A sourdough boule made from ingredients that are fairly local to me in Surrey, UK. The cheese (Spenwood) is strong and nutty; the ale (Hogs Back Brewery) is so easy to drink! They do not take over from the deep tang of the bread but they are most certainly there as complementary bedfellows!
Toasted and buttered, this bread is seriously heavenly; there is certainly no chance of having left-overs!
More on sourdoughs
Full details on sourdough, including how to make a starter, along with tips for handling, shaping and scoring a dough, is on my post here.
Variations:
The bread works excellently with cheeses such as Parmesan, Cheddar or white crumbly cheeses such as Cheshire or Lancashire. And of course different ales work well.
Cheese & ale sourdough: makes 1 large boule
- 400g strong white plain flour
- 8g fine sea salt
- 90g sourdough starter, fed the day before (see above)
- 250ml ale of choice (or a mixture of ale and water for a milder loaf)
- 100g cheese of choice, grated or roughly cubed
(1) Mix the ingredients together, apart from the cheese, in a bowl as in the main recipe here.
(2) Work through the recipe until the dough has had its bulk fermentation, and then turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
(5) Pat out gently and stretch to a rough rectangle -going carefully so as not to deflate the dough fully.
(6) Sprinkle the cheese over the dough and roll up like a Swiss Roll, aiming to get good surface tension in the dough. Leave as a cyliner or shape into a ball – see the shaping notes below the main sourdough recipe at the link above.
(7) Cover and leave at room temeprature for an hour or so you regain some of its volume and bounce before popping in the fridge for up to 24 hours or so.
(8) Bake as in the recipe, going for about 45-50 minutes in total or until you have a deep golden brown colour.
(9) Transfer to a wire rack and cool fully before slicing and eating.
Phil's Home Kitchen 
This looks as good as the flavour combination sounds! Going to have to be brave and try sourdough now I think 🙂
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Thanks Lauren. Oh you MUST try sourdough. It gives such great tasting loaves. And given how insanely expensive sourdough can be to buy…….:)
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I have to say I’m pretty excited to try it now!
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Go for it; I promise you won’t look back
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Looks wonderful. I’m looking forward to trying it with our Canadian ales/sharp cheddars. I’m curious as to what extent the still living yeasts in the ale influence and interact with the bread yeasts. I’m also wondering what the final hydration works out to be.
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Thank you. Yes it would taste great with other ales and cheeses. The final hydration is between 68% and 78%. In my first one, I went for a slightly lower hydration but I have made it even higher hydration: mind you, I prefer a less open crumb for such full-flavoured loaves.
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Just made this with Bass ale and Parmesan. Too hot to cut but fragrance is incredible. Can’t wait to try it!!
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hi, I hope you enjoyed it. I have to say, it is a bread I make so often!
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Sorry to be late to the sourdough game…four years later I came across your recipe. I’m a total newbie–this would be my fourth sourdough loaf and first that wasn’t just a classic/traditional sourdough. How long do you proof in the plastic bag–just looking for an estimate here as I know there are varying factors. Thank you for sharing your knowledge–I can’t wait to pop this baby in the oven!
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Hi, yes it varies so much but the last few I made, I proved (before shaping) for just over a day in the fridge. Once shapes, I proved for just over 6 hours. Although I have swapped those times around before and gone for a shorter prove in the fridge. I hope you enjoy the sourdough
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Philip, it turned out amazing! I am going to attempt my second one tomorrow. First one I used a Belgian triple ale, coastal cheddar, Gruyere and parmesan with a whole wheat starter and white flour. I’m not sure I left it in the plastic bag long enough but the dough seemed ready–passed the finger poke test. Thank you for the inspiration!
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Good thing I took photos–actually i used a quadruple ale. white bread flour and himalayan pink salt along with the whole wheat starter, Gruyere and Coastal British Cheddar. It was like a flavor explosion!
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So pleased you enjoyed it. Good bread is such a treat!
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