I am writing this post instead of watching the Oscars.
I can’t handle missing an episode of The Bachelor (I mean, could you?), but I haven’t seen enough of the nominated movies to make watching the Oscars really worth my while.
I am choosing not to contemplate too much on what this might mean about my priorities.
Before February comes to a close, I wanted to share another delicious way for you to utilize some of your sourdough starter. While our last recipe utilized some cultivated yeast in conjunction with our starter, this recipe uses only the sourdough to leaven the bread. This method produces a much more pronounced sourdough “tang” (which will, of course, get stronger as your starter ages), though it also significantly increases the time that your bread will need to properly rise.
Not to worry, though! Even though this bread does take some time to rise, it is by no means difficult. In fact, the dough comes together quickly and there is very little kneading involved. Make your dough, leave it out overnight to rise, then shape it into loaves the next morning and let it rise for about half the day. Go run errands. Go to the gym. Go to a movie. Go do whatever! Come back, and find that your bread is ready to bake. It’s as easy as that!
This cinnamon raisin bread makes the best toast. Your family will be clamoring to eat breakfast if they get to have this bread.
Ingredients
- 1 cup sourdough starter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil or other flavorless oil
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 6 cups bread flour
- 2 cups raisins
Instructions
- In a large bowl (either by hand or with an electric mixer), combine the first 6 ingredients. Add in 3 cups of the bread flour, mixing to combine, then add the raisins. Finally, add the final 3 cups of flour 1/2 cup at a time, until a stiff dough is formed (depending on the weather and/or how dry your house is, you may not need all 6 cups of the flour). The dough will still seem fairly sticky, but will pull away from the sides of the bowl.
- Cover the bowl with aluminum foil (I suggest greasing the inside of the foil) and leave on the counter to rise overnight.
- The next morning, gently punch down the dough and knead on a flour surface about 8-10 times. . If using 9x5-inch loaf pans, divide the dough in half. If using 8x4-inch pans, divide into thirds. Knead each part a few times before shaping placing in greased loaf pans. Brush the top of each loaf with oil and cover with a clean tea towel. Let rise 4-5 hours at room temperature, until loaves are doubled in bulk (if your house is cold, rising could take most of the day).
- At the end of the rising time, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until browned on top.
- Turn out of loaf pans and place on a rack to cool completely.
- Wrap in foil and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or the freezer for up to 2 months.
OMG that last picture with the melted butter, mmmm. This bread looks so good!
Surprise! Kayle loves the butter picture. 😉
😀
Oh my gosh, this looks so good. I love cinnamon raisin bread with peanut butter (and/or Nutella!)
Cinnamon raisin bread sounds so so good right now!!!! I am stillfeeding the starter you gave me and just baked 2 loaves over the weekend! I am getting kind of annoyed with feeding it every single day, which is making me fearful of future motherhood plans hahahah! I have to make this, right? I mean I have a starter and all.
Yes you do!
Its not necessary to feed your starter every day, unless you use it everyday. When you use is when you feed it, then keep it in your fridge until the next time you use it.
Ive had my starter now for 5 years, and I just started another one using Apple skins. It will be ready to use tomorrow.
That’s why I love my starter- easy to take care of because you don’t feed it every day!
This is one of my favorite sourdough breads! Yours looks perfect!
I know you posted this a while back, but I just wanted to say “thanks” ! I was looking for a good cinnamon raisin recipe that utilized sourdough and I currently have this in the oven! 🙂 I did change a few things, because I wanted to do the cinnamon swirl, so I rolled out the dough and put a layer of cinnamon sugar and then rolled it up like a jelly roll. I did not proof it for 4-5 hours after shaping, even though it didn’t exactly double in size, it got some great oven spring (I proofed for about 2 hours–no busted seams either, haha). It smells great, and I can’t wait to taste it, tee hee.
Thanks again!
So glad you like the recipe! And ain’t nothin’ wrong with a cinnamon swirl in your bread…that sounds fantastic, actually! 🙂
Do you think adding a diced apple or two would mess up the final product? For some reason it seems difficult to find a sourdough apple cinnamon raisin recipe.
That is an excellent suggestion and question! I am not sure – I have seen some yeast breads with diced apples in them before, so there is a good chance that it would turn out ok. Otherwise, you could try diced dried apples, which would definitely work. Let me know how it goes for you!
