Soft Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Bread
This cinnamon raisin sourdough bread is tender, delicious and aromatic. It’s a brioche-style breakfast bread with a soft crumb, a hint of sweetness and beautiful swirls of cinnamon. If you like to indulge in an even sweeter, more decadent breakfast, try this cinnamon swirl French toast recipe.
Ingredients and Tools You’ll Need
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1
To make the sweet stiff leaven, combine the sourdough starter with milk, fresh flour and sugar. Mix until well incorporated without any dry bits of flour left. Let it rise in a warm spot for about 4- 6 hours until active, bubbly and doubled in size.
Step 2
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the active sourdough starter, eggs, milk, sugar and salt. Mix until well combined. Switch to the dough hook attachment and add the flour. On low speed, knead for a few minutes until it comes together into a shaggy mass. Cover it with a damp tea towel and let it rest for 20-25 minutes.
Step 3
With the mixer running on low speed, gradually add the soft butter cubes, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Then, turn the mixer to medium speed and knead the dough until it clings to the dough hook and releases from the sides of the bowl. Depending on your mixer, this may take 10 – 20 minutes. After kneading, you should have a soft, smooth dough. It might feel just slightly tacky to the touch, but it shouldn’t stick to your hands anymore at this point. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased glass bowl and let it rise in a warm place (25° – 28 °C) for about 6 hours, until it looks bubbly and airy. At the end of the bulk fermentation, the dough should have increased in size by about 75%. Temperature is an important factor in the fermentation process. The warmer it is, the faster the dough rises.
Step 4
Shortly before the dough is ready to be shaped, cover the raisins with hot water in a small bowl and soak them for about 15 minutes. Optionally, you can add a splash of rum to the soaking liquid for extra flavor. This rehydrates and softens the raisins and makes them plump and juicy. In a small dish, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon. After soaking, drain the raisins well before adding them to the cinnamon swirl filling. Line a loaf pan with a piece of parchment paper and set it aside.
Step 5
When the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll it out into a rectangle (the short side should be about the same length as your loaf pan). Moisten the surface of the dough with three tablespoons of milk. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar and the soaked raisins over the dough. Then, starting from the short edge closest to you, roll it up into a tight log. Transfer it to the loaf pan with the seam-side down. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for an overnight rise.
Step 6
The next morning, take the dough out of the fridge and finish proofing at a warm room temperature. Depending on the temperature, this may take anywhere from 2 – 5 hours. The dough is fully proofed, when it has risen to the rim of the loaf pan and looks soft and puffy. It should pass the poke test: When gently poked with a finger, the dough should spring back slowly and leave a small indentation. If it springs back quickly and fully, it needs more time to proof. If it doesn’t spring back at all, you should bake it as soon as possible, as it might already be over-proofed. Don’t rely too much on a specific time frame and rather look for the visual cues, to tell when your dough has finished proofing.
Step 7
Pre-heat the oven to 190° C. Brush the top of the dough with egg wash. Bake the sourdough cinnamon raisin bread for 35 – 45 minutes on the middle rack, until it reaches an internal temperature of 93° C. The exact baking time may vary depending on your oven. If the top browns too quickly, you can loosely cover it with aluminum foil during the last 10 – 15 minutes. Take it out of the oven and let it cool in the pan for a couple of minutes. Then, turn it out onto a cooling rack and let it cool completely.
Sample Baking Schedule
Day 1
Day 2
More Sourdough Recipes You May Like:
Soft Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Bread
Equipment
- Loaf pan 9 x 5
- Parchment paper
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
For the sweet stiff leaven:
- 20 g sourdough starter
- 40 g milk – lukewarm
- 80 g flour
- 15 g sugar
For the main dough:
- all of the sweet leaven
- 140 g milk -lukewarm
- 2 eggs
- 25 g sugar
- 9 g salt
- 90 g butter – softened and cut into cubes
- 350 g bread flour
For the filling:
- 3 tbsp milk
- 90 g raisins – to soak in hot water (and rum)
- 50 g brown sugar
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
For the egg wash:
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp milk
Instructions
Make the leaven:
- To make the sweet stiff leaven, combine the sourdough starter with milk, fresh flour and sugar. Mix until well incorporated without any dry bits of flour left. Let it rise in a warm spot for about 4 – 6 hours until active, bubbly and doubled in size.
