10 Delicious Mix-Ins That Will Transform Your Standard Sourdough Loaf

You've already mastered all of the sourdough basics — you know when your sourdough starter is ready to use (and how to keep it alive and thriving), you can adjust your bread's bulk rise and cold proof times based on your kitchen's ambient temperature, and your friends and family shower you with compliments every time you grace them with a loaf. The only problem is that plain loaves are starting to lose their luster. It's high time to up your game. 

Incorporating mix-ins into your loaves is the natural progression for a baker who has the basics of loaf-making down, and this is where your creativity can truly shine. As the former owner of a sourdough microbakery, I've done my fair share of mix-in experimentation, and I have one piece of advice right off the bat: It's okay to fail! A lot of baking, especially when it involves the science of sourdough, is going to be trial and error. Always bake test loaves when you're trying something new, and don't be harsh on yourself when a loaf doesn't turn out as expected. 

Now that we've got that out of the way, here's some fodder for mix-in inspiration. Many of the following mix-ins are easy for beginners, and a few may require some testing to get just right. And, of course, never hesitate to experiment with whatever wild concoction your baker's brain is begging you to try.

I have to start off with one of my favorite loaves I've ever made. This particular loaf used plain goat cheese and marionberry jam (non-Oregonians, you'll probably have to use a different jam!), and my microbakery customers absolutely adored it. The tangy-sweet flavor combo is simply delightful in bread. A handy rule of thumb: If something would taste good on bread, chances are it'll also taste great in it.

You could make this loaf in a few different ways, and it might take a couple of tries to figure out which produces the best results. I'd recommend incorporating the ingredients after your bulk rise, as you're doing the final shaping of your bread (which is what I'll recommend doing the vast majority of these mix-ins). You could spread jam and crumble goat cheese onto the bread between each fold; this will give you larger pockets of goat cheese but a pretty even distribution of jam, and will yield good results if you want to occasionally get hit with a punch of goaty flavor. 

However, my favorite result was made with a goat cheese-jam spread that I made from the two ingredients. I found a softer goat cheese and combined it with marionberry jam, using a little more jam than goat cheese. Then, I loaded the mixture into a piping bag for easier distribution and piped it in between each fold before spreading it with a knife. This gives a more even flavor distribution and a beautiful ribboning effect throughout the loaf. 

Moving on from my personal favorite, this next mix-in recommendation is a common one that you've already seen on every sourdough Instagram account you follow: cheddar and jalapeño. The duo is a popular mix-in combination for a good reason. Not only does it taste fantastic, but it's also quite easy to pull off. Because both ingredients are dry, you're not introducing any moisture into your loaf, meaning you don't risk messing with the proof time or the baking process as a result. 

To make this loaf, you're going to once again incorporate the cheddar and jalapeños as you're doing the final shaping of your bread. Sliced jalapeños will give each bite nice chunks of peppers, while chopped jalapeños will lead to a more even flavor distribution. Whatever you do, just make sure you remove the seeds! Use freshly grated cheddar from a block rather than pre-shredded cheddar, too. Also, make sure to add some jalapeño and cheddar to the top of the loaf before baking. The jalapeños will get a nice char, and the cheddar will get crispy. Your friends and family won't be able to get enough of this one!

Hungering for a pizza-inspired sourdough? An ultra-flavorful mix-in combo that effortlessly gives pizza vibes is sun-dried tomatoes and mozzarella. I like to vary whether I go heavy or minimal with this combo, depending on my mood. Some days call for a hint of bright flavor, while others beg for a tomato-and-mozz-packed masterpiece.

Slice the tomatoes and grate mozzarella off a block. You won't want to include a ton of the tomatoes' oil in the bread, but you can drizzle a little in between every fold for an extra flavor boost. From there, you'll incorporate these mix-ins as you typically would: by layering them between each fold of the bread as you're doing your final shape. Go ahead and put a few on top for good measure. Don't be discouraged if this loaf (or any with oily mix-ins) is a little flatter than your typical loaves. As long as it's fully cooked through, it'll be delicious!

Honey lavender sourdough is a particular favorite flavor combo of mine once spring is in full bloom. Lavender is one of the most flavorful ingredients to infuse into honey, so it makes sense that they'd be stellar in sourdough — and why this loaf never lasts long in my house. The slightly sweet, floral bread is subtle in its flavors and makes a delicious toast. The process for making this one will be slightly different than the loaves we've already talked about, though. 

You're going to need to do some prep work for this one before you begin mixing your loaf. I recommend making a heavy lavender water infusion. Let lavender steep in hot water (measure out a little more than your loaf will need, as the lavender will soak some up) and leave the mixture to sit overnight for a stronger flavor. Then, you'll strain out the lavender buds and make your loaf as normal, adding some honey in right as you mix your dough (start with between 30 and 50 grams of honey and alter if needed). Pay attention to your bulk rise and final proof times; the added sugars may speed up the process, so keep an eye on your loaf as it rises. If you want a visual element to indicate the bread's flavor, you can mix in a gram or two of butterfly pea flower powder for a lovely blue-purple color. Just don't mix in too much, or your dough will turn into sludge — it's something I found out the hard way!

