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    Home » Recipes » Sourdough Recipes » Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Bread

    Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Bread

    Published: Oct 18, 2022 · Modified: Mar 16, 2023 by Lynn Polito · This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.

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    Jump to Recipe

    Sweet raisins and warm cinnamon, this Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Bread is a delicious breakfast bread to enjoy throughout the week!

    A hand is holding the cut in half bread.
    The raisins are spread throughout the bread beautifully!

    Just like my Jalapeno cheddar bread, this cinnamon raisin sourdough bread is a twist on my classic sourdough recipe. This bread is filling with juicy raisins, sweet sugar, and warm cinnamon and makes the house smell amazing! It's simple to make, yet so delicious! No kneading required!

    If you have some leftover bread, make it into Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding!

    This delicious bread recipe is based off a recipe in Emilie Raffa's book "Artisan Sourdough Made Simple" . She is the queen of sourdough and has so many fantastic recipes that are easy to understand.

    Jump to:
    • What is Sourdough Bread?
    • Ingredients You'll Need
    • Types of Flour for Sourdough Bread
    • Equipment You'll Need
    • How To Make Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Bread!
    • Sample Baking Schedule
    • Tips and Tricks
    • How To Bake Bread Without A Dutch Oven
    • Storage Tips
    • Variations
    • Recipe FAQs
    • More Sourdough Recipes
    • 📖 Recipe

    What is Sourdough Bread?

    Sourdough bread recipes are made from natural yeast, flour, water, and salt. There is no commercial yeast, only naturally occurring yeast from the environment. Sourdough bread requires a "starter" to rise the bread. A starter is filled with good bacteria and natural yeast that gives the bread that traditional sour taste. Unlike commercial yeast, sourdough starters take a much longer time to make the bread rise, so a sour flavor develops as the water, flour, and wild yeast ferment.

    If you are new to sourdough, make sure to check out this post on how to keep a sourdough starter.

    Ingredients You'll Need

    An overhead shot of the ingredients for sourdough cinnamon raisin bread
    You only need a few simple ingredients.
    • Flour. Bread flour is best for this recipe.
    • Active Sourdough Starter. Make sure it is active and bubbly, meaning it was just fed.
    • Water. Room temperature so you do not kill the yeast with water that is too hot. Water that is too cold will take a very long time for the yeast to rise.
    • Salt. Salt slows down the yeast in the starter so it doesn't rise to the ceiling! It also adds flavor to the bread.
    • Plump Raisins. Your favorite variety.
    • Sugar. To feed the yeast but also to add flavor to the swirl.
    • Cinnamon. It is cinnamon raisin bread after all!

    Types of Flour for Sourdough Bread

    The best type of flour to use for bread is bread flour. Bread flour has a higher protein content, and high protein means more gluten in your bread loaf.

    If you don't have bread flour handy, all purpose flour can be substituted. You won't build up as much gluten as you would with bread flour, but the difference won't be very noticeable.

    Whole wheat flour can be used in sourdough bread as well, but you don't want to use all whole wheat flour. That can turn the bread very tough and it would have a bitter flavor. I like to use 50% bread flour and 50% whole wheat flour.

    An overhead shot of the baked sourdough cinnamon raisin bread
    The bread is perfect for breakfast!

    Equipment You'll Need

    • Kitchen Scale
    • Mixing Bowls
    • Parchment Paper
    • Dutch Oven

    How To Make Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Bread!

    In a large mixing bowl, mix together the warm water and the starter. Once combined, add the flour and salt. Mix until a dough forms. It will look shaggy and that is ok. Cover with a damp towel and let it rest for 1 hour.

    After 1 hour, add the cinnamon, sugar, and raisins. Fold the dough onto itself until the raisins and cinnamon are combined into the dough. Cover with a damp towel and let the dough rise for 8-10 hours or until it has doubles in size and looks light and bubbly.

    The starter and water are in a large bowl.
    If the starter floats in the water, it is ready to use for baking.
    The flour and salt are added to the bowl
    Add the flour and salt to the bowl.
    A shaggy dough has formed in the bowl.
    The dough will be shaggy and not smooth yet.

    After 8-10 hours (or the next morning), turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Shape the dough into a ball by folding the edges into the middle and then flipping the dough over at the end. Place the dough in a kitchen towel lined bowl sprinkled with flour, seam side up. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and place it in the refrigerator overnight.

