This sourdough cinnamon raisin bread is a fluffy sourdough bread with a swirl of cinnamon and raisins. The grains are fermented to give it that delicious tang and the added health benefits. It is the perfect snack or dessert.
![overhead photo of a loaf of sourdough raisin bread sliced on a wood cutting board on a white countertop](https://www.farmhouseonboone.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/sourdough-cinnamon-bread-17-1024x683.jpg)
If you know me well, you know I love my sourdough. I use it to make our Saturday morning pancakes, whole grain bread, dinner rolls, tortillas, and so much more.
You can find all my sourdough recipes located in this convenient post.
Before yeast was isolated and sold in little packets, sourdough starter was a valuable commodity in homes and families; it was passed down for generations.
Have you ever heard of phytic acid?
Basically, it’s an antinutrient found in grains, beans, and nuts that interferes with the absorption of certain nutrients. Phytic acid is present on grains to keep them from spoiling.
There is a reason antinutrients are there, but there is also good evidence that our bodies werenโt meant to handle them.
Proper preparation of grains eliminates most, if not all, of the phytic acid in offending foods.
This is the very reason traditional cultures soaked and fermented their grains, seeds, and beans.
These days weโve lost that art. And what have we found? People canโt handle grains anymore.
Natural Yeasts… Sourdough Starter
Instead of using instant yeast packets, people in traditional cultures leavened their bread with a fermented starter that captured all the yeasts in the environment.
AKA Sourdough starter.
Locally made sourdough starter, with the native yeasts of the area present, is certainly the thing a foodieโs dreams are made of.
A jar of healthy, productive starter is teeming with life, as evidenced by all the bubbles you will see rising to the surface.
Once youโve experienced homemade sourdough baked goods, store bought breads and pancakes simply wonโt cut it.
Sourdough has a depth of flavor that just canโt be found in something made quickly with a packet of instant yeast.
With the slightly sour flavor from the natural fermentation process, plus cinnamon and the slight sweetness of raisins, everyone will love this cinnamon raisin sourdough bread recipe.
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Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Bread Ingredients
Dough Ingredients
Freshly ground wheat or all-purpose: I use a Nutrimill to grind fresh wheat berries. You could substitute for store-bought flour, but the amount you use may change a bit.
Active sourdough starter: This is starter that has been fed 4-12 hours before baking, and is nice and bubbly. Learn how to make a sourdough starter from scratch here.
Melted coconut oil – You could also substitute this for another mild oil like avocado oil.
Salt: This is a critical ingredient for a delicious recipe. Without it, your bread will be lacking flavor.
Honey: Adds just the right amount of natural sweetness. Could also substitute for maple syrup.
Water: I always use watered filtered through my Berkey water filter. High chlorinated water can kill the yeast in sourdough starter.
Filling
Cinnamon: You can’t have cinnamon raisin bread without rich and warm flavors of cinnamon.
Raisins: Soaked in water to rehydrate them so they are nice and chewy rather than hard.
Brown sugar: This is an optional ingredient, but really delicious when you add it to the cinnamon and raisins. Adds another layer of sweetness and flavor. Just like in theseย sourdough cinnamon rolls.
Tips For Making Sourdough Raisin Bread:
- A stand mixer makes this process way easier.
- Start this recipe the night before, then the next day you have a lot less work to do. Just roll, spread cinnamon raisin mixture, roll, rise and bake. It’s like half the work done making the process easier.
- Make sure to cover the dough with a tight cover to help prevent a hard, crust forming on the dough. If this does happen, you can work it back into the dough, but it may affect the finished product.
- This makes the most delicious french toast.
- When bread is baked until completion, it usually has an internal temperature of 190-210 degrees F.
Tools you may need:
Grain mill- I love my Nutrimill to grind wheat berries into fresh flour. This is optional, but I highly recommend if you are planning to do a lot of baking.
Bread pan
Measuring cups and spoons
Rolling pin
Small bowl
How To Make Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Bread
4-12 hours before starting the dough, feed your sourdough starter. You want a active starter that is really nice and bubbly.
