Note: Make sure you remove your starter from the fridge and feed a day before you plan on baking. I usually feed starter in the morning, let it become active as it rests on the counter all day (8-12 hours), form my loaves that night and bake the next morning. Do not refrigerate starter between feeding and forming loaves. Starter needs to be warm, active and bubbly when used. If you prefer to bake in the evening, you can certainly feed starter in the afternoon/evening and allow to activate overnight, form your loaves in the morning and bake in the evening. It's totally up to you!

Note: be sure to set your food scale back to zero between additions.Place measured flour, salt, water and active starter in a large bowl and work with hands until you form a craggly ball (a rough ball). Cover bowl with a damp dishtowel and let rest for 20 minutes.

Place dough on a counter surface dusted with flour and knead for a couple of minutes. You can add a little flour as needed to prevent sticking. Form into a smooth ball. Dust bowl with flour, place dough back in bowl, dust dough lightly with flour. Cover bowl with wet dishtowel, place a plate on top and allow to rest on the counter for 12-18 hours. During this time the dough will rise and become bubbly. (If it's cold where you live, try to place dough in a warm area of the house. Cold temps can impact rising time)

(The next day) Sprinkle counter with flour. Remove dough from bowl, form into a round loaf. Fold in ⅓ of the cheese and jalapeño slices, then fold in another ⅓ of each. Your loaf will be pretty full and lumpy. Place the remaining cheese and jalapeño slices on the top of the loaf. Place the loaf on a large sheet of parchment paper. Set aside. Place a Dutch oven with lid on into the oven. Preheat oven and Dutch oven at 450 degrees for one hour.

After oven and dutch oven have preheated for an hour, sprinkle bread dough lightly with sea salt if desired (I love a good bite of salt with my bread!).Use a knife to slice the top of your bread dough (don't go too deep, just an inch or two), this allows steam to release. Have fun with it. You can slice three lines, a criss cross, or four diagonal lines and one across as pictured above.

Grab the sides of the parchment and lift bread dough into pre-heated Dutch oven. Place the lid back on and cook for 20 minutes. Remove lid and cook for 20 more minutes (total cooking time is 40 minutes. Crust should be golden and crispy). Remove from oven, place on a rack, and allow to cool a bit, enjoy! (Note: if you prefer a less crispy crust, or if your bread get too dark on top, try 25 minutes with the lid on and 15 minutes with the lid off)