Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Bread Recipe with a Swirl

A soft enriched dough bursting with raisins and warm cinnamon flavor.

This is such a fun and delicious bread recipe and pretty too! When this bread is in the oven baking it fills your home with a sweet cinnamon smell that is so homey and delicious. This Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Bread Recipe with a Swirl has plenty of warm cinnamon and sweet raisins. This is an enriched sourdough loaf so think soft, pillowy dough and a sourdough bread that comes together beautifully with a soft crust.

My family loves having this toasted with butter and cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top, but I also love it fresh from the oven. So soft and flavorful! Yum! You can also freeze this bread easily. I love pre slicing it so that it makes it easy to take a slice out of the freezer and have it for a quick snack or breakfast with coffee or milk and fruit!

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The Ingredients for Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Bread:

• Raisins: Added for sweetness and texture. I like a lot of raisins in my cinnamon raisin bread.
• Brown Sugar: For just a touch of sweetness and a boost to help the sourdough starter.
• Active Sourdough Starter: You want an active starter that is good and bubbly for this recipe. A good rule of thumb is that it is doubled in size and no longer rising when you use it.
• Water: Added for the majority of the hydration in this dough. I like using distilled water.
• Bread Flour: I use King Arthur bread flour. I like that this brand has not been enriched.
• Whole Wheat Flour: Just a little bit to bring a fuller flavor to this sourdough bread.
• Sea Salt: To balance flavor and fermentation.
• Large Egg: This is added to bring softness to the bread. I use a room temperature egg.
• Cinnamon: Ground cinnamon is used to bring that signature flavor to this bread. I use anywhere from 1-2 teaspoons depending on how strong of a cinnamon flavor I want.
• Butter: Also added to this loaf for softness. I use 3 tablespoons in the dough and more in the optional cinnamon swirl.

Optional Swirl:

• Butter: You want your butter to be softened and easy to mix.
• Cinnamon: Added for more cinnamon flavor. You can measure this with your heart.
• Brown Sugar: Added sweetness and a delicious flavor.

Helpful Tools to Make Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Bread:

• Dutch Oven: I love Smithey Cast Iron so that is what I use for this bread.
• Loaf Pan: You will need a 9” x 5” loaf pan for this recipe.
• Kitchen Scale: Here is one similar to mine.
• Bench Scraper: I love this bench scraper. Especially for its rounded corners.
• Starter Jar: Weck jars are the best. I love how simple they are to stir sourdough starter in.
• Cooling Rack: My favorite and stainless steel too!

How to Preform a Coil Fold

To perform a coil fold, get your hands/fingers slightly wet (this dough is a little sticky) then with both hands stick your hands under the dough in the center and lift it up stretching as you lift. Once it doesn’t stretch anymore fold under the top side and then turn 90 degrees and repeat. Repeat this on all four sides to do a complete coil fold on the dough.

Soaking the Raisins

I find it helpful to soak the raisins before you include them into the dough. It’s not necessary but it gives them a better texture in the finished product. To soak the raisins, measure out the needed amount into a bowl and add warm/hot water to the bowl. Let the dough sit for at least 15 minutes. Make sure to drain the water off before adding the plump raisins to the dough. This is also helpful if you have raisin that aren’t really fresh.

The Swirl

I love when cinnamon raisin bread has a swirl. So, in this sourdough bread recipe there is an option to include a swirl. Sometimes it’s more noticeable than others. It depends on how the dough gets shaped.

This cinnamon swirl is simply butter, ground cinnamon and brown sugar mixed together and spread on the dough during the final shaping.

How to Make Cinnamon Sugar

• Find an old clean spice jar or something similar.
• Put a teaspoon of cinnamon on the bottom.
• Fill the rest with granulated sugar, put the lid on tight and shake. Add more cinnamon to taste.

Two Bake Methods to Bake this Bread

• Artisan Bread Loaf Method (Dutch Oven)
• Sandwich Loaf Method

Sourdough Cinnamon Bread (No Raisins)

Some people are not lovers of raisins so don’t let that stop you from making this bread. Simply omit the raisins and continue with the recipe as written. Cinnamon sugar sourdough bread is wonderful too!

Ways to Eat Cinnamon Raisin Bread:

• Slightly warm from the oven.
• Slightly warm from the oven with butter.
• Toasted with butter and cinnamon sugar.
• As the bread for French toast

More Sourdough Bread Recipes to Try:

• My Sourdough Artisan Bread Recipe
• Sourdough Pumpkin and Brown Sugar Bread
• Sourdough Sandwich Bread
• Sourdough Babka
• Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls with Sweet Cream Icing

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Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Recipe with a Swirl

Dough Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup (100g) active sourdough starter
• 3 ½ cups (420g) bread flour – you can use all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup (30g) whole wheat flour
• 1 cup (250g) water, distilled
• ¼ cup (40g) brown sugar
• 1 tsp (7g) sea salt
• 1 ¼ cup (150g) raisins, soaked in warm water for at least 15 minutes
• 3 T (45g) butter, softened
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp(3g) cinnamon

Swirl Ingredients:

