Cinnamon Sugar Sourdough

Sourdough, to many, feels like a huge undertaking, which is why I created my Easiest Sourdough Recipe, which is kind of my baseline for whenever I do sourdough variations like these!

This cinnamon sugar sourdough recipe takes my classic recipe and scales it UP so that it is a bigger loaf, but a loaf that is packed with a cinnamon-sugar swirl that makes me supremely nostalgic for the cinnamon raisin bread you can find at the grocery store. A mixture of whole wheat flour and bread flour makes this bread still equally soft — and just a little bit better for you due to its natural fermentation.

I could talk about sourdough for DAYS, so if you are looking for allllll my sourdough information, it’s best to reference this blog post first. This recipe will have everything you need to make a loaf, but if you are wondering the “how and why” behind it (and looking for a helpful YouTube video!), that’s the post to start at.

First, what is sourdough bread?

At its most basic definition, sourdough bread is naturally leavened by a fermented base called a sourdough starter. It’s a bread that consists of only flour, salt and water, so it really is nature’s miracle bread. It has a slightly sour taste (but in a good way!) and the most amazing chew and texture on the planet. The sour taste comes from lactic acid produced from the starter’s fermentation. It not only improves the taste but also improves the bread’s keeping.

You need a sourdough starter to make sourdough bread. This reacts with the flour, and over time will give the bread a natural rise. You can find my sourdough starter recipe here.

What do I need to make this cinnamon sugar sourdough?

To keep things simple, I will give you the exact measurements here:

For the loaf:

• 100 grams of activated sourdough starter 
• 390 grams of water at 85-90°F
• 300 grams bread flour
• 200 grams whole wheat flour
• 10 grams Diamond Crystal kosher salt

For the cinnamon sugar filling:

• 50 grams turbinado sugar
• 12 grams ground cinnamon

For shaping:

• Rice flour, for dusting the proofing baskets

What is a Baker’s Percentage?

A “Baker’s Percentage” is the term used to quantify how much of each ingredient goes into a dough based off the amount of flour. It is a method used to easily scale the size of a sourdough loaf up or down. With a Baker’s Percentage, the amount of flour always equals 100%, and the percentage of the other ingredients are measured in relationship to the total weight of the flour, but I like for mine to add up to 100%

This loaf’s Baker’s Percentages are:

100% flour / 78% water / 20% sourdough starter / 2% salt

Meaning if the loaf was just 100 grams of flour, the recipe would be:

100 grams flour / 78 grams water / 20 grams sourdough starter / 2 grams salt

Since this is a bigger loaf, that means the measurements are:

500 grams flour / 390 grams water / 100 grams starter / 10 grams salt

But, the percentages remain the same. So once you master Baker’s Percentages, you can scale a loaf up or down as you prefer!

Now, let’s get baking!

Pre-Step: Activate your sourdough starter.

To activate your sourdough starter, you just “feed” it. This means take your old starter and add it to a jar. You will want to add:

• 60 grams of old sourdough starter
• 60 grams of all-purpose flour
• 60 grams of cool water

Mix, and let this sit for 3-4 hours or until very bubbly. Then, it is time to bake!

*Note, this will happen faster or slower based on the strength of your starter.

Step 1 – Mix the dough.

In a large glass bowl, mix together starter and water with your hand until the starter is fully dissolved and the water is foamy. Add the bread flour, whole wheat flour and mix until combined. Cover with a damp cloth and let sit for 30 minutes.

Step 2 – Mix in the salt.

Evenly sprinkle the salt over the dough. Lightly dampen your hands to prevent sticking to the dough and reach under the ball of dough, lifting up one corner and folding it over the salt. Rotate the bowl 45 degrees and repeat that step. Repeat two more times until the dough is completely “folded” around the salt, like it’s encapsulated. Then, use your thumb and forefinger to “pinch” across the top of the dough, pushing the salt to combine with the dough. Repeat the folding and pinching process, dampening your hand as needed until the salt feels well combined. Once combined, scoop and plop the dough back into the bowl a couple of times, allowing it to smooth out. Cover with the damp cloth and let the dough rest for another 30 minutes.

Step 3 – Begin the folds.

I do this either in the bowl I mixed the dough in or on a clean surface. Use damp hands to lift up the dough completely out of the bowl, letting the sides hang down. Fold the dough onto itself in what we call a “slap and fold.” The slap can be gentle, you are just letting the edges of the dough cling to the bowl and setting it down, thus tightening the loaf. Rotate the bowl 45 degrees, lift the dough again, and “slap” it down again. Repeat this until the dough has formed a nice, tight mound. Cover with a damp cloth, wait 30 minutes and repeat the process. Repeat the process three times.

