For many at-home bakers, creating or acquiring the perfect sourdough starter can be a pivotal moment in their baking journeys. Whether it's been in the family for generations or brand new, a trusted starter is always the best foundation for a quality loaf. However, for more seasoned bakers, once a good starter is in place, the desire to elevate the bread is hard to ignore.
With a variety of flavor combinations ranging from sweet to salty, adding mix-ins to your sourdough can be a great way to add extra excitement to your usual recipe. Here are six ways to elevate your next sourdough bread recipe.
While it belongs to the bread family, sourdough is different from other breads due to its distinctive sour taste, which is a result of its prolonged fermentation process. The acids produced from this process contribute to the taste, giving it an unmatched flavor.
However, while the flavor may differ, sourdough can take on mix-ins quite well, making for an even more unforgettable experience. Like many other breads, there's no shortage of what sourdough can become with creativity and a few additional ingredients.
Sourdough mix-in ideas for any level baker
Pizza sourdough
It's no secret that anything pizza-flavored is guaranteed to be a hit, and the same is true for pizza sourdough. The true beauty of this recipe is that it is just as customizable as your favorite slice.
The main add-ins you need to achieve this recipe are pepperoni and cheese. However, some variations include adding or swirling marinara sauce into the batter for a little extra twang and flavor. While the sauce is optional, the toppings are open to interpretation. Try adding olives or peppers to give the pizza a more supreme feel, or leaving out the meat for a vegetarian version.
Blueberry lemon sourdough
Adding fruit flavor to baked goods often brightens up a recipe. Blueberry and lemon are a classic dessert combination, so it's no surprise that they would make equally delicious sourdough.
To achieve this recipe, bakers will need to fold blueberries and lemon zest into their dough. Using fresh blueberries will make a noticeable difference, but there's nothing wrong with using frozen blueberries instead.
Cheesy jalapeno sourdough
Adding peppers can be a great mix-in for bakers who crave a little spice in their bread. The best part is that the baker can adjust the heat level so that the recipe reflects your preferences.
Cheesy jalapeno sourdough is relatively straightforward, as the mix-ins are only cheese and jalapeno. Fresh, canned, or even pickled jalapenos is a matter of preference, but watch out for the fresh seeds, as they will affect the spice level of the bread.
A lot of people use cheddar for this recipe, but it can be substituted for similar cheeses. Many bakers recommend cubing the cheese instead of shredding it to get larger bursts of cheese flavor.
Maple Cinnamon sourdough
Adding a touch of cinnamon can be an easy way to take a savory bread in a sweeter direction. While many other flavors may require purchasing additional ingredients, maple cinnamon sourdough is nice because many bakers will already have these ingredients in their pantries.
For this recipe, add a moderate amount of maple syrup to the sourdough starter and wet ingredients before mixing them with flour. To achieve the cinnamon swirl, mix cinnamon, sugar, and butter to create a spread similar to the one used for cinnamon rolls. Next, flatten the dough and spread the mixture across it, before folding the edges of the dough in on itself.
Chocolate cherry sourdough
There are recipes for chocolate-flavored sourdough bread using cocoa powder, but this cherry chocolate version is much easier. The chocolate is just a mix-in in this recipe, making it perfect for beginners.
To create a delicious chocolate cherry sourdough loaf, fold roughly chopped cherries and
chocolate chunks into your dough mixture before baking. Although many recommend using fresh fruit whenever possible, frozen cherries are also perfectly acceptable as well.
French onion soup sourdough
Some of the best flavors require more effort than usual when it comes to cooking and baking. While French onion soup sourdough may be one of the more time-consuming recipes on the list, it is also one of the most satisfying when finished.
One of the main reasons this recipe takes longer is that the onions must be sliced and caramelized prior to adding them to the dough. To achieve this, combine thinly sliced onions with butter and seasonings, then cook them down until they are soft and browned. When done, set them aside to cool.
Once the onions are complete, the rest of the process is far easier. Fold the onions into the dough and bake partway, removing the loaf with around 20 minutes left to add a generous amount of shredded Gruyere cheese to the top.
Whether you're a seasoned sourdough chef or just a casual baker looking to switch things up, it can be good practice to experiment with recipes on occasion. There are plenty of mix-ins and combinations one can add to sourdough, and here's hoping one of these recipes encourages you to try.