Sourdough bread and hot honey ... this is a match made in heaven! As someone who loves food, but especially sourdough bread, I just had to put these two culinary trends together to see what happens! And let me tell you I wasn't disappointed ... and you won't be either! These two flavors complement each other beyond words!

We recently went on a family holiday and visited an apiary that made their own hot honey and I couldn't resist buying a jar (ok I bought more than one jar lol). And I just had to try some in my sourdough bread!

Two halves of a hot honey sourdough loaf stacked on top of each other so you can see the crumb inside.

Why You'll Love This Recipe!

Depth of Flavor - balance the tanginess of sourdough with the sweet, spicy kick of hot honey.

Something Different - if you love the spicy twist of jalapeño cheddar sourdough bread, then this gives you a different way to enjoy a spicy kick to your sourdough bread! Hot honey also gives your crust a deeper caramelisation, which gives you such a gorgeous coloring to your loaf too.

Sweet and Savory - The flavor profile of hot honey sourdough bread works with both sweet and savory so you can use it for sandwiches and toast, spread it with more honey, add it to charcuterie boards or let your imagination go wild!

A loaf of hot honey sourdough bread that has been sliced open. You can see the crumb inside. There is a jar of hot honey and a dish of butter sitting to the right of the sourdough loaf.

What Is Hot Honey?

Hot honey is a sweet and spicy condiment made by infusing honey with chili peppers or hot sauce. The combination of natural honey’s rich sweetness and the heat from chili creates a unique flavor balance that enhances both savory and sweet dishes.

Hot honey is often drizzled over pizza, fried chicken, biscuits, or roasted vegetables for a spicy-sweet kick (seriously, try it drizzled over chicken tenders fried in this sourdough batter - it's delicious). It can also be stirred into marinades and salad dressings to add depth and a touch of heat. Whether used as a finishing touch or an ingredient in a recipe, hot honey brings a bold and flavorful twist to everyday foods.

A small jar of hot honey sitting in the centre of a white tiled wall. There is a black and white checked dish towel sitting behind the jar and a loaf of hot honey sourdough bread sitting ot the left of the jar.

Ingredients

This hot honey sourdough loaf uses just 5 ingredients to create culinary magic!

Sourdough Starter - you'll want to make sure your sourdough starter is fed and bubbly before you start! I've used a 100% hydrated sourdough starter. You can adjust the amount of sourdough starter used in the recipe if you prefer.
Water - I've reduced the water to 300g in this recipe, but if you're a beginner, hold a little bit back to ensure your dough isn't too sticky to handle.
Bread Flour - bread flour works best for this recipe, especially because using honey makes the dough quite wet, so don't opt for all purpose flour for this recipe.
Salt - I've used 10g of salt, but you can increase or decrease this depending on your own personal taste.
Hot Honey - You can make your hot honey sourdough bread with store bought hot honey or you can make your own, it won't make a difference to the end result - use whatever is easiest for you.

Flat lay of ingredients used to create a loaf of hot honey sourdough bread.

How To Make Hot Honey Sourdough Bread

Hot honey sourdough bread is fairly straight forward to make. The dough can be quite sticky, so I recommend taking thing slowly and holding back some of the water, especially if you are a beginner. You can always add extra water, but you can't remove it!

I have reduced the water in the recipe to 300g, but of course, the humidity and temperature in your kitchen may be different to mine, as well as the brand of flour you use etc. So I do recommend holding back a little water just in case!

Weigh out your starter and water, give it a little mix so that the sourdough starter is dissolved in the water.

A bowl of hot honey being poured into a bowl of flour.

Then add your flour, salt and hot honey and mix together in a rough dough. The dough will be fairly shaggy and only just brought together. Cover the dough with a plastic food cover or a dish towel and let it sit for around an hour to fully incorporate.

A bowl of shaggy dough that has just been mixed together to make hot honey sourdough bread.

Now that the dough is hydrated, work your way around the bowl, grabbing the dough from the outside, stretching it up and over itself until a smooth ball is formed. You shouldn't need more than about 20-25 folds to form the ball. Once the dough has formed into a smooth ball, pop the cover back on and let it rest for around 30 minutes.

Stretch & Fold

Now it's time to stretch and fold your dough to create some structure and strength. The dough should remain at room temperature on the counter while you are performing your stretch and folds.Try to do around 4 sets of stretch and folds with around 15 to 30 minutes between each set.You can find out more info on how to do stretch and folds here.

Bulk Ferment

Once you've finished your stretch and folds, place the plastic cover or damp tea towel back over your dough and let it rest and ferment at room temperature. The time that it takes will depend on many factors (see notes for details). You want the dough to double. This will signal the end of the bulk fermentation period.

