For me, there’s nothing better than bread.. and cheese! So bread with cheese must be the ultimate bread. That’s what I set out to test with this bread. Here is my recipe for sourdough bread with cheddar, oregano, and smoked paprika.

Cheddar is one of the most popular cheeses in the world. It’s a pretty good cheese that fits perfectly with other foods and in a sandwich. Personally, I like cheeses with more taste, so I’ve used sharp cheddar in this recipe. If you don’t like sharp cheese you can substitute it with mild cheddar.

Cheddar originates from the English village Cheddar in Somerset. Oddly enough it isn’t a protected title like many of the French and Italian cheeses (and a couple of Danish ones as well).

The topping has cheddar but also Parmagiano Reggiano. It gives both wonderful umami and saltiness to the bread, but also a sublime crunch on the top of the bread.

Opposite the cheddar cheese, the Parmagiano Reggiano is a protected title through PDO. That means that if you buy cheese by that name, it will be the original. Again, you can substitute with a generic Parmesan if you can’t get the original. You could use a Danish Rød Krystal, which is a Danish version of this type of cheese.

The formula in this sourdough bread with cheddar recipe

The levain

The levain has some whole-grain wheat flour in it, to provide some extra food for your starter. It should be ready in about four hours from when you mix it.

The dough

The dough itself does not have any whole grain in it so the crumb will be extra soft. The salt is the common amount of 2%.

The amounts of oregano and smoked paprika have been precisely calibrated to not overpower but to accentuate the taste of the cheese.

If you want to play around with the hydration or the formula, you can do it here in my bread calculator.

The conclusion on this sourdough bread with cheddar recipe

This bread is what you’d call a crowd-pleaser. Every time I make it, a line forms in front of my kitchen and people’s eyes light up when they hear I am going to make it.

The taste of this bread really works. The smoke and the sweetness from the paprika, the green earthy notes from the oregano, and the big hit of umami from the cheddar and the Parmesan. It all works in tandem.

The crumb is soft and lovely. A little bit stretchy like you know from other sourdough bread. The crust, oh my load. A fabulously crunchy crust with extra crisp from the melted Parmesan. It’s really great bread.

I’d recommend this bread for any hearty long-simmered dish. It goes great with a hot chili con carne. I think I’d be hard-pressed to find a dish that it wouldn’t be great with.

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This is my recipe for sourdough bread with cheddar, oregano, and smoked paprika. I hope you will try to bake it. If you make this recipe and post it on Instagram, please tag me as @foodgeek.dk so that I can see it. That would make me happy.

Ad links! Links for equipment and ingredients in this recipe are affiliate links, which means I will get a commission if you purchase the product!

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Sourdough bread with cheddar, oregano and smoked paprika

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: All

Keyword: cheddar, sourdough bread

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: All

Keyword: cheddar, sourdough bread

Servings: 2 bread

Calories: 2483kcal

Author: Sune Trudslev

Nutrition Facts

Sourdough bread with cheddar, oregano and smoked paprika

Amount Per Serving

Calories 2483 Calories from Fat 585

% Daily Value*

Fat 65g100%

Saturated Fat 37g231%

Sodium 5238mg228%

Carbohydrates 362g121%

Fiber 18g75%

Sugar 3g3%

Protein 106g212%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

A fabulous bread with cheddar, oregano, and smoked paprika. Soft crumb, crispy crust, and crunchy melted Parmesan on top.

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Ingredients

Levain

• 80 g bread flour
• 80 g whole wheat flour
• 80 g sourdough starter
• 160 g water

The dough

• 500 g water
• 800 g bread flour
• 400 g levain
• 20 g fine salt
• 4 g dried oregano
• 10 g smoked paprika
• 200 g sharp cheddar, grated

Toppings

• 100 g sharp cheddar, grated
• 50 g parmigiano reggiano, finely grated

Tools

• bench scraper
• spray bottle
• 2 oval bannetons
• baking steel
• pan and towel

Instructions

Make the levain and autolyse – about 8:00/8 a.m.

