Sourdough Mix-In Ratios: Cheese, Herbs, Olives & More

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Made your first plain loaf? Now for the fun part: cheese, herbs, olives, dried fruit, whatever you’re craving. The trick to mix-ins is ratio and timing, not just tossing things in.

The General Rule

Keep total mix-ins to 10–20% of your dough’s flour weight. Much more than that and the dough struggles to hold its structure and rise.

Wet vs. Dry Mix-Ins

• Dry mix-ins (shredded cheese, nuts, dried herbs, chocolate chips) can be folded in as-is during the last set of stretch-and-folds.
• Wet or high-moisture mix-ins (fresh herbs, olives, sun-dried tomatoes) should be patted dry first and added a little later, or your dough hydration swings and gets sticky.
• Cooked, starchy add-ins (roasted garlic, cooked onion) should be fully cooled before adding so they don’t start cooking the dough’s surface.

A Few Combos to Try

• Sharp cheddar + jalapeño (pat jalapeños dry first)
• Rosemary + flaky sea salt
• Kalamata olive + fresh thyme
• Cinnamon + raisin (great for a sweeter loaf)