This loaf started as a fridge experiment: a jar of sun-dried tomatoes and a jar of Trader Joe's Italian Bomba Hot Pepper Sauce, and a batch of dough that needed a purpose. It's now one of the loaves I get asked for most.

Trader Joe's bomba is fermented, crushed Calabrian chili peppers: a thick, oily red paste that comes in a small 6.7oz jar. It's spicy, but the fermentation gives it a savory, slightly tangy depth, so it tastes more like a concentrated pizza topping than a hot sauce. Laminated into the dough, it stays in streaks instead of mixing in evenly, so every slice comes out with bright orange ribbons running through a pale crumb. The sun-dried tomatoes bring sweetness and acidity to balance the heat.

Formula#

Ingredient	Weight	Baker's %
Bread flour	450g	90%
Whole wheat flour	50g	10%
Water	380g	76%
Starter (active)	100g	20%
Fine sea salt	9g	1.8%
Sun-dried tomatoes in oil, chopped	80g	-
Trader Joe's Italian Bomba Hot Pepper Sauce	3 tbsp (~45g)	-

Quantities are per loaf. Salt drops slightly to 1.8% because both the bomba and the tomatoes are already seasoned.

On the Inclusions#

Bomba. Three tablespoons gives a steady, building warmth that most people enjoy. For a milder loaf, use two; for real heat, go to four, but the extra oil will make the dough slacker and harder to shape. Stir the jar well first so you get the solids as well as the oil.

Don't swap in a thin vinegar-based hot sauce. Bomba's thick, oil-based texture is what lets it sit in the dough in distinct ribbons. If you can't get it, Calabrian chili paste is the closest substitute.

Sun-dried tomatoes. Use the oil-packed kind. Drain them but don't pat them dry, so they stay soft. Chop into pieces roughly the size of your fingernail. Large strips tear the dough during shaping, and anything left on the surface will scorch into black, chewy edges (some of that is part of the charm).

Mix and Bulk Fermentation#

Mix the flours with 360g of the water and autolyse for 30 to 45 minutes. Add the starter, salt, and remaining 20g of water and work them in until the dough is smooth and cohesive.

About 30 minutes into bulk, laminate. Wet your counter and stretch the dough into a thin rectangle. Spread the bomba over the surface in dollops, smearing it gently with your fingers and leaving a border at the edges, then dot the tomatoes across it. Fold the dough back up into a package and return it to the bowl.

Follow with three sets of coil folds, 30 minutes apart, then leave the dough to finish bulk. It runs about 5 hours total at 76°F. The oil and chili can slow fermentation slightly, so be ready to let it go a little longer. Look for a 50 to 60% rise, a domed surface and bubbles along the sides.

Shaping#

Pre-shape gently and bench rest 20 minutes. Final shape into a boule or batard, tucking any exposed tomato pieces underneath so they don't burn. The dough will be streaky and a little slick from the oil; a light dusting of flour on your hands helps.

Cold retard 10 to 14 hours.

Scoring and Baking#

Preheat the Dutch oven at 500°F for 45 minutes.

Turn the loaf out, dust generously with flour, and score. A wheat-stalk pattern, a centre line with angled cuts down each side, shows off the contrast between the dusted crust and the opened scores.

Bake covered at 500°F for 20 minutes, then uncover, drop to 450°F, and bake another 20 to 25 minutes, until deep golden. Tomato pieces and bomba at the surface will blacken in spots before the rest of the crust is done; tent with foil if they're going too far.

Cool at least 2 hours before cutting.

How to Eat It#

Thick slices, toasted, with good olive oil and flaky salt. Under a fried egg. As the bread for a grilled cheese with mozzarella and basil, which tames the heat nicely. Or alongside a bowl of tomato soup, where it's hard to stop at one slice.