Cheddar Cheese Sourdough bread may be the most requested thing I bake. I made some last fall and brought it into where I work at The Lion King. I had baked 2 big boules of this fragrant very delicious bread, and I set one up in the puppet department and one down where there is all the sound equipment. Within minutes the word got out that I baked this incredible and very tasty cheddar cheese sourdough. I swear they were running to either of the two places where I had left the big loaves of goodness. And it was all gone within an hour or so. For the rest of the night and even the next day, I was continually being bugged on why I did not save some for various people who all think they should have had pieces left just for them…lol, Those loaves really become legendary at the theater.
By the holidays I had made it several times including for the famous Broadway Flea Market, which is a huge charity event, where the mini loaves of the cheddar cheese sourdough sold out very quickly. I was even asked to make several loaves for people to have for Christmas. It would have been my pleasure to make them except for the dreaded schedule we all endure every Christmas where we really have no time off for about 3 weeks. It took me until now to really get back to making another batch that I could write about.
This post is really about technique not about an actual recipe. If you want directions on how I make a good sourdough boule, I have a great post HERE that you can check out. I’ve gotten the sourdough really down. However, everyone seems to have their own method, and mine is only one of many different ways you can make the beginning dough. My schedule works well with how I do it.
Here is where I can give you some advice on how I take the same method I make for 2 plain sourdough boules and bring it to a different level by adding cheddar cheese. It does take some planning and time, but most of that is just resting and retarding in the fridge.
First, make sure you find an incredible cheddar. Just plain old mild cheddar will not do. The cheddar cheese for making cheddar cheese bread needs to be robust, tangy and quite sharp. My favorite so far is this really tasty Barber’s farmhouse sweet red cheddar imported from England that I found at whole foods. But any strong, flavorful sharp cheddar will do. For this recipe, you will need about ¾ of a lb (340 grams)of a great cheddar. You can shred it or just crumble it. You will need ½ of it for the dough and ½ of it when you bake it.
Second, I mix in half of the Cheddar, either crumbled or shredded, into the dough after the second fold of the process. I find if I do it at the beginning, there will be no chunks of cheese in the bread. If you wait till the last fold the cheese doesn’t get evenly distributed. Then continue as if you were making any sourdough loaves shaping 2 big boules, and then retarding them in the fridge. I have been pushing the retard all the way to 3 days and have been very happy with the flavor that brings it to the table.
Once you are ready to bake the loaves, slash the shaped loaves in a simple pattern just to promote lift. I use a simple cross slash. Bake the loaves as you would normally. I use 2 Dutch ovens, but you could use a bakers stone or even a cookie sheet. Halfway through, which is when you would typically take the lid off the Dutch oven, spread the remaining shredded or crumbled cheese over the tops of the loaves. I try to spread them over the slashed areas of each loaf. The trick is to not get any onto the actual Dutch oven or onto the baking stone as it might smoke. Let the loaves cook for the remaining time. And let cool as you would any other loaves.
Cheddar cheese sourdough bread is absolutely delicious all on its own even without any butter. It also makes incredible sandwiches, and it is really tasty on a bread tray for a party. It keeps for about a week with using it for toast after the first couple of days the best way to enjoy this amazing cheddar cheese sourdough. Even just toasting this bread fills your kitchen with the intoxicating aroma of cheese!
These Cheddar Cheese Sourdough Boules of goodness are amazing to make and even better to eat.
