After years of working with sourdough and refining this recipe, I’ve found the perfect balance of tangy sourdough flavor and sweet, spiced notes! Made with a naturally fermented sourdough starter, plump raisins, and a touch of warm cinnamon, this Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Bread is a bakery-style loaf you can easily make at home. Enjoy it toasted with butter or use it for French toast, this loaf stays soft and delicious all week!
Just like my Jalapeno cheddar sourdough bread, sourdough bread with olives, and blueberry sourdough 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! When you are starting your sourdough journey, there are a few essential tools for sourdough baking that will help make this loaf and every loaf perfect!
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.
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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. You can make your own sourdough starter from scratch, buy one, or get one from a fellow sourdough friend.
When starting your sourdough journey, this sourdough glossary is super helpful to familiarize yourself with all the sourdough terms.
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. Usually it takes up to 24 hours, but some recipes, like my same day sourdough bread, can be ready in less than a day.
If you are new to sourdough, make sure to check out this post on how to keep a sourdough starter.
Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Bread 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.
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. How to shape a sourdough boule is an important step in ensuring a good oven spring during the baking process.
- 7am- Bake for 1 hour.
How To Make Cinnamon Raisin Bread (Sourdough)
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
Time to Bake!
4. 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.
5. 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.
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.
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.
Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Bread Recipe 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!
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.
Recipe FAQs
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!
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.
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
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📖 Recipe
Cinnamon Raisin Bread (Sourdough)
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.
Lisa Gordon says
Just double checking…no stretch and folds? I thank you in advance.
Lynn Polito says
That's correct! If you like to do them in your sourdough breads, you definitely can! It won't hurt the dough at all
Lisa Gordon says
Thank you so very much!!!
Sallie says
Hi Lynn, I've been baking this recipe over a year now and really love it. However, the last two times have been a very wet dougheven though I'm following the recipe exactly as before. I'm at high altitude and I'm wondering if the changes you made in November (if there were actual recipe changes) have affected my high altitude process. If there were changes, would you mind sharing the old measurements? They really worked for me. Thank you!!
Lynn Polito says
Hi! I havent adjusted the recipe at all, so I'm not sure what could have changed. I changed some of the wording in the actual blog post in November, but I haven't changed the recipe.
Jennifer Dean says
Can you put this in regular measurements please?
Lynn Polito says
I've added that option! Just keep in mind, sourdough is best made with grams and a kitchen scale, it's more accurate that way.
Lynne says
Does it have to be refrigerated overnight or can it just be given a second shorter rise (1-2 hours0 in the flour lined bowl and then baked?
Lynn Polito says
Yes you can let it rest for a shorter time and then baked. That shouldn't be a problem.
monique says
Hi Is it necessary to add sugar? or can I eliminate it?
Thanks,
Monique
Lynn Polito says
You can eliminate it if you would like!
Jennifer says
Delicious and so easy. The texture and flavor are fantastic. A new staple for us.
Lynn Polito says
That's fantastic! Thank you for making my recipe!
Beth says
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?
lynnswayoflife says
When you are shaping the dough, flatten it out and then roll it into a loaf pan! That should work!
Heather says
This turned out great, have you had success doubling it and making two loaves?
lynnswayoflife says
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.
Heather says
Awesome, Thank you!!
Arlene Antonoff says
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!
lynnswayoflife says
I am so happy to hear that! Thanks for making my recipe!
Sheryl says
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.
lynnswayoflife says
I love that! I am so happy you enjoyed it! I hope you continue baking sourdough, it's so delicious!