Thanks for this excellent recipe. I do it every week since the last month. Last time, I added 2 eggs to get kind of brioche bread. So good!! Today I replaced the sugar with honey. It’s still proofing but I’m sure it will be very good as well. I make small individual breads out of my dough. I used to put them in individual mold (muffins) but I’m afraid I am too lazy to wash all these molds, so now I put them all in two large pie plates, each touching the other. This result in very tender breads as there’s no crust around except for those touching the exterior of the plate. Lots of details, I know, but it’s only to share experiences. Please continue to share your excellent recipes! Thank you!
Thank you SO much for sharing this! I love that it’s become a favorite recipe for you. I should definitely try it with the eggs next time. Yum!!
This sounds great Have you ever tried it with white whole wheat flour?
I don’t believe that I have (though I do a lot of experimenting so it is possible that I have and just forgot). If you go that route, I would start with half whole wheat and half all-purpose and increase from there. Let me know if you try it!
I make sourdough recipes exclusively and have found that you need to add more water or lessen flour whenever using whole wheat. I go by feel of the dough-should be moist for any sourdough. Kamut would add a nice nutty flavor I think but einkorn is my favorite wheat to make bread with.
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! I have just started using sourdough starter to make bread and I love it! I made the recipe and followed it as written. My bread came out a little dense. Any idea what I did or should do next time? Also, do you think if you left out the cinnamon, raisins and sugar you could just do a plan loaf or would I have to substitute with something else? Thanks!!
Yes, makes wonderful toast, but my youngest preferred it straight. My pb&j fanatic happily switched to this bread for her favorite sandwich. The crumb and crust were perfect! Moist, unlike store-bought options I have had. Will definitely do this recipe again!
Hi Great recipe!!!! I just made it for the third time. I use only a 1/3 cup of natural sugar because I just don’t care for sweets so I cut sugar in all my baking; I use use coconut oil (melted) for the required oil which adds flavor and makes it incredibly moist plus used only 5 cups of flour each time which also seems to help the moisture level. Taste is the best raisin bread ever! Thank you for sharing.
I am having a hard time getting this to rise very well. Any suggestions? when i do regular sourdough bread, the rise is 2 to 2 1/2 times, the this one only rises about 75% overnight and about 50% after separation in the morning. I follow the recipe exactly. We are at 4500 elevation and have a desert climate. Flavor is there and i continue to make it, but needing a little assistance with the rise.
May need to add some extra yeast say 2 tsps should help.
The cinnamon will slow the natural leaven rise, boost it with 1 1/2 tsp yeast for consistent results . Replace sugar in recipe for 3/4 cup maple syrup, right before placing in oven for baking mist with water and sprinkle with raw sugar. Makes the best french toast ever.
Best bread, turned out perfect. I was out of raisins so I did use chopped dates and it is so good , also a little addition of nutmeg it made three Loaves and a round.
Ooo, chopped dates sound delicious! So glad you enjoyed.
This sounds great! I weigh my ingredients so I would like to know if you stir the starter before you measure out 1 cup? Thanks!!
Hi Connie – Yes, I stir it first. Hope this helps!
One more accolade for this recipe. The bread is delicious. Nice and tangy with the overnight fermentation on the counter. Great chew with the bread flour. My starter wasn’t freshly fed so I added 1 tsp instant yeast to ensure a rise. I also added 1 tsp vanilla for a flavor boost. Made half a recipe for 1 loaf and baked it in an 8X4-inch pan. Took 4 hours to double in the pan. Brushed the loaf with an egg wash and dusted with cinnamon sugar before baking. Took 55 minutes to reach an internal temperature of 208°. Great oven spring!
I am so glad you loved the bread, Sadie! Thank you for sharing your feedback!
Could you halve this recipe to make just one loaf? Same proportions?
Hi Victoria – I haven’t tried halving the recipe, so I’m not 100% sure how it would do. (Some recipes divide better than others.) You could always put the second loaf in the freezer for later, though! If you do try halving it, let me know how it turns out.
Just made this bread for Christmas. It was delicious! This center was still a little doughy after 45 min, even though the tap sounded hollow. But I just sliced it up and toasted it and everyone raved about it. I think I’ll try a higher temp next time and closer to 50 min to get a better bake.
The first rise was about 6 hours and the second rise took more like 24 hours but it’s winter and cooler than normal. And when I baked it, it grew beautifully!
I also subbed organic virgin coconut oil for the veg oil and organic coconut sugar for the sugar and wow was it tasty. With the cinnamon, I couldn’t even detect the coconut.
I am so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for sharing!
Could you tell me if the starter has to be fed or not? Can it be just from the fridge or at room temperature?
I always bake with fed starter!