Cinnamon Swirl Sourdough Bread is where tangy sourdough meets sweet, spiced perfection. With its flaky but crusty crust, chewy crumb and a rich cinnamon sugar swirl running through every slice, this golden brown beauty is guaranteed to make your kitchen smell incredible. Whether toasted for breakfast or eaten with cream cheese and honey for dessert, it's the ultimate treat for sourdough lovers.
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If you love our Sourdough Cinnamon Babka and Soft-Crust Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Bread, you are guaranteed to enjoy this loaf! It's like a crustier, heartier version of Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls!
How Does Cinnamon Affect Sourdough?
Cinnamon contains compounds that can inhibit yeast activity. This means that adding cinnamon directly to your dough can slow down the fermentation process, potentially leading to a denser loaf.
To minimize this effect, we mix the dough ingredients first, let the sourdough rise, then swirl the cinnamon sugar mixture through the dough after the bulk fermentation process.
Mix It Up: Turn Your Sourdough into a Flavour Adventure.
Why do we use butter and flour in the filling, you may wonder? This sourdough cinnamon swirl bread has been in the making for a while...
In my experiments, I've discovered that simply laminating sourdough with a sprinkle of sugar and cinnamon leads to sugar melting and leaking, creating a sticky mess during the final proof in the fridge. Binding it all with butter seems to solve this issue.
Flour is added in order to avoid large gaps in the sourdough, where the cinnamon swirl meets the dough. As the butter melts and evaporates when the bread bakes, flour helps to keep the dough together better.
Love combining sourdough with cinnamon? Try our Cinnamon Sugar Sourdough Pretzel Bites next time! Or can we tempt you with some more recipes below:
Ingredient Notes
Here's everything you will need for this crusty Cinnamon Swirl Sourdough Bread:
- strong bread flour: with at least 12.5% protein. You may replace up to 100g of white flour with wholemeal or rye.
- salt.
- active sourdough starter: 100% hydration.
- water: we use tap water, but if you live in an area with highly chlorinated water, it may be best to use filtered or bottled (but not distilled) water.
- unsalted butter.
- dark brown sugar: may be replaced with light brown sugar, but your swirl won't be as prominent.
- ground cinnamon.
- flour: strong or all-purpose flour.
Find the ingredient quantities, detailed instructions and nutritional information in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step-By-Step Method
Much like most of my sourdough recipes, sourdough cinnamon bread is made over two days.
DAY 1
Feeding Sourdough Starter
1. First thing in the morning, feed your sourdough starter. I typically feed 70g of my starter in a ratio of 1 part starter:1 part water:1 part flour. This simply means that I mix 70g of starter with 70g water and 70g flour.
2. Scoop the mixture into a clean jar, and leave it in a warm spot (ideally, 21-27°C), semi-covered for 4 hours. Your starter should at least double in volume in this time. If it doesn't, it may need a couple of good feeds before it's fit for purpose. Learn more about sourdough starter not doubling within 4 hours.
3. I use 160g of active starter for baking and feed the remaining 50g before storing it for the future.
Mixing The Dough
1. Once the sourdough starter is active and bubbly (and at least doubled in volume), mix the dough. I use a stand mixer for this. Simply mix the flour and sea salt in the bowl of a stand mixer.
2. Then add the water and bubbly starter. Run the mixer, fitted with a dough hook attachment for 10 minutes, until your dough is smooth and elastic. It does not need to pass the windowpane test just yet (the gluten will continue developing when we fold the dough during the bulk fermentation period).
Coil Folds And Bulk Fermentation
1. Scoop the dough into a large bowl, cover with a damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap and leave it in a warm place (21-27°C) for 30 minutes.
2. After 30 minutes, with cold wet hands, perform the first set of coil folds. Simply lift the bread dough with both hands from the sides and tuck it under to form a coil (video below). Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and coil again. Cover the bowl again, and let the dough rest for 30 minutes again.
3. You should repeat the process every 30 minutes until you have done 4-6 sets of coil folds. Your dough will spread less with every set of folds, and by the end of it, you will have a much less sticky, very soft and elastic dough that has blisters on top of the dough.
For more information on how to coil fold and when to know when you've done enough folding, head to our dedicated article about Sourdough Coil Folds.