• 4 T (60g) butter
• 1 tsp (3g) cinnamon
• ¼ cup (40g) brown sugar

Instructions for Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Bread with a Swirl:

• First, in a small bowl measure out the raisins and soak in warm to hot water.
• In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, measure out the sourdough starter, water, and brown sugar. Mix this up until the starter is dissolved in the water. Next, add the flours and with a spoon, Danish dough hook or the dough hook of the stand mixer, mix the dough until it is just combined. It will be a slightly shaggy dough. Let rest (fermentolyse) for 30 minutes.
• After the 30 minutes, add to the large bowl, the raisins (drained well), butter, egg, cinnamon, and salt. Knead on low for 8-10 minutes.
• NOTE: If the dough seems very wet you can add 30-40 grams flour or a ¼ cup to help it to come together well. The raisins add some moisture back into the dough so you might need a little more flour. Don’t add more than that though. The dough is fairly sticky, but you want it that way!
• Transfer your dough to a tall sided container that will be easy to watch for when the bulk fermentation is done. I love using my 8-cup glass measuring cup, but a bowl could also work.
• Cover with a bowl cover or tea towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
• After the 30 minutes you can perform your first set of coil folds. Get your hands slightly wet and grab each side of the dough and pull the dough up. (The dough will stretch but you don’t want it to rip.) Complete this turning the dough a quarter turn for each fold.
• Let the dough rest and do 2-3 more coil folds and rests.
• After the coil folds are complete let the dough rest until bulk fermentation is complete.
• NOTE: Bulk fermentation is basically the process of letting the dough rise. This is important to give you a fully well proofed loaf. It is always a little tricky. In my 72-degree kitchen it can take roughly 3-4 hours for the bulk ferment to be done. This varies based on the kitchen temperature. Shorter for if it is warmer, longer if it is cooler.
• At 70-72 degrees I let the dough double in size before shaping it.

Shaping:

• When the bulk fermentation is complete dump the dough out onto a clean work surface and using your hands or a bench scraper take and shape the dough into a ball creating tension as you work BUT not ripping the dough.
• Let the dough rest for 10 minutes then complete the final shaping.

Making the Optional Cinnamon Raisin Swirl:

• While the dough is resting you can make the optional cinnamon sugar filling. Take a small bowl and combine the softened butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Mix well and set aside.

Final Shaping (Instructions for Loaf Pan-See NOTES below):

• After the 10-minute rest flip the dough upside down and gently stretch it out into a rectangle. If you are adding the swirl, spread it out on the dough, being careful to stay an inch or two from the edge of the dough.
• Next, from the bottom (short side) of the rectangle fold up a quarter of the dough then fold the sides in on top and roll the dough up creating tension but not ripping the dough in the process.
• Pinch the sides of the dough and flip into a floured Batard banneton seam side up.
• Let the dough rest for another 10 minutes.
• After the rest take the dough and “stitch” it up by pulling it from each side and stitching it up. Cover with a bowl cover or plastic wrap and place in a cool spot in your fridge overnight or around 8-10 hours.

The Next Morning – Bake Day:

• The next morning about a half hour before you plan to bake your loaf, preheat the oven to 500 degrees with the Dutch oven inside the oven.
• Remove your loaf from the fridge and flip it out onto a piece of parchment paper. Make any scoring designs you want (I like the traditional wheat head) then cut in the expansion score starting from the top and going to the bottom of the loaf. Hold your bread lame at a 45-degree angle. After I cut the initial score, I take the blade of the bread lame and run it just under the top layer of dough on the left side of the expansion score…this is optional.
• Next, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar on the top of the dough if desired.
• Place the loaf in the Dutch oven and place in the preheated oven. Reduce the heat to 450 degrees and bake for 25 minutes with the lid on.
• After the 25 minutes remove the lid and finish baking for 12-15 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool before slicing.
• Enjoy when mostly cooled but still a little warm. If you try to cut the loaf of bread too soon the texture will be wrong. Enjoy on its own, with butter or toasted with butter and cinnamon sugar.

NOTES:

BAKING IN A LOAF PAN:

• If you would rather bake this bread in a loaf pan you can definitely do that. Follow these steps.
• When you go to shape the dough, follow the instructions above but on the final shaping roll the dough up tightly and pinch the sides, placing the loaf seam side down in a greased 9” x 5” loaf pan. Place in the fridge covered overnight as you would the artisan style loaf.
• Bake at 400 degrees for 45-50 minutes until golden brown on the exterior.

Makes 1 Loaf

Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Recipe with a Swirl

Bursting with raisins and cinnamon this Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Bread with Optional Swirl is the perfect breakfast treat! Enjoy!

