This habanero and parmesan sourdough is quite spicy and packed with flavor. The parmesan makes the crust super crispy and crackly, and the habanero peppers of course add a kick. In one of my recent trips to Trader Joe’s, I found one of their new items, Hot Hot Crispy Habanero Peppers. The habanero peppers are in olive oil (and they are somehow super crispy). I bought them without having a real plan for what to cook with them, so why not try to bake them in bread? This spicy sourdough pairs wonderfully with avocado or topped with more cheese!
This recipe is a variation of my Basic Sourdough Loaf. I added the peppers and parmesan during the shaping.
Notes about ingredients:
If you can’t find Trader Joe’s Hot Hot Crispy Habanero Peppers, a regular habanero seeded and roasted would probably be delicious (I haven’t tried this yet). Also, other types of cheese instead of parmesan would work well. I just prefer parmesan because I like the flavor and texture it adds to the crust.
Notes about baking equipment:
I bake all of my loaves in Dutch ovens like this Emile Henry 4.2 qt or this Cuisinart 3 qt Dutch oven. For a full list of my favorite baking tools, check out this post here (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases).
Habanero and Parmesan Sourdough
Equipment
- Dutch oven
- Large container or mixing bowl
- dough scraper (optional)
- kitchen scale
Ingredients
Ingredients for Leaven (Levain)
- 90 g sourdough starter, bubbly and active
- 260 g water
- 175 g bread flour
- 74 g whole wheat flour
Ingredients for the Dough
- leaven (from above)
- 300 g bread flour
- 135 g water
- 8 g salt (about 1 teaspoon)
- 1-4 tsp habanero peppers, sliced I used Trader Joe's Hot Hot Crispy Habanero Peppers. I only added a few teaspoons.
- 25-30 g grated or shaved parmesan Other types of cheeses would work well too
Instructions
Mix the leaven
- Mix all the ingredients for the leaven (90 g starter, 74 g whole wheat flour, 260 g water, 175 g bread flour) together in a large bowl or a container like one of these.
- Cover and refrigerate for 12- 48 hours or leave at room temperature until bubbly. The leaven is ready to use when it is very bubbly and about doubled in volume. Mine took about 8 hours at room temperature ( ~ 65 °F).
Mix the Dough
- Next, mix the 300 g bread flour and 135 g water to the leaven to make the dough. There is no need to knead the dough with a stand mixer or by hand, just gently mix it until combined.
- After 30 minutes, add the 8 g salt and mix gently into the dough.
- Once the ingredients are mixed together, cover and refrigerate the dough for 24 – 72 hours or until billowy and elastic. Stretch and fold the dough about 2-8 times during this time (depending on your schedule) by pulling up the edges of the dough and folding inward. My dough was in the refrigerator for about 22-24 hours.
Shape the Dough
- Then, remove the dough from the bowl or container onto a clean counter. Stretch the dough gently into a roughly shaped retangle, by pulling from the middle outward. Sprinke the peppers and parmesan on top of the stretched out dough. Then, fold the dough into a packet by folding the edges toward the middle. Then, shape the dough into a ball. Let the dough rest on the counter seam side down for about 20 minutes. For a demonstration of how to add the peppers and cheese, check out my Instagram post for a tutorial.
- Then, lightly flour (I use rice flour to prevent sticking) a kitchen towel in a bowl or banneton. Place the loaf seam side up into the bowl or banneton, dust with flour and cover with the towel. Refrigerate the shaped dough for at least 12 hours or until you're ready to bake it. I usually keep mine in the refrigerator for about 24 hours before baking.
Bake the Loaves!
- Preheat your oven to 500 °F. If you are using a Dutch oven to bake, preheat that as well. While the oven is preheating, take your loaf out of the refrigerator and leave it at room temperature for 10-20 minutes.
- Once the oven is heated, very quickly remove the dutch oven from the oven. Slash your loaf across the top with a sharp knife, lame or razor blade. Transfer the loaf to the dutch oven, cover it and put it into the oven.
- Bake (with the cover) at 500 °F for 20-25 minutes. Then, remove the cover and bake at 450 °F until golden brown (about ~20-30 more minutes).
- Remove the loaf from the dutch oven and let it cool for at least an hour before slicing (otherwise the texture will be gummy).