This chili crisp green onion sourdough bread is soft, chewy, and packed with spice and flavor in every bite. It’s a fun twist on a classic sourdough loaf that fits our Korean/American cooking life.
New to sourdough? Start Here! How To Feed Sourdough Starter Beginners Guide Easy Sourdough Bread Recipe for Beginners (Artisan Loaf)
One of my favorite aunties asked me to make this bread. That’s really where it started.
I couldn’t say no to that kind of challenge, so I started testing. What came out of it is this: a soft, chewy sourdough loaf studded with green onion and swirled through with chili crisp, so every slice has little pockets of spice and crunch. It’s spicy, but not scary spicy. It’s savory in a way plain sourdough just isn’t. Like the jalapeño cheddar sourdough, my husband loves this one toasted with butter, and that’s how most of it gets eaten around here.
If you’ve never baked with chili crisp before, you’re in good company. It’s having a real moment in home kitchens right now, showing up on eggs, on avocado toast, stirred into mayo for sandwiches.
What Is Chili Crisp, and Why Is Everyone Cooking With It?
Chili crisp is a Chinese condiment, originally from Guizhou province, made from crispy fried bits and spices suspended in oil, usually including chili flakes and garlic. It’s got crunch, heat, and a deep savory flavor all in one jar, which is probably why it’s shown up on so many kitchen counters lately, well beyond the kitchens it started in. People are spooning it over eggs, stirring it into mayo, and drizzling it on avocado toast.
Not all chili crisp is the same, though. Some brands lean heavily into garlic. Others are more onion-forward. Some are fiery, some are more about the crunch than the heat. It’s worth trying a few to find the one you love, because your favorite jar is going to shape how this bread tastes. I have Loganma Spicy Chili Crisp in my fridge right now but we have used many kinds.
A quick seafood note: not all chili crisp is vegetarian. Some brands include shrimp or fish sauce as a base ingredient, so if you’re baking for someone with a shellfish allergy or a vegetarian diet, it’s worth checking the label before you buy.
How to Make Chili Crisp Green Onion Sourdough Bread
Mix water, starter, flour, salt, and the chili crisp into a rough, shaggy dough. Yes, the chili crisp goes in right at the start with everything else, not folded in later. That oil doesn’t interfere with fermentation, so there’s no need to hold it back. Rest an hour so the flour hydrates and gluten starts building on its own.
Over the next two hours, work through four sets of stretch and folds. This is where the green onion goes in, a quarter with each fold during the first set only, so it distributes evenly instead of clumping in one spot.
Bulk ferment at room temperature until doubled, pillowy, and jiggly when nudged, usually several hours.
Shape into a tight boule, tuck seam-side up into a rice-floured banneton, and refrigerate overnight. That slow chill builds flavor and makes scoring easier straight from the fridge.
Preheat your Dutch oven a full hour, score the cold dough, and bake: 450°F for 30 minutes lid on, then 410°F for 15 minutes lid off, until deep golden. No Dutch oven? My graniteware roasting pan method works too, that post walks through the swap.
Cool completely, 3–4 hours, before slicing in.
A Note on Baking This Loaf
This is an inclusion bread, meaning we’re folding green onion right into the dough. If you’ve read my Sourdough Inclusions guide, you already know the drill: inclusions add extra liquid, which makes for a wetter dough and, usually, a flatter, less domed loaf than a plain sourdough.
That’s exactly what’s happening here, and it’s completely normal. I accounted for the added liquid when I developed this recipe, so don’t expect a dense or gummy crumb. You’ll still get great texture and chew. The loaf is just going to sit a little flatter than your standard boule, and that’s par for the course with any inclusion bake, not a sign anything went wrong.
Full ingredients and step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.
Storage and Reheating Tips
This bread freezes beautifully, and freezing it is honestly the way to go if you’re not going to eat the whole loaf in a day or two. You’ve got two options:
Freeze it whole. Wrap the whole loaf well and freeze it, then thaw and refresh it in the oven when you’re ready.
Freeze it sliced. This is what I usually do. Slice the loaf, freeze the slices, and pull out however many you’re in the mood for. Thaw them overnight in the fridge, then give each side a quick spray of water before toasting. That little bit of moisture makes a big difference, the toast comes out tasting almost as fresh as the day you baked it.
Either way, you get to enjoy this loaf slowly instead of feeling like you have to eat it all at once.
Give It a Try
I love finding new flavor combinations for sourdough, and this one does not disappoint. It’s spicy, it’s savory, and it’s got crunch in every bite.
More Sourdough Loaves to Try
Chili Crisp Green Onion Sourdough Bread
Ingredients
- 350 g lukewarm water
- 100 g active sourdough starter fed and happy
- 30 g chili crisp stirred well before measuring (spices settle, oil floats)
- 500 g bread flour
- 13 g fine grain sea salt
- 50 g minced green onion about 4 large or 5 medium, minced by hand or pulsed in a food processor
Instructions
Autolyze – Mix and Rest:
- In a large mixing bowl, add the water, chili crisp, starter, flour, and salt. Mix with a dough whisk or wooden spoon until no dry bits remain, you’re looking for a rough, shaggy dough, not a smooth one. The chili crisp goes in right here with everything else, not folded in later, its oil doesn’t interfere with fermentation, so there’s no reason to hold it back. Cover and rest on the counter for 1 hour. This rest (called autolyze) lets the flour fully hydrate and gluten start forming on its own.
Stretch and Folds – Build the Structure (and Add the Green Onion):
- This is where the green onion goes in. During your first set only, sprinkle in one quarter of your minced green onion with each of the four folds, so it distributes evenly instead of clumping in one spot.
- Get your hands wet so the dough doesn't stick to you. Grab one side of the dough, pull gently until it resists, then fold it back over itself. Rotate the bowl ¼ turn and repeat, four stretch and folds makes one set. (Full stretch and fold video guide here.)
- Cover and rest 30 minutes, then do three more plain sets (nothing more to add) for a total of 4 sets over about 2 hours.
Bulk Ferment:
- Cover and let the dough rise at room temperature for 5–8 hours. You’re watching for the same signs as always: doubled in size, smooth and pillowy like a marshmallow, bubbles through the sides of the bowl, and a little jiggle when you nudge it. Warmer kitchens move faster, cooler ones take longer, that’s normal, so let the dough tell you when it’s ready rather than the clock.
Shape:
- Turn the dough onto a counter misted very lightly with water and shape into a tight boule, building surface tension without deflating those hard-earned air bubbles. Place seam-side up in a rice-floured banneton.
Cold Retard:
- Cover and refrigerate overnight, 8–12 hours. This slow, cold rise is what gives you deeper flavor and a dough that’s much easier to score straight from the fridge.
Bake:
- Preheat your Dutch oven at 450°F for a full hour, don't rush this part, a properly hot pot is what gives you that oven spring and crackly crust. Turn the cold dough out onto parchment, score it, mist lightly with water, and lower it into the pot.
- 450°F, 30 minutes, lid on
- 410°F, 15 minutes, lid off, until deep golden
- No Dutch oven? My graniteware roasting pan method works beautifully too, it's not a straight preheat swap, so head to that post for the exact process.
Cool:
- Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing, 3–4 hours. Cutting in early releases steam and leaves you with a gummy crumb, so let it be.
Helpful Recipe Notes
Your Rating Matters
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Nutrition Estimate
A Note on Nutrition
Nutritional info is an imperfect estimate. Please take it with a grain of salt.
New to sourdough? Start Here! How To Feed Sourdough Starter Beginners Guide Easy Sourdough Bread Recipe for Beginners (Artisan Loaf)
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