By: Mariah Nienhuis

Serving Size: 1 loaf

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Ingredients

  

Dough Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup (100g) active sourdough starter
• 3 ½ cups (420g) bread flour – you can use all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup (30g) whole wheat flour
• 1 cup (250g) water, distilled
• ¼ cup (40g) brown sugar
• 1 tsp (7g) sea salt
• 1 ¼ cup (150g) raisins, soaked in warm water for at least 15 minutes
• 3 T (45g) butter, softened
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp (3g) ground cinnamon

Swirl Ingredients:

• 4 T (60g) butter
• 1 tsp (3g) cinnamon
• ¼ cup (40g) brown sugar

Instructions

 

Instructions for Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Bread with a Swirl:

• First, in a small bowl measure out the raisins and soak in warm to hot water.
• In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, measure out the sourdough starter, water, and brown sugar. Mix this up until the starter is dissolved in the water. Next, add the flours and with a spoon, Danish dough hook or the dough hook of the stand mixer, mix the dough until it is just combined. It will be a slightly shaggy dough. Let rest (fermentolyse) for 30 minutes.
• After the 30 minutes, add to the large bowl, the raisins (drained well), butter, egg, cinnamon, and salt. Knead on low for 8-10 minutes.
  
• NOTE: If the dough seems very wet you can add 30-40 grams flour or a ¼ cup to help it to come together well. The raisins add some moisture back into the dough so you might need a little more flour. Don’t add more than that though. The dough is fairly sticky, but you want it that way!
• Transfer your dough to a tall sided container that will be easy to watch for when the bulk fermentation is done. I love using my 8-cup glass measuring cup, but a bowl could also work.
• Cover with a bowl cover or tea towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
• After the 30 minutes you can perform your first set of coil folds. Get your hands slightly wet and grab each side of the dough and pull the dough up. (The dough will stretch but you don’t want it to rip.) Complete this turning the dough a quarter turn for each fold.
• Let the dough rest and do 2-3 more coil folds and rests.
• After the coil folds are complete let the dough rest until bulk fermentation is complete.
• NOTE: Bulk fermentation is basically the process of letting the dough rise. This is important to give you a fully well proofed loaf. It is always a little tricky. In my 72-degree kitchen it can take roughly 3-4 hours for the bulk ferment to be done. This varies based on the kitchen temperature. Shorter for if it is warmer, longer if it is cooler.
• At 70-72 degrees I let the dough double in size before shaping it.

Shaping:

• When the bulk fermentation is complete dump the dough out onto a clean work surface and using your hands or a bench scraper take and shape the dough into a ball creating tension as you work BUT not ripping the dough.
• Let the dough rest for 10 minutes then complete the final shaping.
  

Making the Optional Cinnamon Raisin Swirl:

• While the dough is resting you can make the optional cinnamon sugar filling. Take a small bowl and combine the softened butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Mix well and set aside.

Final Shaping (Instructions for Loaf Pan-See NOTES below):

• After the 10-minute rest flip the dough upside down and gently stretch it out into a rectangle. If you are adding the swirl, spread it out on the dough, being careful to stay an inch or two from the edge of the dough.
• Next, from the bottom (short side) of the rectangle fold up a quarter of the dough then fold the sides in on top and roll the dough up creating tension but not ripping the dough in the process.
• Pinch the sides of the dough and flip into a floured Batard banneton seam side up.
• Let the dough rest for another 10 minutes.
• After the rest take the dough and “stitch” it up by pulling it from each side and stitching it up. Cover with a bowl cover or plastic wrap and place in a cold spot in your fridge overnight or around 8-10 hours.
  

The Next Morning – Bake Day:

• The next morning about a half hour before you plan to bake your loaf, preheat the oven to 500 degrees with the Dutch oven inside the oven.
• Remove your loaf from the fridge and flip it out onto a piece of parchment paper. Make any scoring designs you want (I like the traditional wheat head) then cut in the expansion score starting from the top and going to the bottom of the loaf. Hold your bread lame at a 45-degree angle. After I cut the initial score, I take the blade of the bread lame and run it just under the top layer of dough on the left side of the expansion score…this is optional.
  
• Next, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar on the top of the dough, if desired.
• Place the loaf in the Dutch oven and place in the preheated oven. Reduce the heat to 450 degrees and bake for 25 minutes with the lid on.
• After the 25 minutes remove the lid and finish baking for 12-15 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool before slicing.
• Enjoy when mostly cooled but still a little warm. If you try to cut the loaf of bread too soon the texture will be wrong. Enjoy on its own, with butter or toasted with butter and cinnamon sugar.
  

Notes

BAKING IN A LOAF PAN:

If you would rather bake this bread in a loaf pan you can definitely do that. Follow these steps.

When you go to shape the dough, follow the instructions above but on the final shaping roll the dough up tightly and pinch the sides, placing the loaf seam side down in a greased 9” x 5” loaf pan. Place in the fridge covered overnight as you would the artisan styleloaf.

Bake at 400 degrees for 45-50 minutes until gold brown on the exterior.

I hope this bread recipe fills your home with the cinnamon raisin warmth that it does for us. There is nothing quite like sharing a good piece of bread and butter with friends and family. If you have any questions or comments, be sure to drop a comment below! I love hearing from you! Thank you for stopping by TheFarmChicken!

Happy Baking!

Mariah Nienhuis | TheFarmChicken

You can learn how to make your own sourdough starter here:

Learning Sourdough with Agnes

And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights. 
1 Samuel 30:12