Shaping Your Dough

Once your dough has finished its first ferment, it's time to give it some shape and surface tension.I think this recipe lends itself to a batard however it's completely up to you what shape you would like. You can see me shaping a batard here.Tip the dough out of the bowl so that the sticky side is facing up. You can pull the dough out into a rough rectangle.If you want to add some extra flavor to your hot honey sourdough bread, you can sprinkle the dough with sharp cheddar or parmesan or even some roasted garlic at this stage but it's not essential.Shape the dough into your desired shape and then gently place it into your banneton, stitching the base if necessary.

Stretching and folding process for hot honey sourdough bread.

Cold Ferment

Now your dough is in it's "shaping container" cover it loosely with a plastic bag or damp tea towel and place into the fridge. I use a large plastic bag to cover it - I just reuse it each time.Try to leave it in the fridge for a minimum 5 hours up to a maximum of around 36 hours. The longer you leave it the better your bread will be! A longer cold ferment creates beautiful blisters on your crust and a deeper sourdough flavour.

A loaf of hot honey sourdough bread dough in a banneton.

Preparing To Bake Your Sourdough

Once you're ready to bake your sourdough, you'll need to preheat your oven to 230C/450F. Place your Dutch Oven into the oven when you turn it on so it gets hot.

Baking Your Sourdough

When your oven is at temperature take your sourdough out of the fridge. Gently place it onto a piece of parchment paper. Gently score your bread with a lame, clean razor blade or knife.

Carefully take your dutch oven out of the oven. Place the sourdough into the pot using the parchment paper as a handle. Put the lid on and place into the hot oven.

BAKE TIME:

30 Minutes with the lid on at 230C/450F plus
10-15 Minutes with the lid off at 210C/410F

Because of the higher level of sugar in the dough due to the honey, the base of this bread can burn easily, so I recommend using a trivet at the base of your Dutch oven or place a baking tray underneath the pot.

Finishing Your Bake

When you remove your dough from the oven, carefully remove it from the Dutch oven as soon as possible and place on a wire rack to cool.

Serving Suggestions

Hot honey sourdough bread is super versatile in terms of food pairings and serving suggestions. Here are a few ways I've been using it (it's fast becoming a favorite with my husband too).

We love using it for breakfast alongside these sourdough scrambled eggs! So good spread with homemade butter.
Serve it alongside this whipped ricotta dip at your next gathering and watch it disappear!
Give this spicy loaf a side of sweet honey cinnamon butter for a breakfast treat.
If the loaf gets a little stale before we finish it all, I love using it to make sourdough bruschetta or toast it and top it with fresh homemade ricotta cheese and drizzle with more hot honey. Such a great way to reduce food waste and use up leftover sourdough bread.

A loaf of hot honey sourdough bread that has been sliced in half so you can see the crumb shot.

How To Store + Freeze

Homemade sourdough bread is free from preservatives, which is one of the reasons I love making it for my family. Here, you'll find my best tips for storing sourdough bread. I've also put together tips for freezing sourdough bread here.

Crumb shot of hot honey sourdough bread cut in half.

Hot Honey Sourdough Bread Recipe

Hot Honey Sourdough Bread combines the tangy depth of naturally leavened bread with a touch of sweet heat from chilli infused honey. Perfectly balanced with a caramelized crust and a tender, flavorful crumb, it's a bold twist on a classic loaf.

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Prep Time 4

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1 2 45

Servings Loaf

Calories 2200 kcal

Print Recipe

Equipment

Mixing Bowl
Banneton
Dutch Oven

Ingredients

▢ 100 g Sourdough Starter (Fed and Bubbly)
▢ 500 g Bread Flour
▢ 100 g Hot Honey
▢ 300 g Water (see notes before commencing recipe)
▢ 10 g Salt

