artisan sourdough bread swirled up with plenty of cinnamon and brown sugar – get ready for the best slice of toast in your life!
What started out as a total experiment, and kind of a long shot if I’m being honest, has quickly turned into one of my family’s absolute favorite loaves of all time.
In fact, while this Cinnamon Brown Sugar Sourdough Bread is baking in the oven, the delicious warm spicy aromas fill the house, and I hear the kids from another room “is that the cinnamon bread again?! when is it going to be ready?!”
There is something totally magical about slicing into this loaf of sourdough bread, and seeing countless layers of cinnamon and brown sugar all swirled up – heavenly! Get out the good grass fed salted butter, and toast up a couple slices of this delicious bread…quite possibly the best slice of toast you’ll ever make!
Don’t take my word for it, try it yourself and report back please!
WHY YOU SHOULD MAKE YOUR OWN BREAD
HOT TAKE: We don’t suffer from any gluten intolerance, and I think making my own bread with high quality, minimal ingredients has a lot to do with that. It’s a very sensory/meditative process, and it makes me nostalgic for a simpler time – before corporations took over the farming and food industry and before bread had a list of 20+ ingredients on the supermarket shelves.
With just a few basic ingredients and a couple of tools, you can create delicious artisan bread at home (see my list of tools below).
Here’s the thing with baking 100% Sourdough Bread at home: it’s not difficult, it just takes time.
Full disclosure, you may have to make this a couple of times before you really get a feel for it, and that’s totally ok. Every great bread baker has made countless loaves, and over time you really do get a FEEL for it. Slicing into a beautifully proofed, airy loaf of bread is highly satisfying and exhilarating, and totally worth the effort.
WHAT IS SOURDOUGH?
The backbone of homemade sourdough bread, is of course, the sourdough “starter”. A starter is a mix of flour and water that has been fermented over time, and contains a natural colony of yeast that leavens dough (makes it rise). In this post, we’re not discussing how to make your own starter, because we covered that THOROUGHLY on my Instagram Stories. If you haven’t yet, watch my stories for the FULL tutorial on How to Make a Sourdough Starter.
DON’T HAVE A SOURDOUGH STARTER?
Don’t sweat it! Make your own sourdough starter in 7 days with this full tutorial. This guide will hold your hand the whole way through, and by the end of 7 days, you’ll have an active sourdough starter that’s ready to bake with.
Ingredients for Cinnamon Sugar Sourdough Bread
unbleached all purpose flour – I prefer to use unbleached all purpose flour made King Arthur Flour. I find that their flours always deliver consistent results, and the higher protein content in the AP helps with gluten development.
water – the temperature of the water is important. It should be warm room temperature, around 80 degrees F.
active sourdough starter – This recipe work best with an active sourdough starter that’s been fed 8-12 hours prior. That being said, you can also use sourdough discard but the fermentation timeline will definitely take longer.
granulated sugar – it’s a tiny amount of sugar in the dough and it just adds to a beautiful complex flavor. If you want, you can also substitute maple syrup.
kosher salt – I always bake with kosher salt, I like the level of salinity and the clean flavor. My favorite brand is Morton’s, but if you’re using Diamond Crystal add another 2 grams of salt.
dark brown sugar – I prefer to go with dark brown sugar here because it has more molasses in it. I love that deeply caramel flavor of the molasses. That being said, if you really want to make this bread but only have light brown sugar, just go for it!
ground cinnamon – the ground cinnamon makes this loaf taste like a big cinnamon roll, and smells absolutely incredible while baking. Make sure your group cinnamon is fresh. I like to store my bulk back-up spices in the fridge or freezer just to be sure that they’re fresh when I’m ready to use them.
How to make Cinnamon Brown Sugar Sourdough Bread
- In a large mixing, combine the warm water and active sourdough starter. Use a whisk or Danish dough whisk to dissolve the sourdough starter into the water. Add the 25 g of granulated sugar to the mixture, and whisk to thoroughly incorporate.