Step 4 – Let the dough bulk ferment.

Right after finishing the third set of slap-and-folds, place the dough back in the bowl you mixed it in (if you did the folds in the bowl, it will already be there). Cover and let rise at room temperature for 4-5 hours or until almost doubled in size and looks slightly bubbly. I also let my dough bulk ferment for 12-16 hours in the fridge, if I don’t have the time to do it the same day.

Step 5 – Pre-shape the dough.

When the dough has risen, lightly flour a surface with all-purpose flour and pour out the dough. Grab an edge of the dough and pull it to the center. Rotate the dough and repeat, folding it into an upside-down ball. Flip the dough over so that the seam is on the counter. This is called “pre-shaping.” Let it sit for 20 minutes while you mix the cinnamon sugar together.

Step 6 – Mix the cinnamon and sugar together in a small bowl to create the filling.

Step 7 – Shape the dough.

See the images below for more details, but here is how to shape the dough!

Flip the dough back over so that the seam side is facing up. Stretch out the dough into as large of a rectangle as you can. Dust the entire top of the dough with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Use a bench scraper to slice down the center of the rectangle. Take one piece, carefully lift it up and place it on top of the other piece, making sure that the cinnamon sugar filling on both pieces is facing up.

Stretch out the two dough pieces into a rectangle again. Fold one side of the dough one third of the way over, as if closing a book. Fold the other side over to make the dough into a package. Use your fingers to “pinch” together the dough on the shortest side of the package. Then, repeat this in the center of the dough and once more at the other shortest side of the dough. Roll up the dough, carefully encapsulating all the cinnamon sugar inside. Pull the seam of the dough taut by gently pulling the dough ball towards you and letting the seam grip the surface of the counter.

Step 8 – Proof the dough.

Generously flour a proofing basket with rice flour. Add the dough to the basket seam-side-up. Cover with either a damp towel or a perforated plastic bag. Move the dough to the fridge and let it proof for 24-48 hours.

Step 9 – Bake!

When you are ready to bake, place a 7-quart Dutch oven into your oven. Remove the lid from the Dutch oven, and place both the lid and the pot on the center rack. Preheat the oven to 500°F. Let the Dutch oven preheat for 30 minutes after the oven has reached temperature.

Remove the loaf from the fridge and flip the loaf seam-side-down onto parchment paper. Use a razor or paring knife to “score” the loaf. Place the loaf into the Dutch oven and cover with the lid.

Bake at 500°F covered for 25 minutes, then reduce the heat in the oven to 450°F. Move the loaf to a baking sheet to prevent the bottom from burning and bake an additional 10 minutes.

A Sample Schedule for Baking

Day 1:

9:00 AM – Feed your starter

12:00 PM – Mix the dough

12:30 PM – Mix in the salt

1:00 PM – The first fold

1:30 PM – The second fold

2:00 PM – The third fol

Place in the fridge to bulk ferment overnight

Day 2:

7:00 AM – Pre-shape the dough

7:30 AM – Final shape the dough

Proof for 24-48 hours

Final Day:

7:00 AM – Preheat the oven

8:00 AM – Bake

8:30 AM – Fresh bread for breakfast!

What is the best way to fold the cinnamon sugar filling into the dough?

This blog post has the best reference images for how to shape a sourdough loaf, but when it comes to adding a filling, it can be a bit confusing on where to add the filling in.

I suggest that when you are FIRST beginning to shape your loaf and you have it stretched out to a large rectangle shape (reference the recipe instructions to see what I mean!). That is the best time to scatter the cinnamon sugar filling over top. Then, you can cut the rectangle into two pieces, place them on top of each other, and the swirl will come as you fold your loaf.

What else can I add to this sourdough?

This is a great question! I have a savory-herby rendition of this swirl bread that you can make using the recipe Note in the recipe box, but you can also feel free to riff on this swirl as well! Here are a few fun things to add:

• Nuts and seeds
• Raisins
• Dried cranberries
• Olives (if you are doing the savory version, of course!)

Or really whatever you think would be good swirled into a sourdough!

And that’s it for this Cinnamon Sugar Sourdough! If you have any questions, please let me know in the comments!

If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.