The night before you want to make your bread, combine the flour, starter, oil, salt, honey, and warm water in a large bowl. Knead the dough until it is stretchy. (about 10- 15 minutes with a stand mixer)
I use a mixer with a dough hook for this. You can knead it by hand, but if you plan to make bread regularly, a stand mixer is a great investment for the time it saves.
Add just enough flour so that it pulls away from the sides of the mixer, or is not sticking to your hands.
It will vary between 6 and 7 cups, depending on the hydration of the starter and the type of wheat you use.
Add a little more water if it is too dry, or flour if it is too wet.
Divide the dough into two even balls and place each in a glass bowl greased with coconut oil. Roll the dough around a bit so that the entire ball is lightly coated with coconut oil.
Bulk Fermentation
Cover the dough with a beeswax wrap or plastic wrap, and let it rise overnight at room temperature in a warm place if possible, or about eight hours. It should double in size during the first rise.
Also, the night before, get the raisins soaking in one cup of hot water.
Shape
The next morning, roll each ball of dough out into a large rectangle until they are about ยฝโ thick, onto a lightly floured work surface..
Drain the plump raisins, and place in a bowl.
Sprinkle the raisins with cinnamon and sugar (or just cinnamon if omitting sugar).
Sprinkle the sweet raisins over the top of the dough.
Starting from one side, roll the dough up tightly and pinch in the ends.
Second Rise
Place the dough into a greased loaf pan (or line with a piece of parchment paper), cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until it about doubles in size. This should take anywhere from 2-4 hours, depending on how warm your kitchen is.
Optional step: Brush the top with a egg wash.
Bake the bread for 35 minutes at 400 degrees until the loaf of bread is golden brown and baked through.
Bakerโs Timeline:
This can be started or made at any time. I like to start doughs at night time so they can rise all night. In the morning, they are ready to shape, rise, and bake.
Feed sourdough starter with flour and water.
Add all the dough ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer and knead together until smooth and glossy.
Cover and ferment until doubled. Soak raisins.
Roll out the dough. Sprinkle with raisins and cinnamon sugar mixture. Place into a prepared bread pan.
Cover and allow to ferment for 2-4 hours.
Once it has doubled. Bake.
Check Out More Delicious Sourdough Recipes:
- Lemon Sourdough Pound Cake
- Sourdough Chocolate Cupcakes
- Sourdough Pizza Crust
- Coffee Cake
- Sourdough Discard Banana Bread
- Sourdough Crepes
- Learn how to make your own starter here.
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone
Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Bread
Equipment
- 2 Loaf pans
Ingredients
- 6 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 840 g
- 1 cup active sourdough starter 200 g
- 1/2 cup oil 112 g – a neutral oil like coconut or avocado
- 1 tablespoon salt 15 g
- 1/2 cup honey 168 g
- 1 1/2 cup water 354 g
- 3 tablespoons cinnamon
- 2 cups raisins
- 1 cup hot water for soaking raisins
- 1/2 cup brown sugar 100 g optional
Instructions
- The night before you want to make your bread, combine the flour, starter, oil, salt, honey, and water in a large bowl. Knead the dough until it is stretchy, about 10-15 minutes with a stand mixer (see note below).
- Divide the dough into two even balls and place each in a glass bowl greased with coconut oil. Roll the dough around a bit so that the entire ball is lightly coated with coconut oil. Cover the dough with a beeswax wrap or plastic wrap, and let it rise overnight, or at least eight hours.
- Get the raisins soaking in one cup of hot water the night before.
- The next day, roll each ball of dough out into a large rectangle until they are about ยฝโ thick, onto a lightly floured work space.
- Drain the raisins, and place in a bowl.
- Sprinkle soaked raisins with cinnamon and sugar (optional) mixture evenly onto the dough.
- Starting from one side, roll the dough up tightly and pinch in the ends.
- Place the dough into a greased loaf pan, and allow it to double in size. About 2-4 hours.