Of course, I had to mention everyone's favorite sweet-treat ingredient: chocolate. Yep, you can make an absolutely delicious chocolate sourdough loaf via a couple of different methods, and the results will always be delicious. If you're in the mood for an extra fun lunch, use your chocolate sourdough to make a grilled cheese; the sweet-savory combo never disappoints. 

You could make either a chocolate chip loaf or a double chocolate loaf. If you just want to incorporate chocolate chips into your standard loaf, you can probably guess the process: Add a healthy helping of chocolate chips to the dough between folds during your final shape, and you're good to go. To make double chocolate sourdough, you'll want to add both cocoa powder and a bit of sugar as you're initially mixing your dough (after the autolyse, if you typically do an autolyse). Then, add the chocolate chips in during the final fold process. Voila! A chocolate sourdough loaf that probably won't last longer than a day — it's just that good.

If you ask me, everything bagel seasoning deserves a staple spot in everyone's pantry. I sprinkle it on everything from avocado toast to homemade sourdough bagels and, of course, fresh sourdough loaves. You can be as extra or as minimal as you want with your everything bagel sourdough; personally, I recommend going big. It is everything bagel seasoning, after all.

If you, too, want to max your sourdough loaf's potential, you're going to incorporate the seasoning a couple of different times during your bread-making process. First, sprinkle in everything bagel seasoning while you're doing the stretch-and-fold process. This will give you an even distribution of seasoning throughout the bread; ideally, sprinkle a little bit on right before each stretch and fold, and it'll mix itself in as you're folding your bread. Then, once you've done the final shaping of your loaf, roll the top in some everything bagel seasoning for visual appeal and added flavor on the crust. If all you want is a hint of everything bagel, just roll your loaf in the seasoning right before its final proof. 

Was cinnamon sugar toast anyone else's favorite childhood snack? Just me? Well, even if this flavor combo doesn't give off the ultimate nostalgic vibes, you should definitely try it. It makes for a sweet treat with a little hint of spice that's lovely when garnished with butter. Creating a swirl effect with sugar can be tricky, so this particular loaf can take some trial and error, but stick with it and you'll be well rewarded.

To get a nice ribboning effect with this loaf, you're going to spread your cinnamon sugar mixture onto your dough during the final shaping process. However, I don't recommend adding it between each fold. After you've initially spread your dough to prepare for the final shape, sprinkle the mixture onto your bread and don't go too close to the edges. Fold each side into the center, and sprinkle more cinnamon sugar down the middle of the dough, again avoiding the edges. Roll your dough up from the bottom, and then pinch all of the edges together to give it a good seal so no sugar leaks out. Any leakage will cause the sugar to burn while the loaf bakes, so don't score your loaf too deeply, either.

Another summertime favorite loaf incorporates blueberries and lemon for a punch of bright flavor. I'm a sucker for anything lemon-blueberry-flavored, and this loaf absolutely fits the bill. You can add sugar to your loaf or leave it out, depending on how sweet you want the end result to be; I typically leave it out. And, for this loaf, you'll incorporate each of your ingredients at different times. 

First, add lemon zest into the dough when you're initially mixing everything together. You don't need too much — between 10 and 15 grams should suffice. To get an even, scattered smattering of blueberries throughout your loaf, incorporate whole blueberries into the bread during your stretch-and-fold process. I occasionally find that my dough needs one or two more stretch-and-folds than normal. Don't worry about the blueberries causing the dough to tear at first — it'll still bulk rise just fine. If you want even more lemon-blueberry appeal, you could add a drizzle of homemade lemon curd or blueberry jam (or both!) to the dough in between each fold of the final shaping process. 

What's better than some herby, buttery garlic bread? Few things, if you ask me — so of course, I've had to DIY it as a sourdough loaf on occasion. Making this bread is delightfully simple, and the results are wow-worthy. 

Make your dough as normal, all the way up until the final shaping process. The bulk rise is a good time to make your garlic herb butter — take softened butter and mix in minced garlic (roasted or raw; it's up to you), and whatever herb mixture you prefer. I like to use oregano and some rosemary. Once you have a healthy helping of herbed, garlicky butter at the ready, spread it onto your dough between each fold of the final shaping process. I like to spread my dough out a little more than I typically would so I can do more folds and get more garlic butter ribbons throughout. Either way, this bread will turn out absolutely scrumptious. 

If you don't want to deal with making a butter mixture, or you're dying to use roasted garlic in your sourdough, try making a roasted garlic and rosemary loaf. This will taste a little more sophisticated than the aforementioned garlic and herb butter loaf.

If you adore rosemary, feel free to infuse some of the herb into your water before you start making your sourdough loaf. Otherwise, make your loaf as normal up to the final shaping process. Make sure your garlic is roasted enough to squeeze out of its skin. Then, spread a thin layer of roasted garlic on the dough between each final fold, and sprinkle some rosemary leaves in as well. You don't need to go overboard with this flavor combination. Both garlic and rosemary have no problem strutting their stuff, so I'd err on the side of "less is more" here and adjust depending on your preferences once you've tasted your first loaf.