10 Quaint Flavors To Try With Your Next Sourdough Loaf

Homemade sourdough bread has been a byproduct of the COVID-19 pandemic that has never quite left the building. A lot of people picked up the hobby due to having an abundance of time at home, which is something you desperately need to make sourdough a hobby. And while a lot of bakers love a good piece of plain sourdough with butter or jam, the vanilla version can get a bit boring.

I recently was gifted a sourdough starter and while I also love a good piece of basic sourdough, I will admit that it's more fun to play around with flavors. I have been exploring other flavor add-ins to elevate my bread game and have been doing a lot of Google research to see what flavors other bakers have tried. This list is comprised of both add-ins I have done and some of the most popular add-ins you can find online. I also do my best to give you some tips along the way to really make sure you're getting the most out of the time you put in.

To get things started, here is my basic sourdough recipe that gets me going:

• 100 grams active sourdough starter
• 325 grams warm water
• 475 grams unbleached, pre-sifted bread flour
• 10 grams salt

10. "Everything" Seasoned

Everything but the Bagel seasoning has exploded in popularity over the past decade and we all know it's because of how delicious it is. While people have found a variety of ways to explore the mix of salt, sesame seeds, garlic, poppy seeds, and onion outside of bagels, there's no reason why you can't add it to your next sourdough loaf.

Hop tip: While you can incorporate this seasoning both inside the dough and as an outside layer, be sure you don't oversalt your dough. Adding too much salt can disrupt the fermentation process. If you're going to incorporate the seasoning inside of the dough, it's best to find a salt-free version.

9. Cinnamon & Brown Sugar

If you're feeling more of a sweet bread, definitely give cinnamon and brown sugar a try. You can do your best to achieve a swirl or simply incorporate both ingredients however you like by either folding in or pressing into the dough after fermentation.

Hot tip: If desired, you can fold in dried raisins into the dough

8. Gingerbread

If you're looking for a sourdough profile for the holiday season, look no further than a gingerbread version. Prior to baking, simply incorporate ground ginger with molasses and brown sugar. Just before baking, incorporate ground cinnamon while you shape the loaf. Once it's done, your house will smell like Christmas and you have a great loaf to share with family and friends.

Hot tip: Cinnamon is actually an optional ingredient because it negatively affects the yeast. Be sure cinnamon is the last thing you add prior to baking, otherwise your dough may not rise appropriately during fermentation.

7. Pepperoni Pizza

Who doesn't love a good homemade pizza? Well... kind of.

Similar to making what could be known as a pizza roll, all you need to do is add either full circles of pepperoni or diced pepperoni and mozzarella cheese folded into the dough. You can even add some Italian seasoning and garlic if you want elevated flavor. Don't forget to have some marinara sauce handy to dip the bread into when it's done!

6. Sun Dried Tomato

Sun dried tomatoes are a hit or miss with a lot of people, but if you're a lover of them it's definitely time to try it with your next loaf. Simply cut up the tomatoes and incorporate them into the dough prior to fermentation. If you want, you can also pair the tomatoes with cheese like crumbled feta, grated parmesan or mozzarella.

5. Lemon Rosemary

Citrus always pairs nicely with the naturally sour taste of this bread. Fresh herbs and citrus also pair very nicely, so why not combine all of it together! While you can use dried herbs, fresh rosemary always adds a deeper depth of flavor. What you want to do is combine finely diced rosemary and the zest of a lemon, and then fold that mixture into the dough prior to fermentation. You can reserve some of that mixture and top the loaf prior to baking, if desired.

Hot tip: If you like butter with your sourdough, you can combine the rosemary and lemon together with softened salted butter and enhance the flavor just that much more.

4. Cranberry Orange

There is some trickiness with this flavor profile to give you the full essence of both the cranberries and the oranges, without the excess moisture. Using just the zest of the orange inside of the dough, you can rehydrate dried cranberries in the orange juice so they absorb more of that orange flavor. If you don't want to be that fancy, you can simply replace half of the water in the dough recipe with orange juice.

Hot tip: If you think the dough will be too sour and/or acidic with both citrus and cranberry, you can some sugar to the dough recipe to offset the acidity.

3. Jalapeno Cheddar

Probably one of the more popular sourdough recipes you'll find online is jalapeno cheddar. You can either use fresh or jarred/canned jalapenos - just make sure pre-packaged jalapenos are fully drained and dried to avoid adding too much moisture to the dough. Pair that with either mild, medium or sharp cheddar (shredded or cubed) and you are ready to incorporate and/or top your sourdough with this classic combo.

Hot tip: If you're using fresh jalapenos and don't want all of the heat, make sure you remove the pepper seeds and membrane first.

2. Lemon Blueberry Poppyseed

Much like muffins, lemons, blueberries, and poppy seeds are just magical together. Also like muffins, you can incorporate poppyseeds either on top of the loaf or within the loaf. Just be sure to use the zest of a lemon, not the juice so the dough doesn't become too wet.

Hot tip: If able, it's best to use fresh blueberries. Frozen blueberries have a higher water content, and the increased moisture can make your sourdough harder to manage.

1. Parmesan Garlic & Dill

This has easily become my favorite flavor since venturing into the world of homemade sourdough. Like every other flavor add-in, you'll get more flavor from using fresh dill and garlic, but dried versions will do just fine. Combine dill, garlic, and grated parmesan cheese and incorporate the mixture into the dough with each stretch & pull. When fermentation is done, feel free to top the loaf with the remaining mixture prior to baking.

Hot tip: Drizzing some olive oil prior to baking along with flaky salt prior to baking will elevate things even more.