest helps the crumb set properly and keeps the inside from turning gummy.

Important Tips

• Start with a lively sourdough starter. If your starter isn't active enough, the dough may struggle to rise properly.
• Don't skip the fermentolyse. That one-hour rest makes the dough easier to handle and helps gluten form naturally. This is especially important if you're not used to working with high-hydration sourdough. 
• Add the olive oil by hand first. It's the best way to avoid the dough splitting in the mixer.
• Use wet hands for folds. This sticky dough is much easier to manage with wet hands than floured ones.
• Watch the dough, not just the clock. Bulk fermentation can move faster or slower depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
• Dimple deeply. Pressing right down into the top of the dough gives that classic focaccia look and texture.
• Adjust the heat to your taste. This version has the right amount of heat for us, but next time you can absolutely add more jalapeños if you like things hotter.

Serving Suggestions

This is one of those loaves that disappears quickly.

Serve it warm with soups like tomato, roasted red pepper or sweetcorn chowder, or tear it into chunks and dip into olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It also makes a brilliant sandwich bread - especially for grilled veg, roast chicken or mozzarella and tomato fillings.

For summer, it's the best bread to serve as part of a big outdoor spread with salads, olives, hummus and cold drinks. It's also unexpectedly good alongside chilli, barbecue food or even with fried eggs and avocado the next morning.

Storage

This Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough Focaccia is best on the day it's baked, when the crust is crisp and the cheese is still a little soft and savoury.

Store leftovers in an airtight container or plastic bag at room temperature for up to 2 days. To freshen it up, warm it in the oven for a few minutes before serving.

Yes - you can freeze it. Slice first, then freeze in a sealed container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Reheat straight from frozen in the oven until warmed through.

More Sourdough Focaccia Recipes

If you've fallen for homemade sourdough focaccia, there are so many delicious ways to change it up - from cheesy and spicy versions like this one to softer, herby, veggie-packed or more classic olive oil topped loaves. It's such a great recipe to make again and again with whatever flavours you're craving.