Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Bread With Swirl

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. 

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 weren’t 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 we’ve lost that art. And what have we found? People can’t 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 foodie’s 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 you’ve experienced homemade sourdough baked goods, store bought breads and pancakes simply won’t cut it.

Sourdough has a depth of flavor that just can’t 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.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

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 these 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.

Stand mixer

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 ½” 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.

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

Sharing is caring!