Sourdough Bread with Cheddar Cheese

Step 1: I mix the main dough I pour 310 g of filtered water at room temperature into a bowl, add 95 g of sourdough starter at its peak, stir the starter into the water, and add 400 g of bread flour. I mix it by hand or with a spatula until smooth and let it rest for 30–40 minutes, covered with plastic wrap, at room temperature

I add 8 g of salt, 12 g of honey, and 10 g of water to my dough. I knead the dough by hand until the salt dissolves; this takes me about 3 minutes. I let the dough rest, covered with plastic wrap, for 30–40 minutes at room temperature

I do the first folding of the dough with wet hands I pull the dough upward and drop it back into the bowl; I repeat this 8–10 times in a circular motion I leave the dough covered with plastic wrap again for 30–40 minutes.

I do the second fold with wet hands. I pull the dough upward and lower it into the bowl; I repeat this 5–8 times in a circular motion. I let the dough rest under a cloth again for 30–40 minutes.

Next, with wet hands, I make the third and final fold of the dough. Let the dough rise for 2–2.5 hours, depending on the temperature in your room; the warmer it is, the faster the dough will rise.

I dust the finished, proofed but not overproofed dough with flour, and I dust the table with flour—regular flour, not the high-protein kind used for bread—then place the dough on the table and spread the cheese on top I roll the dough into a log, then leave it on the table under a bowl for 30 minutes.

The dough has rested under the bowl for 30 minutes. I flip it over to the other side, add the cheese again, and roll it up into a log once more I stretch the dough well with my fingers and place it in a floured pan, where I’ll leave the bread to ferment overnight in the refrigerator

After 10, 16, or 20 hours, I take the bread out, transfer it to parchment paper, and brush off any excess flour I make a slit in the bread with a knife and place it on a preheated baking stone in an oven preheated to 240 °C for the first 20 minutes. You need to bake the bread with steam; to do this, I use a pot—I cover the bread with a large pot, which should also be preheated

After 20 minutes, I remove the pot—the bread has risen and expanded nicely—and bake it for another 15–20 minutes without the pot My oven only has bottom heat—no convection and no setting where the top of the oven heats up.

The bread is ready; I transfer it to a cutting board or a rack and let it cool for an hour to an hour and a half, then I slice it

Final appearance