we could all use a little more comfort in our lives right now, even in the blistering heat of summer. for me, no other food combination spells out comfort more than cheese and carbs.

this loaf deliciously combines the best of both worlds. the savory creaminess from the melted cheese comes in sporadic pockets, with the subtle spiciness from the black pepper running throughout.

this cheese and black pepper combo has easily become one of my favorites.

notes

as always, please adjust the formula based on the hydration of your starter, and adjust the timing of the bulk rise based on the temperature of your kitchen. this recipe was developed during the summer, in a 80 degree kitchen. please add an hour during the shoulder months, and two hours in winter months.

i used mccormick’s ground black pepper to develop this recipe, which i found to be fairly weak in flavor. i liked the flavor better at 2.5%, which for a 400 g flour loaf was 10 g of black pepper. i did not try this with freshly cracked black pepper. if you do bake this with freshly cracked black pepper which usually carries a stronger flavor, please be sure to reduce the amount.

cubing a block of cheese yourself is the secret to melty cheese pockets! shredded cheese will not yield the same effect. i like to use sharp, white cheddar cheese, but i bet a similar type of cheese would work just as well.

parchment paper is important here because the cheese will melt and get stuck to your dutch oven! that being said, the parchment paper might also get stuck to the loaf due to melted cheese. peel and scrape it off before enjoying.

baker’s percentage & basic timetable

the percentages for water and flour only account for the final dough build, and do not include the levain formula build.

ingredient	baker’s percentage
all purpose flour	60%
whole wheat flour	20%
bread flour	20%
water	80%
salt	2.5%
levain	22%
cheddar cheese	30%
black pepper	2.5%

step	time
levain build	6 hours
bulk rise	6.5 hours
folds	4 folds & 1 lamination
cold proof	12 – 16 hours
bake	45 minutes

cheddar pepper sourdough

like mac and cheese in sourdough bread, this loaf is speckled with black pepper and caves of melted cheddar cheese.

formula

levain build

15 g unfed levain
15 g king arthur whole wheat flour
60 g king arthur all purpose flour
60 g water @ 85°F

dough formula

240 g king arthur all purpose flour
80 g king arthur whole wheat flour
80 g king arthur bread flour
320 g water @ 90°F
10 g sea salt
88 g ripe levain

add-ins

120 g white sharp cheddar cheese, cubed
8 – 10 g black pepper, to taste

method

7 am: feed levain

refresh your starter using levain build formula, and stiff starter method.

12 pm: autolyse

in a large bowl, mix all flours together. slowly add the water, mixing with a rubber spatula, making sure to incorporate the water into the flour well, stopping when all the flour is hydrated. let sit, covered, for 60 minutes.

1 pm: bulk fermentation

sprinkle salt evenly over autolysed dough. incorporate gently by folding dough over a 2-3 times. then, measure out ripe starter, and add to bowl.
mix, alternating between using the rubaud and pincer method, for about 6-7 minutes.
let dough rise at room temp until it doubles and appears gaseous, about 6.5 hours in the summertime (kitchen ~80°F)
this dough needs 4 sets of coil folds, spaced 45 min apart, starting at the beginning. after the first coil fold, perform lamination to incorporate cheese and pepper.
sample schedule:
– 1:45 pm fold #1
– 2:30 pm laminate in cubed cheese and ground pepper
– 3:15 pm fold #2
– 4 pm fold #3
– 4:45 pm fold #4

7:30 pm: shape

i like to shape these like a batard.
on a generously floured surface, gently guide dough onto the table. first tug and fold the dough lightly on itself in each direction: top, left, right, bottom, like you're folding up paper.
then, knit the left and right sides together like you're stitching up a seam.
finish by taking the top end of the dough, and rolling it up like a scroll, perpendicular to the seam.
flip dough over, seam side down on an unfloured surface. pinch ends shut.

7:35 pm: proof

generously flour an unlined bannetone (for the swirl aesthetic). flip the dough over with a bench knife, and gently transfer the dough, seasm side up, into the bannetone.
place bannetone inside of a plastic bag to cover, and place in fridge overnight for 12 – 16 hours.

[next morning] 9:30 am: preheat

place dutch oven with lid on into the oven. pre-heat oven to 495°F for an hour.

10:30 am: bake

dough is proofed when it passes the finger dent test. remove bannetone from fridge.
very slowly, flip dough out of bannetone onto a cut piece of parchment paper.
score your loaf with a lame. i like to score this with a single deep cut down the center with some optional lighter flourishes to each side.
transfer scored dough to dutch oven. decrease temperature to 475°F. with the lid on, bake for 30 minutes. then, take the lid off. bake for another 12 – 15 minutes, or whenever the crust turns the color you like it (i go for a pretty deep brown).