This recipe for sourdough cinnamon swirl bread produces a fluffy and sweet loaf. Perfect for toast in the morning. No yeast needed.
Are you unfamiliar with the world of sourdough? Visit the beginners guide to sourdough baking, or get started with a sourdough starter of your own from scratch!
Be sure to try blueberry lemon sourdough bread for another sourdough breakfast bread!
Helpful tools and ingredients:
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- A basic bread machine for kneading and rising the dough. Super helpful for every home bread baker.
- Cinnamon in bulk is a good buy for the serious baker.
- A kitchen scale is helpful for any bread recipe, but especially a sourdough one, since starter can be difficult to measure by volume.
Step by step, in case you need a little more help:
When you first add all the ingredients in a mixing bowl, there is no need to overthink it. Just dump everything in, except the salt, in no particular order. You may want to measure out the salt and leave in somewhere next to the bowl so you don’t forget to add it when you knead the dough.
When you mix everything together at first it might seem a little lumpy and that’s okay. Use your hands to press everything together into one ball.
After the dough rests, covered on the counter, you need to add the salt and knead the dough. I always use my bread machine and select the dough cycle. You can use your stand mixer to knead dough as well. If the dough seems very dry and is not coming together, add a tablespoon or so more milk. If its very sticky and is sticking to the bowl or bread machine, add a tablespoon or so more flour. The dough should be smooth, stretchy, and not too sticky. You can use your stand mixer to knead dough as well.
When the dough is ready, it will look soft, smooth, and stretchy. If you are using a bread machine, the machine will beep when it’s done, but you will need to leave the dough in it for an additional 2-3 hours.
If you aren’t using a bread machine, you’ll need to transfer the dough to a clean bowl, cover it, and place it in a warm place for 3-4 hours. The best way to do this is to warm up your oven for 1-2 minutes, turn it off, and let the dough rise there.
After it has risen, turn it out onto a cutting board for the next phase.
Now we need to stretch out the dough into a long rectangle. Use your loaf pan as your guide for the length of the short side of the rectangle. Then pull it out to about 15 inches long on the longer side.
Then mix up the cinnamon sugar and cover the dough, leaving a one inch border on all sides.
And now we roll it up, short side to short side.
Pinch all the seams shut.
Place in the greased loaf pan, seam side side down. Cover with greased plastic wrap and allow to rise again. Mine usually take 3 hours in a slightly warmed oven, or overnight in the fridge. Keep in mind that a longer, cooler rise will yield a more sour loaf, which is not ideal for a sourdough cinnamon swirl bread.
It will start out looking small.
But will eventually rise to be one inch over the edge of the loaf.
Preheat the oven to 350 with the rack in the center, and bake for 40-50 minutes. The loaf will be very golden brown and the internal temperature should be between 190 and 200. The baking time will vary depending on whether you are starting with a warmer or colder dough.
And let it cool a few hours before slicing.
And you’re done!
Do you want a fluffier, higher rising cinnamon swirl loaf?
- Add 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast to the dough at the same time you add the salt. The rising times will be dramatically reduced and the texture will be fluffier.
- If you have powdered milk, substitute 2 tablespoons powdered milk and 1/2 cup of water for the milk.
I hope this recipe helps you expand your sourdough baking repertoire!
Sourdough Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Ingredients
For the bread dough:
- 3/4 cup active fed sourdough starter (5.8 ounces/ 165 grams)
- 3 cups all purpose flour 14.75 ounces/ 415 grams
- 2 tablespoons honey 1.5 ounces/ 22 grams
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons butter softened
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 egg
For the cinnamon sugar filling:
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients except the salt in a mixing bowl until they form a shaggy dough. Cover with a clean tea towel and allow to rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
- Add the saltand knead by hand, stand mixer, or bread machine, until a smooth, soft dough forms. If the dough seems very dry and is not coming together, add a tablespoon or so more milk. If its very sticky and is sticking to the bowl or bread machine, add a tablespoon or so more flour. (If using a bread machine, select the DOUGH cycle and skip to step 4. Check the consistency of the dough. and adjust as needed before walking away.)
