Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough

Who doesn’t love the smell of cinnamon raisin bread baking in the oven?
This recipe is so delicious it might just be the perfect comfort food. All my friends and family keep requesting this cinnamon raisin sourdough bread so I thought it was time to share it with you.

Activating your starter

You will begin your by feeding your starter. Learn how to make your own here.
Mix 20 grams of starter with 100 grams filtered water then stir in 50 grams white flour, 30 whole wheat and 20g rye. This ratio is considered 1:5:5. It should be ready within 3 hours.

If you want to bake sooner you could do a 1:3:3 (25 starter-75 water-75 flour)ratio or later as in the next day, you could try a 1:10:10. I’ve even done a 1:20:20 with great results. Just feed your starter right before you go to bed.

Next place a rubber band where the starter is currently resting so you can keep track of it’s progress.
Then cover loosely with a lid or towel and place in a warm spot for 3-6 hours depending on the temperature in your kitchen.
The goal is for your starter to double or even triple in size. You know it is ready to use when you place a tablespoon full in a dish of water and it floats.

Autolyse

To begin we will mix (by hand or in a stand mixer with a dough paddle) 1000 grams of flour (800 bread flour or white all-purpose flour and 200 grams of whole wheat flour, or use all bread flour.

I’ve been experimenting with some other whole grain flours and have had great success mixing the ancient grain Einkorn Wheat with Spelt.

Next, add 600 grams of warm filtered water (or 500 g water and 100 g milk for a softer bread) that’s about 80 degrees Farenheight, then mix everything well so no dry clumps remain.
Let the dough rest covered in a warm place, like inside your microwave with the under-mount light on, or in your oven with the light on for 30 minutes.

Adding the Levain

After that is finished we will add 200 g of activated starter or “levain”.
Mix by hand or in a stand mixer with the dough hook until well combined. Let rest covered in a warm place, for 30 minutes.

Adding the rest of the ingredients

Now we will add in the yummy stuff.
Add :
20 grams salt
270 g of sugar, plus more (30-50g) for sprinkling on dough at shaping
10 (2 g now, save 8 grams for later) grams of cinnamon
30 grams of melted butter or oil (preferably avocado)

200g raisins saved to add later

Mix well by hand or in a stand mixer.
Let rest covered in a warm place, for 30 minutes.

This will last anywhere from 4 to 8 hours.
During this time you perform a series of 3-5 stretch and folds on your dough, meaning you will just lift a portion of the dough up and over on top of itself, then turn your bowl and do it again until you’ve made it around a couple of times.

Dough Bulk Rise – Stretch and Fold

Note:
You may need to wet your hand with water before doing this to keep the dough from clinging to your hands.
Performing this procedure will help achieve a very extensible, elastic dough. Let rest covered in a warm place, for 30 minutes.

Note: You can use a small amount of dough in a jar with a rubber band to help you keep track of how much your dough has risen. Just add your dough to the jar right after your first stretch fold. You can see the picture below of this.

Before the second stretch and fold (optional : add in all raisins (200g) to help incorporate them better or wait until dough has risen and add them at shaping) Do another set of stretch and folds.

Do this a couple more times until your dough feels like a marshmallow and when you stretch it thin it doesn’t break. Look for light to shine through a thin layer of dough when your stretch it, This is called the windowpane test.

Add-ins:

When your dough has gotten to the marshmallow stage and has risen about 70 % in volume, it’s time to add the raisins and the rest of the cinnamon.

Shaping the dough

Dust with flour and carefully dump your dough out onto the counter. Try to keep it from tearing.

Then divide it into two equal pieces using a food scale. Stretch each piece out into a rectangle shape and sprinkle on half of the remaining cinnamon (4g) along with a few tablespoons of sugar, enough to cover the entire piece then sprinkle on half of the raisins(100g) if you haven’t added them yet. Roll the dough up like a cinnamon roll and then round it into a ball if making boule or tuck in the edges of the roll if making a batard.
Repeat this step for the other dough ball.

Finally, place the dough seam side up into a banneton aka wicker basket designed for keeping bread in the fridge before baking. If you don’t have one of these, you can also use a kitchen towel-lined bowl.

Then cover the bannetons, with plastic wrap or giant Ziplocs. I like using large bread bags from Amazon.
Let it rise on counter for 15-60 more minutes if needed.

Note:
You can tell your bread is ready for the fridge when you press on it and the indent releases only halfway. If it pops out leaving no trace of your finger it needs more proofing time.

Cold Fridge Proofing

Place your covered bread into the fridge at 37 degrees for 12-24 hours.

Baking Day

Preheat your Dutch Oven inside a 475-degree oven for at least 30 mins.
When you are ready to bake remove the first loaf from the fridge, dump it onto parchment paper, and dust it with whole wheat flour. Next, score the dough using a bread lame or razor blade.

Remove the VERY HOT dutch oven and carefully put the bread inside (Please don’t burn yourself although I have done it many times)
Replace the lid and bake for 10 min. at 475 then drop the temp to 350 and bake for 20 more minutes.

Note:
I keep a large cookie sheet on the very bottom rack of my oven at all times while baking bread, this seems to keep the bottom of the loaves from getting too dark.

This is my FAVORITE PART of the whole process!

The Mid-Bake Reveal!!

After 30 minutes of baking, remove the lid of your dutch oven and be prepared to celebrate your hard work. What your looking for here is a nice oven spring to the bread. This means when it hit that scorching hot pan steam was created which made the dough rise and create a beautiful ear on the bread where you scored it. It’s almost done now!!

Let the bread bake 10-15 minutes more uncovered to achieve that beautiful crunchy golden crust that sourdough is famous for or until the internal temp is 205° F on a meat thermometer. If the raisins or bread are burning replace the lid for the final baking time.

