Pour the water into a bowl.Here I have used very cold water.(I put 4 ice cubes into 1 cup of water ).We need cold water in this artisan jalapeño cheddar bread recipe as we need very slow activation of yeast.
Add the yeast, salt and dissolve it in water.Then add the flour into this.Combine everything together using the rear end of wooden spoon.Its easy to do this way and also it helps to have less mess while mixing.
If you have a stand mixer ,then you can use it form the dough.Use the dough hook attachment and knead the dough for 5-6 minutes until they form a dough.In this Cheddar bread recipe I have not used stand mixer.So to make sure our dough is completely hydrated and also to make sure there are no big lumps in the dough ,I used my hands to mix the dough and smoothen it.
After we make the dough,Cover the bowl with a plastic film or with a damp cloth and keep it on the counter top.Let it sit for 20 minutes.
To give more structure to the bread dough we usually knead the dough.But as this is a high hydration dough, it is difficult to knead the dough by hand.For that we will do 1 round of “stretch and fold” in 20 minutes and then another “layering of dough sheet” in another 20 minutes
To “stretch and fold”, lightly damp your fingers (this will help the dough not to stick) and pull up on the side of the dough and fold it back down on itself. Turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat. Do this until you have stretched and folded all 4 sides of the dough.
After this “two rounds” of stretch and folds, wait for another 20 minutes.Then transfer the dough on to clean work surface.Flip the dough on to a wet surface and stretch the dough to form a rectangular sheet of dough.Sprinkle the sheet with cheddar cheese (It is better, not to use too much cheese; as they all melt and bread may spread during baking) and then with chopped jalapeño(don’t forget to squeeze and remove excess moisture)Fold the dough from bottom and top ⅓ rd and then again fold it as shown in video.By now our dough has got a good texture.Transfer this dough onto a well greased container.Now cover the dough and let it rise for another 20 minutes.
Our bread dough has risen slightly and it is ready for shaping.Transfer the dough on to a well floured work surface and then shape it into a boule ” (round )or (oblong)Here I am shaping it oblong as I am using a rectangular proofing basket.Fold the dough and roll it to form a tensive dough(as in the video).We need to take care not to deflate all those air pockets formed.Pinch the edge to seal.Place the shaped dough on to a bannetton or onto a rectangular cake pan or a round bowl, lined with a well dusted(best to use gluten free flour like rice flour so that it will not stick to the dough) kitchen towel.Stitch the seam so that the dough remain in shape and will retain the tension.Cover it with a kitchen towel.
Let the shaped bread dough sit and rise for 60 minutes in refrigerator.After the final proofing, flip the dough on to a parchment paper.Dust off any excess flour on top.Score the bread with a sharp knife or blade or with a lame.Place this into the preheated oven dish or dutch oven.(We can use any oven proof dish with a proper lid.)Close the oven dish with it’s preheated lid.
Baking temperature and durationTransfer the dough on to a well preheated dutch oven or oven dish(250C)( I recommend an oven thermometer to make sure your oven is hot enough) and close the pot with an oven safe lid.We can use a Dutch oven or any oven safe vessel with a lid ,which is best to use for making this type of artisan rustic breads.Bake the bread inside the hot dutch oven(480F or 250 C) for 30 minutes with the lid on.After 30 minutes of baking, remove the lid and Reduce the oven temperature to 220C.And then bake for another 8-10 minutes without the lid (428 F or 220C) ,until the top of the bread is nice and deep golden brown.
As this cheddar jalapeño bread has creamy cheddar cheese marbled all over the bread and some spicy jalapeño in between, they are super delicious on its own and we can enjoy each slice, even without smearing any butter.