ingredients for the Mouth Watering Sourdough Havarti Cheese and Dill Bread

Like many, my sourdough journey started a few years ago during COVID-19 when I bought an online class and tried it. Many unsuccessful attempts led me to research and learn everything I could about sourdough bread making. I have stripped it down to an easy, no-stress, minimal-rules approach. It doesn’t have to be complicated; – in fact – it isn’t hard, it’s super easy and fun.

You can make it fit your schedule, and you don’t need a pile of crazy tools. Yes, it takes two days, but just a few minutes each day, so don’t stress over it. I firmly believe anyone can learn the art of Sourdough Bread, and, after many tests, I have come up with a good basic Sourdough bread recipe that works every time. Then I got curious about “Inclusions” or “Add-Ins”; that’s when the fun started.

My Adventure into SOURDOUG BREAD WITH INCLUSIONS

I had no idea what I was doing, but my first go at sourdough add-ins was a jar of my homemade salsa. I basically replaced the water with it and baked my bread. What the heck, it’s just a loaf of bread, right? If it doesn’t work, I have some great-flavored croutons. SURPRISE, it came out beautifully (okay, a little dense with a tighter crumb), but it was DELICIOUS! From that day, I was hooked on adding inclusions to my bread.

cut open italian herb and cheese sourdough artisan loaf with slices of cheddar cheese in front, fresh basil and a jar of italian seasoning off the the right side with a black background

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE a good basic sourdough bread. That crispy crust with the hole-filled interior makes my taste buds sing. But sometimes, I like to make savory bread to go with a meal or sweet bread for a mid-day treat. In particular, Ian and I have great fun making artisan sandwiches with our bread, so we work our inclusions around our sandwich ingredients.

You need to start with a good basic, easy sourdough bread recipe – I share mine here.

WHEN TO ADD INCLUSIONS TO SOURDOUGH BREAD:

There are two times to incorporate add-ins into your bread:

– during the stretch and folds on day one
– during lamination, at the end of your bulk fermentation, right before shaping on day two.

I use both methods. WHAT I’m incorporating determines WHEN I add it.

Adding Inclusions During Stretch and Folds.

Adding inclusions during stretch and folds – See the video above for this technique.

My standard is 4 sets of stretch and folds 30 minutes apart. I like to let the gluten strands develop through the first stretch and folds then add inclusions on the second or third fold.

Simply sprinkle the inclusions on top of the dough and gently stretch and fold to incorporate them. As we are doing this early in the process, the inclusions will be spread throughout the dough. Check out my extensive (and growing) list below for some of my favorite flavor combinations.

Adding Inclusions During Lamination (shaping)

Once the dough is finished fermentation and ready to be shaped.

To laminate the dough, dump it out onto a lightly floured work surface and pull it into a rectangle. Add your room temperature chosen inclusions evenly across the rectangle.
Fold the bottom 1/3 onto itself and add more inclusions.
Fold the top 1/3 over the first third and add more inclusions.
Turn and use cupped hands to shape the dough into a ball.

Watch the above video on Inclusions during Lamination.

Tearing can sometimes happen depending on the type of add-ins, so be gentle with your bread dough. If it starts to tear a lot, move it to your Banneton as soon as possible.

A few things should be added during the lamination period, like sugar or cinnamon. Sugar absorbs the water in the dough, making it fairly messy to work with. Cinnamon slows down the fermentation process. My first go with Cinnamon Raisin Inclusions was not pretty. I added them during the stretch and folds. By the 4th session, I had a stringy gooey mess.

How Much of the Inclusions can I add to my Dough?

Through trial and error, I have added some amounts to my suggestions list below. About 20% of your flour weight is a good basic rule, but hey, if it’s cheese, knock your socks off, haha. you will see in the above video, I even take my bread out before it’s finished baking and add more cheese to the top of it.

How to prepare my Sourdough Bread Add-Ins?

It’s a personal preference really, If you like a big chunk of cheese in your bite, then cube your cheese. If you prefer it evenly distributed throughout your sourdough loaf, then shred it. The same goes for dill pickles, jalapeno slices, etc. If you want a big mouthful of flavor, leave them large. Evenly distributed, chop them up small.

NOTE: Large cubes of cheese tend to tear through the dough during the shaping, leaving big holes. When I’m cubing my cheese, I make the cubes smaller.

Will Add-Ins Change the Texture of my Sourdough Bread?

YES! Inclusions can change the texture of your sourdough bread loaf, especially moist add-ins like dill pickles or jalapeno slices. Lay these on a paper towel to absorb as much of the moisture as possible. Alternatively, you can adjust the amount of water in your sourdough recipe to compensate for the additional moisture.

Baking Sourdough Bread with Inclusions:

Once your dough is shaped, make sure no inclusions are popping out of the dough. Try and push them back in or remove them before placing into your Banneton. Some inclusions will burn at the high baking heat, whereas some (like cheese), add to the visual appeal of your finished loaf.

Baking Sourdough Bread with Inclusions can also be difficult to score. Don’t spend a lot of time on decorative scores in these loaves; a release score across the top or around the side is all you need.

Use Parchment paper to bake to stop the inclusions from bleeding into the bottom of your Dutch oven. That’s a mess you don’t need to clean up. Otherwise, bake at the same temperature and time as the basic bread recipe.

round sourdough and dill boule on a wooden cutting board with a white container of butter

Inclusions for a Single Loaf of Sourdough Bread:

As a general rule, you can add these additional ingredients to your favorite sourdough dough and expect great bread results. The listed ingredients are suggestions that I have tried but add your personal preferences and see what you come up with.

You can substitute some of your water content with orange juice, salsa, dill pickle juice or any other flavored liquid.

Change up your cheese: We usually use whatever is in the house, like Cheddar, Asiago or Mozzarella cheese. Sometimes, I graze the deli for unusual cheese and try it combined with other fresh herbs from my herb garden or, in the winter months, dried herbs.

Below is an ongoing list of some of my favorites. If the heading is highlighted in blue, there is a link to a full recipe I have already shared. No link – it’s on my to-do list.
If you have a favorite, leave me a comment as I would love to try it.