4. Once all the folds have been completed, cover the dough and let the dough rise at warm room temperature for 2-4 hours to finish bulk fermentation. Your dough should just about double its original size. If you are using a see-through glass bowl for bulk fermenting, you should see a lot of activity and bubbles forming at the base and sides of the bowl.
Cinnamon Filling
1. Melt the butter and sugar over low heat in a small saucepan. Once melted, leave the mixture to cool down for 10-15 minutes.
2. Then beat in the flour and cinnamon, ensuring no dry pockets remain. Leave the mixture to cool down completely (you want it soft and spreadable, so no need to place it in the fridge).
Shaping and Cold Proof
1. At the end of bulk fermentation, using a bowl scraper, scoop the dough onto a clean kitchen surface sprayed with a little water to prevent sticking (or a lightly floured surface).
2. Stretch the dough into a rough square of about 35x35cm (14 x14 inches) by pulling on the sides of the dough.
3. Spread ⅓ of the cinnamon butter on the middle third of the dough. Fold one side of the dough over to cover the cinnamon. Then spread another third of cinnamon butter on top, and cover it with the other side of the dough by folding it over (like a pamphlet).
4. Spread half of the remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture in the centre of the long rectangle that you should now have. Fold the top third of the dough over, then spread the remaining butter before folding the bottom third of the dough over. You should now have a small parcel of laminated dough (see photos for guidance).
You can learn more about laminating sourdough HERE.
5. With your bench scraper held at a shallow angle to the work surface, push the dough while using your hand to tuck it under itself, creating tension. This fluid circular motion involves pushing and gently rounding with the bench knife, while your free hand continues the rounding motion, tucking the dough slightly under itself. It takes some practice, but you should aim for a tight round ball of dough that holds its shape and doesn't spread much.
6. Place the dough ball into a well-floured banneton basket (or any proofing basket alternatives). We recommend using rice flour for dusting your proofing baskets. The smooth side of the sourdough ball should be at the bottom, with the seam at the top.
7. Pinch the seam together with your fingers, if the dough starts spreading in the bowl to make sure the dough is tight. Sprinkle with some flour, and cover the dough with a clean fabric napkin or small lightweight tea towel.
8. Place the proofing basket in a large plastic bag - it will protect the dough from drying out. Then place the whole thing in the fridge to cold ferment (a.k.a. second rise or final proof) in the fridge for 12-36 hours.
DAY 2
The next day, place the Dutch Oven in the oven, and preheat it to 240°C (typically, it is the highest temperature home ovens will go to) with the Dutch oven in it. It needs to be piping hot!
Scoring The Dough
1. Once the oven is hot, take the dough out of the fridge and out of the bag.
2. Invert the dough gently onto a large piece of parchment paper. If your dough was properly bulk fermented and shaped correctly, it should not spread once inverted.
3. Dust the surface of the dough with flour. Using a bread lame or a razor blade, score the dough deeply (approximately 1cm deep) at a 30- 45º angle. One single deep slash is all that's needed for that sought-after sourdough "ear".
Baking
1. Take the hot Dutch Oven out of the oven, take the lid off, and lift the sourdough into it, holding the edges of the parchment paper. Be mindful of how you lift the paper. Sometimes, the scored slash can begin to close up during this process. To prevent this, lift the parchment from the sides that won't push the two edges of the scored dough back together.
2. Place the lid back on the Dutch Oven and place the bread into the hot oven for 25 minutes.
3. After 25 minutes, take the lid off, and return the sourdough to the oven for another 25 minutes. If you don't want your loaf of bread too dark in colour, you can reduce the oven temperature to 200°C.
Cooling
1. Once baked, take the Dutch Oven out of the oven. Lift the bread out by holding the corners of the parchment paper. Place the bread onto the wire rack, and slide the parchment paper from underneath the loaf.
2. Let the sourdough bread cool down to room temperature before slicing.
Variations
Try baking your Cinnamon Swirl Sourdough Bread in a loaf pan instead of a Dutch oven. If you choose this route, place a dish of steaming water underneath the pan while baking to help create that beautiful, crisp crust.
You can also bake it in an inverted Dutch Oven!