Instructions

Weigh out your starter and water, give it a little mix so that the sourdough starter is dissolved in the water.
Then add your flour, salt and hot honey and mix together in a rough dough. The dough will be fairly shaggy and only just brought together.
Cover the dough with a plastic food cover or a dish towel and let it sit for around an hour to fully incorporate.
Now that the dough is hydrated, work your way around the bowl, grabbing the dough from the outside, stretching it up and over itself until a smooth ball is formed. You shouldn't need more than about 20-25 folds to form the ball.
Once the dough has formed into a smooth ball, pop the cover back on and let it rest for around 30 minutes.
Stretch & Fold:
Now it's time to stretch and fold your dough to create some structure and strength. The dough should remain at room temperature on the counter while you are performing your stretch and folds.
Try to do around 4 sets of stretch and folds with around 15 to 30 minutes between each set.
You can find out more info on how to do stretch and folds here.
Bulk Ferment:
Once you've finished your stretch and folds, place the plastic cover or damp tea towel back over your dough and let it rest and ferment at room temperature. The time that it takes will depend on many factors (see notes for details). You want the dough to double. This will signal the end of the bulk fermentation period.
Shaping Your Dough:
Once your dough has finished its first ferment, it's time to give it some shape and surface tension.
I think this recipe lends itself to a batard however it's completely up to you what shape you would like. You can see me shaping a batard here.
Tip the dough out of the bowl so that the sticky side is facing up. You can pull the dough out into a rough rectangle.
If you want to add some extra flavor to your hot honey sourdough bread, you can sprinkle the dough with sharp cheddar or parmesan or even some roasted garlic at this stage but it's not essential.
Shape the dough into your desired shape and then gently place it into your banneton, stitching the base if necessary.
Cold Ferment:
Now your dough is in it's "shaping container" cover it loosely with a plastic bag or damp tea towel and place into the fridge. I use a large plastic bag to cover it - I just reuse it each time.
Try to leave it in the fridge for a minimum 5 hours up to a maximum of around 36 hours. The longer you leave it the better your bread will be! A longer cold ferment creates beautiful blisters on your crust and a deeper sourdough flavour.
Preparing To Bake Your Sourdough:
Once you're ready to bake your sourdough, you'll need to preheat your oven to 230C/450F.
Place your Dutch Oven into the oven when you turn it on so it gets hot.
Leave your dough in the fridge until the very last minute - placing a cold dough into a hot oven will give you a great "spring".
Baking Your Sourdough:
When your oven is at temperature. Take your sourdough out of the fridge. Gently place it onto a piece of baking paper.
Gently score your bread with a lame, clean razor blade or knife.
Carefully take your dutch oven out of the oven. Place the sourdough into the pot using the baking paper as a handle. Put the lid on and place into the hot oven.
BAKE TIME:
30 Minutes with the lid on at 230C/450F plus
10-15 Minutes with the lid off at 210C/410F
Because of the higher level of sugar in the dough due to the honey, the base of this bread can burn easily, so I recommend using a trivet at the base of your Dutch oven or place a baking tray underneath the pot.
Finishing Your Bake:
When you remove your dough from the oven, carefully remove it from the Dutch oven as soon as possible and place on a wire rack to cool.

Notes

Notes on Water - The dough can be quite sticky, so I recommend taking thing slowly and holding back some of the water, especially if you are a beginner. You can always add extra water, but you can't remove it! I have reduced the water in the recipe to 300g, but of course, the humidity and temperature in your kitchen may be different to mine, as well as the brand of flour you use etc. So I do recommend holding back a little water just in case!
Notes on Sourdough Starter -
This recipe is based on you having an active starter that you have fed a few hours before starting your bake. For information on whether your starter is ready, go here.

Notes on Stretch & Folds -

If you are going to do the stretch & folds on your bench top, spray your surface with water mist rather than using flour.

Notes on Bulk Fermentation - If your home is warm then your dough will ferment a lot faster and could be done in as little as a few hours. If it's colder, it will take longer, possibly overnight. I would recommend that you try to do your first few bulk ferments during daylight hours so that you can watch your dough closely.
Once you're more familiar with the process - and the temperature of your home - you will be able to do overnight ferments.
You will know your dough is ready to move to the next stage when it has *just* doubled in size. It will be fairly wobbly and full of bubbles. You should be able to see large air bubbles under the surface of the dough.
You don't want to let it go any further than doubled as it will be over fermented. If you want to do an overnight ferment, but your home is warm, consider using a little less starter (ie 25g).
Less starter means your dough will take longer to ferment and you will reduce the risk of over fermenting your dough.
You'll find more information on these topics here:
When is my bulk ferment finished?
What is the difference between cold ferment and bulk ferment?
Why does the amount of starter matter?

Notes on Baking -

If you're worried about the base of your bread burning, place a baking sheet on shelf underneath your Dutch Oven - it works! If you're worried about your bread not being cooked all the way through, turn the oven off and place your dough straight onto the oven rack.
Leave the door ajar and let your bread rest there for a few hours.
Remember not to cut into your loaf too soon - you'll need to let it cool for at least a few hours (4-6 is best).

Nutrition

Serving: 100g Calories: 2200kcal Carbohydrates: 464g Protein: 63g Fat: 9g Saturated Fat: 1g Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g Monounsaturated Fat: 1g Sodium: 3906mg Potassium: 553mg Fiber: 13g Sugar: 84g Vitamin A: 10IU Vitamin C: 1mg Calcium: 92mg Iron: 5mg

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