• You should feed your starter the night before, so it is super active for the recipe.
• Mix all the ingredients for the levain. Put in a see-through container, preferably with straight sides. Put an elastic band around the container so you can monitor the growth.
• Mix all the flour, oregano, and smoked paprika. Add the water (reserve 50 grams for later) and mix it thoroughly. Do not knead the dough; make sure all the flour is hydrated.
• Leave the autolysed flour under a cloth until the levain has grown to double the size.

Mix the dough – about 13:00/1 p.m.

• Sprinkle the salt over the autolysed flour. Dissolve the salt with the reserved water.
• Add 400 grams of levain.
• Mix thoroughly so that both salt and levain are evenly distributed in the dough. Let the dough rest covered for 30 minutes.

Bulk fermentation – about 13:30/1.30 p.m.

• Perform three stretches and folds spaced out by 30 minutes. Mix the cheddar in during the second stretch and fold.
• After the last stretch and fold, you need to do a windowpane test. Stretch the dough slowly with your fingers; if you can make a thin membrane without the dough breaking, you have excellent gluten development. Not sure how? Watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-Q3gEaZX6Y
• Let the dough rest until it's doubled (about 90 minutes)

Divide & preshape – about 16:00/4 pm

• Divide the dough into two equally-sized pieces. I usually measure, but you can eyeball it.
• Grab a piece of dough. Grab the bottom part of the dough, stretch it and fold about 2/3 up towards the top.
• Grab the top of the dough, stretch it and fold it down towards yourself.
• Continue with the left and the right side.
• Grab your bench scraper and flip the dough upside down so that the taut surface you've just created is now facing up.
• Now you need to make a ball using your bench scraper.
• Put the scraper behind the dough and pull it towards yourself. Use your other hand to control the dough.
• When you can't get any further, place the scraper in front of the ball and push it back while turning it around so that the scraper gets behind the ball again.
• Keep going until you have a taut surface on the ball.
• Continue with the other ball of dough. When you've shaped them both, let them rest under a dishcloth for 30 minutes.

Shaping the dough

• Flour your bannetons with rice flour.
• Now you are going to be shaping a bâtard. A long bread. Not as long or thin as a baguette, but you know what I mean, right?
• Take one of the dough balls and flip it over with your bench scraper.
• Stretch the dough into a rectangle by pulling the corners.
• You now need to fold the dough like you'd lace a shoe.
• Grab the left side of the dough and stretch it downwards and to the right side. Repeat on the right side a little bit further down.
• Move down a bit and repeat. Keep going until the how bread has been laced.
• Flip the bread into the banneton so that the top is facing downwards. Sprinkle liberally with rice flour.
• Put the banneton in a plastic bag and put it on the kitchen counter.
• Continue with the other dough ball.
• Let the dough rise for about 3 hours, but check it once an hour.

Check if the dough has finished proofing

• Poke one of the bread lightly with your index finger.
• If the indentation fills out completely, you need to proof it for longer.
• The dough is ready to bake if the indentation fills slowly and leaves a slight depression.
• If the indentation stays, the dough has been over-proofed, and you need to get it in the oven right away.

Heat your oven – about 18:30/6.30pm

• Turn on your oven to 260°C/500°F. Put a baking steel in the oven and a small pan at the bottom. Do not use fan-assisted.

Bake the bread – about 19:30/7.30pm

• Boil a kettle full of water.
• Roll a towel small enough to fit into the pan, put it in the oven, and pour over boiling water. Close the oven.
• Turn both loaves out onto a peel with parchment paper. Score the loaves how you want and put them into the oven directly on the baking steel.
• Spray about 8-10 times onto the side of the oven with a spray bottle and close the oven door.
• Bake for about 20 minutes. Open the oven and remove the pan.
• Turn the oven down to 230°C/450°F and bake for 20 minutes more.
• Open the oven, and dust off any excess rice flour. Put the cheese on top and bake for five more minutes.
• Take the bread out of the oven and place them on a wire rack. Let them cool to room temperature before you cut into them.

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