The Sourdough Flavor Bible

A plain sourdough loaf is already a beautiful thing — four ingredients, time, and heat. But the moment you start folding things into the dough, a whole new world opens up: pockets of melted cheddar, ribbons of cinnamon and raisin, crunchy toasted seeds in every bite, briny olives against a gentle tang. Inclusions are how one reliable base recipe becomes a dozen different loaves, and this page is the master guide to doing it well.

Sliced sourdough loaf with melted cheese and herb inclusions in the crumb, cheese cubes, seeds and rosemary on a wooden board

What Are Inclusions?

Inclusions are simply the extras folded into sourdough before it is shaped — cheese, herbs, seeds, fruit, olives, chocolate, roasted vegetables, and more. They do not change your base recipe or your method. You make your dough exactly the way you always do, then add the extras near the end of mixing and folding, so they ride along through fermentation, shaping, and baking. The loaf keeps its structure; the flavor gets a whole new personality.

The Golden Rules of Inclusions

  • Stay in the 10–30% zone. Total inclusions should generally weigh between 10% and 30% of your flour weight. For a loaf built on 500 g of flour, that is 50–150 g of extras. Less than 10% gets lost; much more than 30% weighs the dough down and slices fall apart.
  • Add them late. Fold inclusions in during the final set of stretch-and-folds, once the dough has some strength. For swirls and delicate fillings, laminate instead: stretch the dough into a thin sheet on a damp counter, scatter the filling over it, fold it up like a letter, then shape.
  • Cut big pieces small. Pea-to-dime size is the sweet spot. Big chunks tear the dough, create tunnels, and drag the knife when you slice.
  • Dry things out, toast things up. Pat wet inclusions (olives, pickled peppers, roasted vegetables) thoroughly dry — extra water sogs the crumb. Toast nuts and seeds first; it deepens their flavor and keeps them crunchy.
  • Balance the loaf. Pair one salty inclusion with one sweet, or one rich with one sharp. Two or three inclusions per loaf is plenty — a loaf is a harmony, not a pantry clean-out.

The Master Inclusions Guide

Cheeses

How much: 15–25% of flour weight (75–125 g per 500 g flour). When: final stretch-and-fold set, or laminated before shaping. Aged cheddar, Gruyère, pepper jack, and small chunks of Parmesan all melt into pockets without disappearing. Cube cheese small — about 1 cm — so it distributes instead of pooling. Watch out: very soft cheeses like fresh mozzarella and brie leak moisture into the crumb; use them sparingly and cube them small. Oily cheese can slick the crumb, so blot cubes dry if they look greasy.

Herbs & Aromatics

How much: fresh herbs 1–3% of flour weight (5–15 g); dried herbs about half that. When: final stretch-and-fold set. Rosemary, thyme, oregano, chives, and basil are the classics; chop fresh herbs roughly so they fleck the crumb. Watch out: raw garlic can slow fermentation down — roasted garlic (below) is sweeter and much friendlier to your dough.

Seeds & Grains

How much: 10–20% of flour weight (50–100 g). When: final stretch-and-fold set, plus a handful to coat the outside. Sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, and flax seeds, rolled oats, and cooked grains like quinoa or wild rice all work. Toast seeds first for real flavor. Watch out: very hard, dry seeds (flax, chia) drink water from the dough — soak them briefly and drain, or keep them as an outside coating instead. To coat a loaf, roll the shaped dough on a damp towel, then in the seeds, before it goes into its basket.

Nuts

How much: 10–15% of flour weight (50–75 g). When: final stretch-and-fold set. Walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, and pistachios bring crunch and richness. Always toast them first and chop them coarse — dust and tiny bits vanish, and raw nuts taste flat. Watch out: walnuts can tint the crumb a soft purple-grey where they touch the dough. That is completely normal and harmless.

Dried Fruit

How much: 15–25% of flour weight (75–125 g). When: final stretch-and-fold set, or laminated for a swirl effect. Raisins, cranberries, chopped figs, apricots, and dates are all lovely. Soak fruit in warm water for about 15 minutes so it bakes up plump instead of stealing moisture from the crumb — then drain it very well and pat dry. Chop large fruit to raisin size. Watch out: the natural sugars in fruit brown the crust faster, so keep an eye on the last stretch of the bake.

Olives & Pickled / Savory

How much: 10–20% of flour weight (50–100 g). When: final stretch-and-fold set. Kalamata and green olives, oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, pickled jalapeños, and capers bring a briny, savory punch that loves sourdough's tang. Pit and halve olives; chop tomatoes and peppers small. Watch out: brine is the enemy of a good crumb — pat everything thoroughly dry. Very salty inclusions also add salt to the loaf, so trim your recipe's added salt back slightly when you use a lot of them.

Sweets & Chocolate

How much: chocolate chips or chunks 10–20% of flour weight (50–100 g). For a cinnamon-sugar swirl, laminate the dough with 25–50 g of sugar mixed with 1–2 teaspoons of cinnamon. When: final stretch-and-fold set for chips; lamination for swirls. Dark chocolate plays beautifully against sourdough tang, and a cinnamon swirl turns a plain loaf into a breakfast loaf. Watch out: sugary fillings can leak and scorch on the crust — tuck the ends of a swirl in well when you shape, and keep fillings off the outer surface.

Roasted Vegetables & Alliums

How much: 10–20% of flour weight (50–100 g). When: final stretch-and-fold set, or laminated. A whole head of roasted garlic squeezed from its skins, slow-caramelized onions, roasted peppers, and sweet corn all melt into the crumb with deep, savory sweetness. Watch out: these inclusions must be cooked and well drained first — raw vegetables release their water during the bake and will sog the crumb. Spread roasted vegetables on a towel for a few minutes before they go anywhere near your dough.

What to Pair With Sourdough

Soups & stews. A crusty slice is the best spoon ever made. Tomato soup, French onion soup, chowders, chili, and any brothy stew all want thick slices for dunking and for swiping the bowl clean.

Spreads & butter. Start simple: good salted butter, still slightly cool, on a warm slice. Then whipped honey butter, olive oil with balsamic for dipping, soft ripe cheeses, and garlic rubbed on toast and drizzled with oil.

Cheese boards. Plain and seeded loaves are the board's backbone — they carry aged cheddar, brie, and blue without fighting them. Add a fruit or nut loaf for the sweeter cheeses and a pot of honey.

Eggs & breakfast. Thick toast under eggs any style, avocado toast with chili flakes, and breakfast sandwiches that actually hold together. Cinnamon and fruit loaves want nothing more than butter and a hot drink.

Sandwiches. Sturdy sourdough slices do not go soggy under fillings, and the tang stands up to rich ones — grilled cheese, tuna melts, and leftover roast anything are all better on sourdough.

The sweet finish. Sweeter loaves pair with honey, jam, and mascarpone; even a plain slice toasted and spread with jam is a small celebration.

Flavor Guides by Recipe

Every recipe gets its own flavor guide — the best inclusions to fold into it, variations worth trying, and what to serve it with.

Bread

Breakfast

Dessert

Snacks

Sourdough Discard

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