    The dough is ready for the bulk rise.
    When the raisins are incorporated, it's ready to rise.
    The dough has doubled in size.
    The dough should double in size.

    Time to Bake!

    In the morning, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Take the dough out of the bowl and place it seam side down onto a piece of parchment paper. Make a slice on the top of the dough and place it in a Dutch oven.

    Bake for 20 minutes covered, and then 35 minutes uncovered. Take the bread out of the oven and let it cool on a wire rack completely before serving.

    A slit is made in the dough of the sourdough cinnamon raisin bread.
    Make a simple slit or an elaborate design on the bread.
    Bread is baked in a Dutch oven.
    The bread will be golden brown and sound hallow when tapped.

    Sample Baking Schedule

    • Noon- Mix together flour, water, and starter.
    • Bulk Rise- 1pm- Add the cinnamon, sugar, and raisins. Mix well. Let it rest for 8-10 hours.
    • 9pm- Shape the dough and place the dough in the refrigerator to rest overnight.
    • 7am- Bake for 1 hour.

    Tips and Tricks

    • To check if your starter is ready to bake with, place a tablespoon of starter into water. If the starter floats, it is ready to bake with. If it sinks, feed it again, and make the bread the next day.
    • When making bread, it is most important to weigh out the ingredients. That is the best way to get the most accurate measurements.
    • To check if the bread is cooked completely, carefully tap on the bottom of the bread.  It should sound hollow when you tap it.
    • Though it may be tempting, wait until the bread is cool to cut it. The structure of the bread needs to set before you cut into it or it will be too moist and sticky.
    A half of the bread is on the other half of the bread.

    How To Bake Bread Without A Dutch Oven

    If you don't have a Dutch oven, you can still make this bread!

    You can make this bread by placing the dough onto a piece of parchment paper and onto a baking sheet. Cover the bread with a large pot, so the pot is upside down. Bake for 20 minutes with the pot on the bread, and 30 minutes without the bread. Then bake it for 5 minutes uncovered.

    In a loaf pan. Cut the dough in half, shape it into a log, and place it on two pieces of parchment paper. Place the parchment paper into the loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes.

    Storage Tips

    To make the dough in advance. Once the dough has risen, you can keep it in the refrigerator up to 24 hours before you would like to bake it. Make sure the kitchen towel stay damp so you don't form a skin over the dough.

    How to store the bread. Cool the bread to room temperature and then keep it in an airtight container or a gallon sized Ziploc bag on the counter. It will stay fresh up to 4 days. Cut off a slice as you would like to enjoy the bread.

    Lynn's Tip! Do not store homemade bread in the refrigerator. It will go stale quickly and it will also promote the growth of mold.

    How to freeze the bread. Once the bread has cooled completely, wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in a gallon sized Ziploc plastic bag. It can be frozen up to 3 months. To defrost the bread, place it on the counter until it thaws completely.

    Variations

    • Change up the raisins! Instead of raisins, use dried cranberries or white raisins!
    • Add some texture! Add 1 cup of chopped walnuts or chopped pecans when you are mixing in the raisins.
    • Change up the flour! Use a mixture of whole wheat flour and bread flour for a nuttier texture.
    • Make French toast! Cut the loaf into slices and make cinnamon raisin French toast!
    A chunk of the sourdough cinnamon raisin bread is in front of the other half of bread.
    Serve this bread with lots of butter!

    Recipe FAQs

    Can I use measuring cups instead of a kitchen scale?

    It's not recommended. A kitchen scale provides the most accurate measurements for bread, and accuracy is super important when making bread. Kitchen scales can easily be found on Amazon and are not very expensive. Keep one in your kitchen cabinet for days like this. You will be surprised how often you use it!

    Why should I refrigerate the dough?

    After the dough has risen for 8 hours, it's important to let the dough rest in the refrigerator. This will set the structure of the inside of the bread. You can keep the dough in the refrigerator overnight if you want to make the dough ahead of time and then bake it off in the morning. Refrigerating the dough will also increase the sour flavor in the bread as it sits overnight.

    Why isn't there a swirl in this bread?

    We are mixing in the cinnamon and raisins so it rises with the bread. If you would prefer a swirl, you would flatten the bread after it has risen completely, then sprinkle in the cinnamon, sugar, and raisins. Roll up the dough like you would roll cinnamon rolls and then place the dough into a loaf pan. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour.