Make the main dough:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the active sourdough starter, eggs, milk, sugar and salt. Mix until well combined. Switch to the dough hook attachment and add the flour. On low speed, knead for a few minutes until it comes together into a shaggy mass. Cover it with a damp tea towel and let it rest for 20-25 minutes.
- With the mixer running on low speed, gradually add the soft butter cubes, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Then, turn the mixer to medium speed and knead the dough until it clings to the dough hook and releases from the sides of the bowl. Depending on your mixer, this may take 10 – 20 minutes. After kneading, you should have a soft, smooth dough. It might feel just slightly tacky to the touch, but it shouldn’t stick to your hands anymore at this point. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased glass bowl and let it rise in a warm place (25° – 28 °C) for about 6 hours, until it looks bubbly and airy. At the end of the bulk fermentation, the dough should have increased in size by about 75%. Temperature is an important factor in the fermentation process. The warmer it is, the faster the dough rises.
Make the filling:
- Shortly before the dough is ready to be shaped, cover the raisins with hot water in a small bowl and soak them for about 15 minutes. Optionally, you can add a splash of rum to the soaking liquid for extra flavor. This rehydrates and softens the raisins and makes them plump and juicy. In a small dish, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon. After soaking, drain the raisins well before adding them to the cinnamon swirl filling. Line a loaf pan with a piece of parchment paper and set it aside.
Putting it together:
- When the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll it out into a rectangle (the short side should be about the same length as your loaf pan). Moisten the surface of the dough with three tablespoons of milk. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar and the soaked raisins over the dough. Then, starting from the short edge closest to you, roll it up into a tight log. Transfer it to the loaf pan with the seam-side down. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for an overnight rise.
Proofing and baking:
- The next morning, take the dough out of the fridge and finish proofing at a warm room temperature. Depending on the temperature, this may take anywhere from 2 – 5 hours. The dough is fully proofed, when it has risen to the rim of the loaf pan and looks soft and puffy. It should pass the poke test: When gently poked with a finger, the dough should spring back slowly and leave a small indentation. If it springs back quickly and fully, it needs more time to proof. If it doesn’t spring back at all, you should bake it as soon as possible as it might already be over-proofed. Don’t rely too much on a specific time frame and rather look for the visual cues, to tell when your dough has finished proofing.
- Pre-heat the oven to 190° C. Brush the top of the dough with egg wash. Bake the sourdough cinnamon raisin bread for 35 – 45 minutes on the middle rack, until it reaches an internal temperature of 93° C. The exact baking time may vary depending on your oven. If the top browns too quickly, you can loosely cover it with aluminum foil during the last 10 – 15 minutes. Take it out of the oven and let it cool in the pan for a couple of minutes. Then, turn it out onto a cooling rack and let it cool completely.
How much butter please. Recipe doesn’t say
Hi Jennifer, thanks for pointing this out! I just fixed it. It’s 90 g butter for the dough. Let me know if you have any other questions!
Julia
Haven’t made them yet. Well written. They look awesome and I plan to bake within the week or two. I had just purchased some today. Very soon
Hi Jackie, thank you and happy baking! Let me know how it goes or if you have any questions.
Hi. I wondered if the starter needs to be fed abs at peak or is this throw away starter
Hi Luanna! How often do you feed your starter and where do you normally keep it? If you feed it daily and keep it at room temperature, it doesn’t necessarily have to be at its peak when you use it to build the sweet levain. It’s ok to use it past its peak. However, if you store your starter in the fridge and haven’t fed it in a while, I recommend to refresh it first and then use it at its peak to make the sweet levain. Hope that helps!