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.
Equipment
Ingredients
Sourdough Focaccia Dough
- 260 g strong bread flour with at least 12% protein content
- 190 ml water
- 110 g active sourdough starter 100% hydration
- 5 g salt
- 25 ml olive oil
Topping
- 70 g sharp/ mature Cheddar cheese grated/ shredded
- 30 g pickled sliced jalapeno canned jalapeno peppers, or more to taste*
- a drizzle of olive oil
Instructions
DAY 1
- First thing in the morning, feed your sourdough starter and leave it in a warm spot to at least double in volume. We typically feed our starter in a ratio of 1 part starter: 1 part water: 1 part flour, and it doubles (or even triples) within 4 hours.
Fermentolyse and Mixing The Dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour, water and active sourdough starter. Mix the dough in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment for a few minutes on low speed, until the flour is hydrated. Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and leave the dough to fermentolyse (a type of sourdough autolyse where sourdough starter is added too) for an hour.
- After an hour, scatter the salt on top of the dough. Drizzle the olive oil all over, and using your hands, squish the salt and oil into the dough, aiming to distribute it evenly.
- TIP: Don't be tempted to just mix the oil in by running the stand mixer – the dough will split, separated by oil layers.
- Once incorporated, run your mixer on medium speed for 10-12 minutes, until you have a very smooth and elastic dough. It will be wet, but should start gathering around the dough hook attachment.
Coil Folds, Bulk Fermentation, Cold Proof
- Scoop the dough into a lightly oiled bowl (we like to use a heavy shallow dish – it helps with coil folds later). Cover the dough with a damp tea towel or cling film (plastic wrap) and leave it in a warm spot for 30 minutes.
- Over the next 3 hours, at 30-minute intervals, perform a set of coil folds, using wet hands.
- After all 6 sets of coil folds are completed, cover the dough and let it finish its bulk fermentation undisturbed for 1.5-3 hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
- Place the dough in the refrigerator for 8-24 hours (or simply overnight).
DAY 2
- The next day, line a baking tray (approx 22x22cm - 8x8 in) with parchment paper.
Second Rise
- Take the dough out of the fridge and very carefully transfer it into the prepared baking tray, trying not to deflate it too much. Stretch it out into the corners of the baking dish.
- Cover it again and leave it in a warm spot to proof for another 1-2 hours. It will increase in volume, puff up and have very noticeable blisters across the surface.
Topping and Baking
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
- Spread the grated cheddar and sliced jalapenos across the surface of the dough. I tend to chop ⅔ finely and keep ⅓ in slices.
- Oil your fingers and dimple the toppings into the dough, pressing deep down to the base of the pan.
- Bake the focaccia for 20-25 minutes. Cool it for at least 20 minutes before slicing. Best enjoyed slightly warm or at room temperature on the day it is baked.
Video
Notes
*I tend to chop ⅔ of the jalapenos finely and dimple them into the dough alongside cheddar. I place the remaining ⅓ slices whole on top of the focaccia.
Nutrition
Calories: 170kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 6gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 296mgPotassium: 38mgFiber: 1gSugar: 0.2gVitamin A: 107IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 60mgIron: 0.3mg
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