    More Sourdough Recipes

    • More Sourdough Recipes
    • Sourdough Pumpkin Bread
    • Skillet Sourdough Cornbread
    • What To Serve With Sourdough Bread
    • Brown Butter Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
    • Sourdough Pumpkin Cookies

    Did you love this recipe? If you did, please leave a 5 ⭐️ rating below! Follow along on Instagram and Facebook!

    📖 Recipe

    A hand is holding the cut in half bread.

    Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Bread

    Sweet raisins and warm cinnamon, this Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Bread is a delicious breakfast bread to enjoy throughout the week!
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Breakfast
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 12 hours
    Cook Time: 1 hour
    Servings: 1 Loaf
    Author: Lynn Polito

    Equipment

    • Kitchen Scale
    • Mixing Bowls
    • Parchment Paper
    • Dutch Oven

    Ingredients

    • 60 g Sourdough Starter Active and Bubbly
    • 350 g Water
    • 500 g Bread Flour
    • 10 g Kosher Salt Not table salt
    • 100 g Raisins
    • 50 g Sugar
    • 8 g Cinnamon

    Instructions

    • In a large bowl, mix together the warm water and the starter. Once combined, add the flour and salt. Mix until a dough forms. It will look shaggy and that is ok. Cover with a damp towel and let it rest for 1 hour.
    • After 1 hour, add the cinnamon, sugar, and raisins. Fold the dough onto itself until the raisins and cinnamon are combined into the dough. 
    • Cover with a damp towel and let it rise for 8-10 hours or until it has doubles in size and looks light and bubbly.
    • After 8-10 hours, turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Shape the dough into a ball by folding the edges into the middle and then flipping the dough over at the end. 
    • Place the dough in a kitchen towel lined bowl sprinkled with flour, seam side up. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and place it in the refrigerator overnight.
    • In the morning, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Take the dough out of the bowl and place it seam side down onto a piece of parchment paper. Make a slice on the top of the dough and place it in a Dutch oven.
    • Bake for 20 minutes covered, and then 35 minutes uncovered. Take the bread out of the oven and let it cool completely before serving.

    Notes

    • When making bread, it is most important to weigh out the ingredients. That is the best way to get the most accurate measurements.
    • To check if the bread is cooked completely, carefully tap on the bottom of the bread.  It should sound hollow when you tap it.
    • Though it may be tempting, wait until the bread is cool to cut it. The structure of the bread needs to set before you cut into it or it will be too moist and sticky.
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @LynnsWayofLife or tag #lynnswayoflife!
    « Simple Sourdough Pumpkin Bread
    Easy Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding »

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    Comments

    1. Beth

      March 11, 2023 at 3:51 pm

      Trying this out today!! Is there a way I can make this a cinnamon sugar raisin swirl instead of just combining the ingredients into the dough?

      Reply
      • lynnswayoflife

        March 13, 2023 at 7:23 am

        When you are shaping the dough, flatten it out and then roll it into a loaf pan! That should work!

        Reply
    2. Heather

      January 11, 2023 at 7:32 pm

      5 stars
      This turned out great, have you had success doubling it and making two loaves?

      Reply
      • lynnswayoflife

        January 12, 2023 at 7:20 am

        Yes! I use a big bowl, double the recipe, and then after they rise I cut the dough in half and place it in two bowls to put in the refrigerator. If you have two dutch ovens you can even bake them at the same time.

        Reply
        • Heather

          January 12, 2023 at 4:12 pm

          5 stars
          Awesome, Thank you!!

    3. Arlene Antonoff

      November 18, 2022 at 3:29 am

      5 stars
      I've now made this recipe several times and it's just been absolutely gorgeous and delicious each time. It's fun and easy and friends are asking me to make it for them! Thanks so much!

      Reply
      • lynnswayoflife

        November 18, 2022 at 5:54 am

        I am so happy to hear that! Thanks for making my recipe!

        Reply
    4. Sheryl

      November 07, 2022 at 9:17 am

      5 stars
      Nothing about my bread looked like the photos but I followed the recipe and what I ended up with was perfect and delicious! My bread looked and tasted like I was a pro at baking. This was my first sourdough bread attempt. What attracted me to this recipe was the ease of the recipe.

      Reply
      • lynnswayoflife

        November 07, 2022 at 11:23 am

        I love that! I am so happy you enjoyed it! I hope you continue baking sourdough, it's so delicious!

        Reply

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    Hey there! I'm Lynn and I'm based just outside of Boston. I'm a wife and mom of two with a passion for cooking and creating homemade food for my family.

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