Add the unbleached flour to the mixing bowl, and use a wooden spoon or Danish dough whisk to incorporate the flour. When it becomes too thick to stir, use your clean hands to bring the dough together. The dough will be super shaggy, but that’s ok. I like to use my bench scraper to scrape the excess dough off of my hands and back into the bowl. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as well, and sprinkle the kosher salt on the surface of the dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean disposable shower cap, and let the dough rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, use damp hands to throughly pinch the salt into the dough. This will take a couple of minutes. Use your hands to bring the dough together into a round shape, and cover the dough again, and let it rest for another 30 minutes.
No Kneading – We’re Stretching and Folding
Stretch and fold the dough: remove the bowl cover, and gently stretch/pull one side of the dough up, and fold it over the ball of dough. Rotate the bowl 90°, and stretch the next side of the dough up, and fold it over. Work your way around the ball of dough until all of the sides have been stretched and folded. Lift the ball of dough up, and plop it over upside down back into the bowl. Cover the bowl again, and let the dough rest for another 30 minutes.
Repeat this process another 2 times, stretching and folding the dough every 30 minutes. After the last stretch and fold, cover the dough again, and let it bulk ferment at room temperature for 3-4 hours, or until it is puffy, almost doubled in size, and there are small air bubbles on the surface of the dough.
How to Add Cinnamon and Brown Sugar to your Sourdough Bread
Very lightly flour your work surface, and pour the risen dough out onto the work surface. Gently stretch the dough out into a large rectangle, about 10×15″. Generously sprinkle the surface of the dough with cinnamon, leaving a 1/2″ border around the perimeter. Next, sprinkle 2 tablespoons of brown sugar on top of the cinnamon. Use your palms to gently press the brown sugar down into the dough.
Fold the top 1/3 of the dough down into the center midline. Sprinkle on more brown sugar and cinnamon, leaving a small border. Fold the bottom 1/3 of the dough over the other 2 layers, like a letter fold. Sprinkle on more cinnamon and sugar, and gently pat the brown sugar into the dough. Carefully roll up the dough, enclosing the brown sugar and cinnamon, and use your hands to gently push and pull the dough around, forming a round boule shape.
The syrupy brown sugar can leak out while the dough’s proofing, so I line my proofing baskets with a tea towel, and dust it generously with flour or rice flour. Place the shaped loaf into the prepared proofing basket, cover the loaf with a clean disposable shower cap (to prevent it from drying out), or place it in a plastic bag – let the dough proof in the fridge for 2-3 hours.
Here’s how to Bake Sourdough at Home
Place a large Dutch oven (with the lid on) into the middle rack of the oven, and preheat the oven to 450℉. Once the oven has come up to temperature, let it continue to heat up for another 25-30 minutes. Remove the dough from the fridge while the oven is preheating.
Using oven mitts, carefully remove the Dutch oven from the oven, and remove the lid. Gently pour the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper. Lift the parchment paper with the dough on it, and lower it into the preheated pot. Place the lid on top, and place the Dutch oven back into the oven. Bake for 25 minutes.
After 25 minutes, remove the lid from the pot, and bake for another 18-20 minutes until the curst is deeply golden brown/mahogany color. Remove the loaf from the Dutch oven, and allow it cool completely on a baking rack for at least 2 hours. Enjoy!
Pro baking Tips from LeAnne
- Don’t skip out on the stretches and folds! This step builds up the necessary gluten in your dough, which strengthens it so much, giving you a light and airy crumb.
- When sprinkling the brown sugar onto your dough, be sure to leave a 1/2-inch border around the perimeter of the dough. We want to keep all of the brown sugar contained in the dough. Brown sugar will melt and become syrupy very quickly, which makes shaping the dough nearly impossible.
- preheat your Dutch oven for at least 25-30 minutes in the hot 450 degree F oven. We want plenty of oven spring, and a hot Dutch oven helps achieve that.
Want more homemade sourdough bread recipes? Check out:
HOW TO STORE HOMEMADE SOURDOUGH BREAD
I like to store my homemade bread at room temperature, in an airtight container or bag for up to 3 days. After that, it’s best to slice the bread and freeze. It’s lovely to take the frozen slices out one at a time, and pop them straight into the toaster. They toast up perfectly and taste freshly baked.
If you make this gorgeous Cinnamon Brown Sugar Sourdough Bread 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.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3
Without further ado, here is my delicious Cinnamon Brown Sugar Sourdough Bread! Be sure to save this recipe and Pin It to your Bread boards on Pinterest!
