Lesson #5: Mix-In Ratios: How to Add Cheese, Herbs, and More Without Ruining Your Loaf
The right way to add extras so you don’t end up with a soggy brick.
Made your first plain loaf? Good. Now let’s have some fun. Mix-ins are where sourdough gets genuinely enjoyable, but there’s a right way to fold them in. Whether something’s wet or dry, raw or cooked, and how much you’re adding all changes the outcome. Get the ratio wrong and you end up with a dense, gummy loaf that never finished baking properly in the middle.
The Short Answer
Most bakers, myself included, land around 15 to 20 percent of your flour weight for mix-ins. Dry out anything wet before it goes in, and fold mix-ins in during bulk fermentation, not at the initial mix.
📊 Quick Reference: Mix-In Ratios
| Mix-In | Typical Ratio (% of flour weight) | Prep First | When to Add |
| Shredded hard cheese (cheddar, parmesan) | Up to 20% | None, pat dry if oily | 2nd or 3rd fold, or at shaping |
| Olives, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted peppers | 15–20% | Pat dry, chop if large | 2nd or 3rd fold, or at shaping |
| Nuts and seeds | Up to 15% | Toast for flavor, let cool before adding | 2nd or 3rd fold, or at shaping |
| Dried fruit | Up to 15% | Freeze-dried: none. Regular dried: toss in flour first | 2nd or 3rd fold, or at shaping |
| Fresh herbs | Light hand, finely chopped | Chop fine | 2nd or 3rd fold, or at shaping |
| Dried herbs / seasoning | 1–2 Tbsp per loaf | None | 2nd or 3rd fold, or at shaping |
💧 Know Your Mix-In’s Moisture
Dry Mix-Ins
🧀 The Easy Category
Shredded hard cheese, toasted nuts, dried fruit, dried herbs. These add flavor without adding meaningful water, so they don’t throw off your hydration. Aim for around 15 to 20 percent of your flour weight.
Wet Mix-Ins
🫒 Need Prep First
Olives, sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, roasted peppers, fresh herbs, sauteed onions. Any of these will release water into your dough as it sits, which throws off your hydration and can leave you with a gummy crumb. Pat wet ingredients dry with a paper towel, and for anything really juicy, like tomatoes or peppers, consider roasting or drying them further first.
⏱️ When to Add Them
Don’t fold mix-ins in at the initial mix. Let the dough come together and rest first, then work them in during your second or third round of stretch and folds, once the gluten has had a chance to develop some strength. If you’re adding something chunkier or wetter, like cheese cubes or olives, you can also wait until shaping (my preferred method): pat the dough into a rough rectangle, scatter the mix-ins across the surface, and fold it over like a letter to trap them inside. Both timings work, the key is giving the dough enough structure first so it can hold what you’re adding instead of tearing.
Desi’s Note
When I make my jalapeño loaf, I cut the raw peppers right when I start mixing the dough, then spread them out on a paper towel on the counter to dry out for a few hours before they go in. Garlic never goes in raw in my kitchen either, I always roast it first.
More Resources
Looking for a printable reference? Browse all six Printable Quicksheets, or dial in your own numbers with the Sourdough Calculator.
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