- Bake the bread for 35 minutes at 400 degrees.
- Allow to cool completely before slicing.
Notes
- Add just enough flour so that it pulls away from the sides of the mixer, or is not sticking to your hands.
- Make sure to cover the dough with a tight cover to help prevent a hard, crust forming on the dough. If this does happen, you can work it back into the dough, but it may affect the finished product.
Tricia W. says
Wonderful, ,tender, tasty bread! Made it with just cinnamon/brown sugar. Will share the second loaf with friends. Thank you for your great instructions and calming manner. Sourdough is โmy thing โ in retirement.
Gabby B says
I haven’t baked this yet and it’s looking like I won’t get too. I made this and let it rise all night at room temperature (73 degrees) and it barely had risen by the twelve hour mark. I should add that my starter was ripe and is a 2 1/2 year old starter that I use weekly and I do not have issues with. I’m thinking it’s the coconut oil or the honey or the combo of both. Coconut oil has anti-fungal properties and I’m wondering if it has killed most of the yeast in my dough. I used distilled water. I continued making it anyways and now have it sitting in my garage at 84 degrees and still not rising. It’s been on the second rise for over 2 hours and not risen at all. Like I said, I bake bread weekly sometimes twice a week so it’s not the starter.
Lisa Bass says
I use coconut oil and honey in a lot of my recipes and never have this issue, so that shouldn’t affect your rise. It could be the temperature, perhaps! I would try moving it to a warmer location to see if that helps solve the issue! It definitely sounds like it is not an issue with your starter, since it is mature.
Lindsey says
I often have to let this recipe rise for 24 hours and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes.
Heidi Donato says
do you have this recipe for only one loaf
Coo says
I love your recipes and would love to see you describe/demonstrate your gas stove. I have an O’Keefe and Merritt gas stove and am debating whether to use pilot lights.
Lisa Bass says
Thanks for the suggestion!
Sarah Doughty says
My family is a smidge picky, so Iโve made this a few times without the raisins. Still amazing. We have slices for dessert and Iโll make French toast with them.
Sharon says
Used this recipe to made my first ever bread! Have been dabbling with sourdough by making pancakes and naan. But this was my first true baked bread of any kind. Sourdough has taken me on a journey & could not be more pleased. Been smiling all day!
Halved the recipe to make 1 loaf as my household is only 2 people. Very straightforward directions, tips and easy for a first time sourdough bread recipe. Will be making this again. Thanks such a wonderful recipe ๐
Lindsay says
I made a half recipe and love the result product. For the oil I used canola, which is fine when there’s nothing else, but I think avocado oil seems like the best option. The rise took a bit longer than normal for me because it has a decent amount of oil, but that always depends on temperature and the strength of the starter. I also baked mine about 10 minutes longer at 400F because I was taking the internal temperature to gauge doneness. Texture was lovely.
Thanks for a nice recipe! I think this would make yummy french toast.
Anonymous says
I made a half recipe and love the result product. For the oil I used canola, which is fine when there’s nothing else, but I think avocado oil seems like the best option. The rise took a bit longer than normal for me because it has a decent amount of oil, but that always depends on temperature and the strength of the starter. Thanks for a nice recipe! I think this would make yummy french toast.
Bethany Sanchez says
So I made this and it turned out delicious! But the middle was still raw, I cooked at 400 for 30 mins, but just the middle was raw? Any suggestions?
H says
I had the same experience and the top was browned way too deep.
Katie Margason says
I think Iโm going to turn the oven down to 375 for 40 minutes. Itโs how I bake my sandwich bread, I turn the bread pan at 20 minutes. I also do an egg wash on the dough before adding cinnamon, sugar mix-also added two teaspoons APF to that mixture. Kept the bread from separating.
Sharon says
Hi there. I was reading that sourdough to gets very dark, but not to be afraid because that is where the flavor is. Just made it today and mine was very dark, but not burnt. Perfect tasting crust.
Christina Smith says
Seriously, I will never buy cinnamon raisin bread EVER again!!! So tasty and so easy!!