- Place the dough in a clean, lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp tea towel. Place in a warm place to rise for 3-4 hours, until almost doubled in size. (The time for this will vary depending on the strength of your starter and warmth of your room.)
- Grease a standard loaf pan with butter. Stretch the bread dough into a long rectangle, making the short side the same length as your loaf pan. Combine the cinnamon and sugar in medium bowl and sprinkle over the rectangle of dough. Roll up like a jelly roll and pinch all sides of the loaf. Place in the loaf pan and cover with greased plastic wrap. Allow to rise in a warm place for 3 hours, until the bread rises 1-2 inches over the edge of the loaf pan. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in the center.
- Remove the plastic wrap and bake for 40-50 minutes, until the loaf is very golden brown and 200 degrees in the center. Remove from loaf pan and allow to cool completely before slicing.
- Store at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze, tightly wrapped, up to 1 month.
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With dough machine (Zoe basic) how to skip to #4? And what is step 4?
This looks great, i will try it.
I’ve tried numerous recipes and this is my go-to now. Love the texture and that it isn’t overly fluffy. Has substance. Perfect toasted.
Mikki i’m so happy you like the recipe! Thank you so much for letting me know 🙂
Love this recipe. I have my third batch going now. I did cold proof it overnight. Also, last time I added cinnamon to the dough and a touch of nutmeg to the filling and was super happy with the result.
Have you tried a cold proof on this? I prefer to ferment my regular sourdough loaves about 3 days, but I haven’t tried that with an enriched dough like this. I would love your thoughts!
heather, yes i have tried it and it just doesn’t rise much in the fridge. what you could do is pop in in there and then let it rest on the counter a few hours before you bake.
It’s in the oven now! Took overnight to rise but I’m sure it was my starter that wasn’t doing it’s job fast enough lol
Really delicious, fun loaf to make! I’ve only made it once, but would already recommend using a little more sugar/cinnamon for the filling! I bumped it to 1/3 of a cup sugar, but next time I’m gonna go to 1/2!
Only issue with the outcome was a pretty substantial airpocket on the top of my loaf (lead to the slices having a hole in the top). Any idea what might have caused that? I’ve never made a rolled load like this, so maybe i didn’t roll it tightly enough?
Either way, fun and delicious recipe. Highly recommend!
hi tanner! the pocket was probably either not rolling up tightly enough or just a bubble in the dough. happens to everyone! glad you liked the recipe 🙂
I had to use way more than 3 cups of flour to get a shaggy dough. 3/4 c starter, 1/2 c milk. Did I do something wrong? Waiting for my dough to rise now so can’t comment on final product.
Hi Becky! This can happen someti es if it’s very humid out! As long your final dough oil the right co sistency there’s only problem
So good and so easy! I added apples and it’s delicious. Thanks!
Hello. Do you know of a way to make a dairy-free version of this?
I’m sorry I have never tried. but I think any typically vegan substutitions for the butter would work, and simply replace the milk power and water with a dairy free liquid milk. product.
I used almond milk and it came out great! Next time I’m going to make sure to roll the bread super tightly so that the swirl is more plentiful. Also going to try substituting some whole wheat flour just because I like it more. I froze the slices separately, and have been heating up one and enjoying it with Nutella and ice cream. YUM!
I just made normal sourdough and added oil to the dough with brown sugar and then after normal rise time for sour dough pressed out added sugar and cinnamon and rolled it up. Set for a few hours and baked.
Disappointed in the recipe. It was more first time using the recipe and my dough didnt rise like it should. I put it in the fridge overnight and that didn’t help either
Pamela, sorry it didn’t work out for you. Sourdough is so finicky and this rising times vary so much depending on the strength of your starter and the temps of your room. If it doesn’t rise overnight tin the fridge, sometimes just an hour or two in warmer spot will help it perk right up. 🙂
Hi – what size loaf pan are you using here? Thanks.
Jodi it’s 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/12
Can I let the dough sit over night?
make sure its in a cool place or it will over proof and collapse 🙂
Will skim milk work instead of whole? Or evaporated milk?
yes skim is fine. 🙂 I haven’t tried evaporated
I added apples, so delicious!! This will be a repeat recipe for sure. Love experimenting with sourdough.
Great idea on the apples! Glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