Note:
All ovens tend to bake a little differently so you may need to remove the bread from the dutch oven and bake uncovered on a cookie sheet if your loaf isn’t getting brown enough for your liking. Also, you may need to reduce your oven temp to 450 if you find the bread is getting too dark.

Once your bread is done baking, let it cool for at least an…………..hour!?

I know, I know, this could be considered a rare form of torture!
But just trust me, you need to wait to cut into your masterpiece until it’s peak time. Cutting too soon may result in gummy bread.

Sourdough tends to keep longer than other bread because of the probiotic cultures in it so your store it on the counter in a bag for up to 4 days, then keep it in the fridge for 2 weeks, or store for up to a year in the freezer.

Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough

Who doesn't love the smell of cinnamon raisin bread baking in the oven? This recipe is so delicious, it might just be the perfect comfort food. My friends and family have been requesting this one over and over, so I thought it was time to share it with you all!

Baking sourdough is a labor of love and does take a little time to get the hang of, but it's so much fun and can be highly addicting!!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 45

Course Side Dish

Cuisine French

Servings 15

Equipment

dutch oven
banneton
razor blade
parchment paper
bench scraper
white rice flour

Ingredients

1000 g flour 800 bread flour or all-purpose and 200 whole wheat or use all bread flour
600 g warm filtered water or 500 g water and 100 g whole milk for softer bread
200 g activated starter
20 grams salt
270 g sugar
10 grams cinnamon (split)
30 grams oil preferably avocado or grapeseed
20 g salt
200 g raisins

Instructions

Autolyse- To begin we will mix (by hand or in a stand mixer with a dough hook) 1000 grams of flour (800g bread flour or white all-purpose flour and 200g grams of whole wheat flour, or use all bread flour.
Next, add 600 grams of warm filtered water(or 500g water and 100 g milk) that's about 80 degrees Farenheight, then mix everything well so no dry clumps remain.
Let the dough rest covered in a warm place, like inside your microwave with the under-mount light on, or in your oven with the light on for 30-60 minutes.
After that is finished we will add 200 g of activated starter or "levain".
Mix by hand or in a stand mixer with the dough hook until well combined. Let rest covered in a warm place, for 30 minutes.
Next add the rest of the ingredients (except the raisins)
20 grams salt
270 g of sugar
2 grams of cinnamon (save the other 8g along with a few tablespoons of sugar to drizzle on the bread when it's time to shape the bread)
30 grams of melted butter or oil (preferably avocado)
Mix well by hand or in a stand mixer.
Let rest covered in a warm place, for 30 minutes.
Before the second stretch and fold (optional : add in raisins to help incorporate them better or wait until dough has risen and add them at shaping) Do another set of stretch and folds.
Note: You may need to wet your hand with water before doing this to keep the dough from clinging to your hands.
During this time you perform a series of 3-5 stretch and folds on your dough every 30 minutes, meaning you will just lift a portion of the dough up and over on top of itself, then turn your bowl and do it again until you've made it around a couple of times.
Do this a couple more times until your dough feels like a marshmallow and when you stretch it thin it doesn’t break. Look for light to shine through a thin layer of dough when your stretch it, This is called the windowpane test.
Dough Bulk Rise – This will last anywhere from 4 to 8 hours.
Add-ins: When your dough has gotten to the marshmallow stage and has risen about 70% in volume or almost doubled, it's time to add the raisins and the rest of the cinnamon.
Flour the dough and carefully dump your dough on the counter. Try to keep it from tearing.
Then divide it into two equal pieces using a food scale. Stretch each piece out into a rectangle shape and sprinkle on the rest of the cinnamon along with a few tablespoons of sugar, enough to cover the entire piece then sprinkle on half of the raisins if you haven't added them yet. Roll the dough up like a cinnamon roll and then round it into a ball if making boule or tuck in the edges of the roll if making a batard.
Finally, place the dough seam side up into a banneton aka wicker basket designed for keeping bread in the fridge before baking. If you don't have one of these, you can also use a kitchen towel-lined bowl.
Repeat this step for the other dough ball. Then cover the bannetons, with plastic wrap or giant Ziplocs. I like using large bread bags from Amazon.
Let rise on counter for 15-60 more minutes if needed to allow the dough rise a bit more after shaping and fill the banneton.
Note: You can tell your bread is ready for the fridge when you press on it and the indent releases only halfway. If it pops out leaving no trace of your finger it needs more proofing time.
Cold Fridge Proofing – Place your covered bread into the fridge at 37 degrees for 12-24 hours.
Baking Day – Preheat your dutch oven inside a 475°F oven for at least 30 mins.
When you are ready to bake remove the first loaf from the fridge, dump it onto parchment paper, and dust it with whole wheat flour. Next, score the dough using a bread lame or razor blade.
Remove the VERY HOT dutch oven and carefully put the bread inside (Please don't burn yourself !!)
Replace the lid and bake for 10 min. at 475 then reduce the heat to 350°F and bake for 20 more minutes. We drop the temp so the raisins and bread don't burn because of the added sugar.
Note: I keep a large cookie sheet on the very bottom rack of my oven at all times while baking bread, this seems to keep the bottom of the loaves from getting too dark.
This is my FAVORITE PART of the whole process! The Mid-Bake Reveal!! After 30 minutes of baking, remove the lid of your dutch oven and be prepared to celebrate your hard work. What you're looking for here is a nice oven spring to the bread. This means when it hit that scorching hot pan steam was created which made the dough rise and create a beautiful ear on the bread where you scored it. It's almost done now!
Let the bread bake 10-15 minutes more uncovered to achieve that beautiful crunchy golden crust and the dough has a 205 F internal temp. If the raisins are burning leave the lid on for the additional baking time.