Buffalo Chicken Sourdough

Touchdown, game day hosts! While everyone else is messing around with flimsy tortilla chips and crumbly crackers that snap in half the second they hit a thick bowl of buffalo chicken dip, we’re out here playing in the big leagues.

Why dunk a chip when you can bake the entire glorious, spicy, cheesy dip inside a blistering, golden loaf of tangy sourdough?

That’s right—we’re combining the crisp, chewy goodness of a homemade sourdough loaf with all the spicy, creamy flavors of your favorite game day dip. It’s warm, it’s spicy, it’s ooey-gooey, and it will disappear faster than a 50-yard field goal.

Grab your starter, preheat your Dutch oven, and let’s make the best Sunday football centerpiece!

Buffalo Chicken Sourdough

Created by Sue Mun

Makes One, Sourdough Loaf

Ingredients:

For the Sourdough Bread:

• 100g starter
• 315g water
• 450g bread flour
• 9g

For the Buffalo Chicken: 

• 4 ounces cream cheese softened
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup buffalo sauce
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 cooked shredded chicken breasts, shredded
• 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions:

1. In a large glass or ceramic bowl, mix together the warm water and the ripe sourdough starter.
2. Add in the bread flour and salt and mix until a shaggy dough forms.
3. Cover and rest for 1 hour.
   1. Stretch and fold #1. Using wet hands, stretch the dough into itself about 6-8 times or until gluten develops. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
   2. Stretch and fold #2. Using wet hands, stretch and fold the dough into itself until it can not stretch anymore. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
   3. Stretch and fold #3. Repeat the steps from above. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
   4. Stretch and fold #4. Repeat the steps from above.
4. Cover and bulk ferment for 6-10 hours. Or until the dough has doubled in size and the dough peels away the sides of the bowl easily. If not, continue to proof longer.

Make the Buffalo Chicken:

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the cream cheese, sour cream, buffalo sauce, and all of the spices. Mix until everything is nice and smooth. Then fold in the cooked shredded chicken, the cheddar cheese, and the mozzarella cheese. Cover and store in the fridge until you are ready to use it.

Shape the Dough:

1. Flip the proofed dough over your lightly floured work surface and gently stretch to a long rectangle. Gently spread the buffalo chicken evenly on top leaving about 2 inches of the rectangle plain with no filling. If may need to heat up the buffalo chicken in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it.
2. Then perform a book fold and seal at the seam. Then roll the log up tightly into a ball. Then gently push/pull dough into a tight round in a candy cane motion.
3. Dust with rice flour and place into banneton bread mold.
4. Gently pull the edges of the round into the center of the dough. Just so it adds tension to the dough and helps improve oven spring when it bakes.
5. Cover and proof in the fridge overnight (8-10 hours)

The Bake:

1. Preheat oven to 450F and place dutch oven in the oven to also preheat.
2. Flip onto silpat or parchment and gently score the top of the dough using a lame knife.
3. Carefully place the sourdough into your hot Dutch oven. Cover with the lid.
4. Bake at 450F for 25 minutes with the lid covered.
5. Lower the oven to 425F. Uncover the lid and bake again for 15-25 more minutes. Or until the internal temp is above 190F.
6. Cool completely on a wire rack before garnishing the top with more buffalo chicken dip and cutting and serving.