Feeling adventurous? Mix things up with spices like a pinch of nutmeg or cardamom added to the cinnamon butter. And for an added burst of sweetness, scatter sweet raisins as you spread the cinnamon butter.
A couple of things to note: if you're using dry raisins, they can absorb some of the moisture from the dough, so you might want to increase the hydration of your sourdough slightly. Alternatively, soak the raisins in a small bowl of hot water for a few hours before draining them and adding the plump raisins into the swirl.
Serving Suggestions
For us, this is the most delicious breakfast bread!
- Spread with cream cheese and a drizzle of honey for a sweet and creamy bite.
- Toast and slather with salted butter - a classic and comforting choice.
- Pair it with apple butter!
- Stale cinnamon swirl sourdough makes an incredible French toast (just cut off the crusts for an extra smooth texture).
Storage
For short-term storage, you can keep your Cinnamon Swirl Sourdough Bread at room temperature in an airtight container, a ziplock bag, a bread box, or wrapped in a tea towel for up to 3 days.
However, the best way for longer storage is to freeze it - this bread freezes beautifully! When you're ready for it, just pop it out and enjoy that fresh-baked taste again. For more tips on storing sourdough, check out these helpful articles:
More Flavoured Sourdough Recipes
If you love this Cinnamon Swirl Sourdough Bread, you're in for a treat with more delicious sourdough bread recipes wth inclusions that will make you excited about baking every time. Try our Pistachio Sourdough Bread next! If you love a swirl effect, try our Matcha Sourdough Bread recipe!
Cinnamon Swirl Sourdough Bread
Ingredients
- 400 g strong bread flour with at least 12.5% protein
- 7 g salt
- 160 g active sourdough starter 100% hydration
- 230 ml water
For Cinnamon Swirl
- 50 g unsalted butter
- 50 g dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon flour
Instructions
DAY 1:
Mixing The Dough
- First thing in the morning, feed your sourdough starter. I typically feed 70g of my starter in a ratio of 1 part starter:1 part water:1 part flour. This simply means that I mix 70g of starter with 70g water and 70g flour. Scoop the mixture into a clean jar, and leave it in a warm spot (ideally, 21-27°C), semi-covered for 4 hours. Your starter should at least double in volume in this time. If it doesn't, it may need a couple of good feeds before it's fit for purpose.
- I use 160g of active starter for baking and feed the remaining 50g before storing it for the future.
- Once the sourdough starter is active and bubbly (and at least doubled in volume), mix the dough. I use a stand mixer for this. Simply mix the flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Then add the water and sourdough starter. Run the mixer, fitted with a dough hook attachment for 10 minutes, until your dough is smooth and elastic. It does not need to pass the windowpane test just yet (the gluten will continue developing when we fold the dough during the bulk fermentation period).
Coil Folds And Bulk Fermentation
- Scoop the dough into a large bowl, cover with a damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap and leave it in a warm place (21-27°C) for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, with cold wet hands, perform the first set of coil folds. Simply lift the bread dough with both hands from the sides and tuck it under to form a coil (video below). Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and coil again. Cover the bowl again, and let the dough rest for 30 minutes again.
- You should repeat the process every 30 minutes until you have done 4-6 sets of coil folds. Your dough will spread less with every set of folds, and by the end of it, you will have a much less sticky, very soft and elastic dough that has blisters on top of the dough. For more information on how to coil fold and when to know when you've done enough folding, head to our dedicated article about Sourdough Coil Folds.
- Once all the folds have been completed, cover the dough and let the dough rise at warm room temperature for 2-3 hours to finish bulk fermentation. Your dough should just about double its original size. If you are using a see-through glass bowl for bulk fermenting, you should see a lot of activity and bubbles forming at the base and sides of the bowl.
Cinnamon Filling
- Melt the butter and sugar over low heat in a small saucepan. Once melted, leave the mixture to cool down for 10-15 minutes. Then beat in the flour and cinnamon, ensuring no dry pockets remain. Leave the mixture to cool down completely (you want it soft and spreadable, so no need to place it in the fridge).
Shaping and Cold Proof
- At the end of bulk fermentation, using a bowl scraper, scoop the dough onto a clean kitchen surface sprayed with a little water to prevent sticking.