Happy Baking xo LeAnne
The Recipe
Cinnamon Brown Sugar Sourdough Bread
a delicious loaf of artisan sourdough bread swirled up with warm cinnamon and brown sugar
Ingredients
- 350 g water, warmed to 85℉
- 100 g active sourdough starter fed 8-10 hours prior, and bubbly
- 25 g granulated sugar
- 500 g unbleached all purpose flour
- 11 g kosher salt, I use Morton's
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon approximately, for layering in
- 2/3 cup, 135 g dark brown sugar for layering in
Instructions
In a large mixing, combine the warm water and active sourdough starter. Use a whisk or Danish dough whisk to dissolve the sourdough starter into the water. Add the 25 g of granulated sugar to the mixture, and whisk to thoroughly incorporate.
Add the unbleached flour to the mixing bowl, and use a wooden spoon or Danish dough whisk to incorporate the flour. When it becomes too thick to stir, use your clean hands to bring the dough together. The dough will be super shaggy, but that's ok. I like to use my bench scraper to scrape the excess dough off of my hands and back into the bowl. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as well, and sprinkle the kosher salt on the surface of the dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean disposable shower cap, and let the dough rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, use damp hands to throughly pinch the salt into the dough. This will take a couple of minutes. Use your hands to bring the dough together into a round shape, and cover the dough again, and let it rest for another 30 minutes.
Stretch and fold the dough: remove the bowl cover, and gently stretch/pull one side of the dough up, and fold it over the ball of dough. Rotate the bowl 90°, and stretch the next side of the dough up, and fold it over. Work your way around the ball of dough until all of the sides have been stretched and folded. Lift the ball of dough up, and plop it over upside down back into the bowl. Cover the bowl again, and let the dough rest for another 30 minutes.
Repeat this process another 2 times, stretching and folding the dough every 30 minutes. After the last stretch and fold, cover the dough again, and let it bulk ferment at room temperature for 3-4 hours, or until it is puffy, almost doubled in size, and there are small air bubbles on the surface of the dough.
Very lightly flour your work surface, and pour the risen dough out onto the work surface. Gently stretch the dough out into a large rectangle, about 10x15". Generously sprinkle the surface of the dough with cinnamon, leaving a 1/2" border around the perimeter. Next, sprinkle 2 tablespoons of brown sugar on top of the cinnamon. Use your palms to gently press the brown sugar down into the dough.
Fold the top 1/3 of the dough down into the center midline. Sprinkle on more brown sugar and cinnamon, leaving a small border. Fold the bottom 1/3 of the dough over the other 2 layers, like a letter fold. Sprinkle on more cinnamon and sugar, and gently pat the brown sugar into the dough. Carefully roll up the dough, enclosing the brown sugar and cinnamon, and use your hands to gently push and pull the dough around, forming a round boule shape.
The syrupy brown sugar can leak out while the dough's proofing, so I line my proofing baskets with a tea towel, and dust it generously with flour or rice flour. Place the shaped loaf into the prepared proofing basket, cover the loaf with a clean disposable shower cap (to prevent it from drying out), or place it in a plastic bag - let the dough proof in the fridge for 2-3 hours.
Place a large Dutch oven (with the lid on) into the middle rack of the oven, and preheat the oven to 450℉. Once the oven has come up to temperature, let it continue to heat up for another 25-30 minutes. Remove the dough from the fridge while the oven is preheating.
Using oven mitts, carefully remove the Dutch oven from the oven, and remove the lid. Gently pour the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper. Lift the parchment paper with the dough on it, and lower it into the preheated pot. Place the lid on top, and place the Dutch oven back into the oven. Bake for 25 minutes.
After 25 minutes, remove the lid from the pot, and bake for another 18-20 minutes until the curst is deeply golden brown/mahogany color. Remove the loaf from the Dutch oven, and allow it cool completely on a baking rack for at least 2 hours. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. This loaf of bread can also be frozen. For the best results, slice the loaf completely, and freeze in an airtight bag. To reheat, simply place the slices directly in the toaster for that freshly baked taste.
The post Cinnamon Brown Sugar Sourdough first appeared on Lion’s Bread blog
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