Cheddar Cheese Sourdough Bread Made With Fresh Milled Flour
This cheddar cheese sourdough bread made with fresh milled flour is out of this world amazing! You could add in some Jalapenos for added flavor with a kick! But, I just have to share this loaf recipe, because it makes the most incredible grilled cheese sandwich you have ever had!
Ingredients
- 115 g Sourdough Starter 1/2 cup Feed HEAVY the night before, it should be active, healthy, and bubbly
- 500 g Fresh Milled Hard White Wheat Flour *See notes for wheat variety variations
- 10 g sea salt 1&3/4 tsp
- 425 g room temperature filtered water about 1&3/4 cups
- 113 g Shredded Cheddar Cheese 1 cup (4 oz) cheese - I recommend shredding your own cheese for this, not the pre-shredded packages.
- Dusting of rice flour You can use wheat flour for this as well if you don't need the full loaf to be fermented.
Instructions
Making & Autolysing the Dough
- Firstly, pour 400g of room temperature filtered water into a medium bowl.
- Then, add the Heavily fed active sourdough and stir it together.
- Next, add 500 g of fresh milled hard white wheat flour, mix until no dry flour is left. Cover and let sit for 30- 45 minutes. This is called the Autolyse. This allows the fresh milled flour to start absorbing the liquids, and the bran to start to soften.
- In a separate small bowl, add 25g room temperature filtered water (1/8cup) and 10g of sea salt (1&3/4 tsp), stir to start dissolving the salt. Set this aside until the next step.
Bulk Fermentation & Stretch & Folds
- Then, after the autolyse, add the salt & water mixture, to the flour mixture. Then, mix it in with your hands. You should see that the dough already is softer and not so shaggy than it was before the autolyse. Cover, and let sit for 30-60 minutes. This is the beginning of the Bulk Ferment.
- During this Bulk Ferment Period, Pull & fold dough in the bowl, turning the bowl a few times, Then cover again.
- Repeat this Pull & Fold technique every 30-60 minutes until the dough rises about 20-30%. It should get bubbly, and stretchy over time. This phase should take about 4-6 hours.
- After the Bulk Ferment Period, then take the dough to a clean flat work surface.
Add The Cheddar Cheese & Lamination
- Gently flatten and stretch the dough into a flat rectangle sheet.
- Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese evenly all over the flat sheet of dough, and gently press into the dough.
- Then, fold 1/3 of the dough towards the middle, and then the other 1/3 of the dough towards the middle to overlap the first folded layer. This should cover all the cheese with dough.
- Then, roll the dough up. Next step it to preshape the loaf.
Pre-shape The Loaf
- To pre-shape the loaf, use the cup & turn technique to form a round shape, try to use your hands to create surface tension as you shape. If the cheese tears through, that's ok, just pinch the dough back together after shaping.
Bench Rest
- Let the dough ball rest for 10-20 minutes. This is called the Bench Rest.
- Repeat shaping 1-2 more times, until the dough ball forms good surface tension. You should notice the dough ball “remembers” better each time you shape it.
Baking The Loaf
- During this time, preheat oven to 480*F with Dutch Oven or a High Heat Proof Baking Vessel With Lid inside. (If you don’t have one, never fear, check the notes for an alternative.)
- Place dough on parchment paper, and coat dough ball with a little rice flour and score the loaf however you desire.
- Place loaf in preheated Dutch oven with lid on.
- Bake bread 35 minutes at the 480*F covered.
- Then, decrease oven to 450*F, remove the lid, and continue baking 20-25 more minutes.
- Check the temperature of the loaf, and bake until the internal temperature of the center of the loaf reaches. 210*F
- Let the loaf cool completely before slicing into it. I let it rest overnight uncovered for best results (I know that is hard to do, but remember we didn't do an overnight ferment, so this bread deserves to rest! lol)
Notes
*Fed Heavy The Night Before- feed 50g of starter with 100g of water and 100g of freshly milled flour (preferably hard wheat for this feeding, because that is what you are going to need for the loaf tomorrow.)
*You can sub hard red for hard white, and you can use 80% of a hard wheat variety, with 20% of something like Kamut, Spelt, Einkorn, or Rye
*If you don’t have a Dutch Oven, the alternative method would be to use a high heat safe vessel, fill it with water, and preheat the oven with that water inside to create steam. Then, place loaf on parchment paper and on a baking sheet, and bake with the water in the oven for the first 20 minutes. Finish baking without the water. (Be careful removing, it wil be very hot.)
*To Store- To store this bread, keep covered at room temperature for 1-2 days. (However, covering the loaf will make the exterior of the loaf softer.) I like to slice into it the next morning after it has cooled. Then, enjoy the slices toasted and slathered with your desired topping. Then place a few extra slices in a bag for the next morning. For longer storage, I slice it and keep in a freezer safe bag. Then, I can just grab a slice out of the freezer whenever I want!