- Stretch the dough into a rough square of about 35x35cm (14 x14 inches) by pulling on the sides of the dough.
- Spread ⅓ of the cinnamon butter on the middle third of the dough. Fold one side of the dough over to cover the cinnamon. Then spread another third of cinnamon butter on top, and cover it with the other side of the dough by folding it over (like a pamphlet).
- Spread half of the remaining cinnamon mixture in the centre of the long rectangle that you should now have. Fold the top third of the dough over, then spread the remaining butter before folding the bottom third of the dough over. You should now have a small parcel of laminated dough (see photos above for guidance). Learn more about Sourdough Lamination HERE.
- With your bench scraper held at a shallow angle to the work surface, push the dough while using your hand to tuck it under itself, creating tension. This fluid circular motion involves pushing and gently rounding with the bench knife, while your free hand continues the rounding motion, tucking the dough slightly under itself. It takes some practice, but you should aim for a tight round ball of dough that holds its shape and doesn't spread much.
- Place the dough ball into a well-floured banneton basket (or any proofing basket alternatives). We recommend using rice flour for dusting your proofing baskets. The smooth side of the sourdough ball should be at the bottom, with the seam at the top.
- Pinch the seam together with your fingers, if the dough starts spreading in the bowl to make sure the dough is tight. Sprinkle with some flour, and cover the dough with a clean fabric napkin or small lightweight tea towel.
- Place the proofing basket in a large plastic bag - it will protect the dough from drying out. Then place the whole thing in the fridge for its final rise (a.k.a. second rise) in the fridge for 12-36 hours.
DAY 2:
- The next day, place the Dutch Oven in the oven, and preheat it to 240°C (typically, it is the highest temperature home ovens will go to) with the Dutch oven in it. It needs to be piping hot!
Scoring The Dough
- Once the oven is hot, take the dough out of the fridge and out of the bag.
- Invert the dough gently onto a large piece of parchment paper. If your dough was properly bulk fermented and shaped correctly, it should not spread once inverted.
- Dust the surface of the dough with flour. Using a bread lame or a razor blade, score the dough deeply (approximately 1cm deep) at a 30- 45º angle. One single deep slash is all that's needed for that sought-after sourdough "ear".
Baking
- Take the hot Dutch Oven out of the oven, take the lid off, and lift the sourdough into it, holding the edges of the parchment paper. Be mindful of how you lift the paper. Sometimes, the scored slash can begin to close up during this process. To prevent this, lift the parchment from the sides that won't push the two edges of the scored dough back together.
- Place the lid back on the Dutch Oven and place the bread into the hot oven for 25 minutes.
- After 25 minutes, take the lid off, and return the sourdough to the oven for another 25 minutes. If you don't want your loaf of bread too dark in colour, you can reduce the oven temperature to 200°C.
Cooling
- Once baked, take the Dutch Oven out of the oven. Lift the bread out by holding the corners of the parchment paper. Place the bread onto the wire rack, and slide the parchment paper from underneath the loaf.
- Leave the sourdough to cool down to room temperature before slicing.
Video
Nutrition
Anonymous says
I made this wonderful recipe today and it turned out absolutely lovely! This was my very first sourdough recipe I've attempted. It was also my first time using my fresh, newly activated starter.
The recipe is easy to follow and beginner-friendly. I used King Arthur all-purpose flour. The only "hiccup" I experienced was that my cinnamon butter looked less like a paste and more like an oily sludge; I ended up adding about 4 tsp flour total to the cinnamon butter, but it never quite became a paste -- everything still turned out great though!!
Ieva Greber says
Thank you so much for trying the recipe—and congratulations on baking your very first sourdough loaf! I'm thrilled to hear it turned out lovely, especially with your freshly activated starter.
As for the cinnamon butter mixture, you're not alone—this can occasionally happen, and I'm so glad you adapted by adding a bit of flour. The issue likely came down to the type of butter used and how warm it was when mixing. If the butter is too hot, it tends to separate from the sugar and cinnamon, creating more of an oily mixture rather than a spreadable paste, but it should have come together as the butter cooled.
So glad it worked out in the end— and happy baking on your sourdough journey! 😊