Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Sourdough Bread

A couple months ago, I started a sourdough starter.  It really is easy and so much fun!   Although I haven’t talked about it a lot, since I started eating gluten again, I have been careful about the bread I eat, and I have “soaking” my flours before baking the bread.  I hope to post more on this in the future!  As a basic introduction, you take flour, water, and some sort of acid (I use my kefir although vinegar also works), and let the mixture sit for 24 hours.  After this time, you add in the rest of the ingredients and make your bread.  The 24 hours that the flour mixture just “sits” makes the grains easier to digest, and it really has been making my tummy happier!

Sourdough is the ultimate soaked (or fermented) bread, because you make your starter and it soaks and ferments away until you are ready to use it, which is what gives it the “sour” flavor.  I have been making a lot of sourdough pancakes, and this is actually the first bread I have made with my starter.  This bread was an adaption of this recipe and this recipe.  I must admit there is a lot I don’t know about sourdough and keeping a starter, but the most important thing is to keep feeding it!  I just found this sourdough forum, so I am going to start reading and see what I can learn!

Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Sourdough Bread

Print this recipe!

Makes 2 loafs bread

Bread:

1 cup sourdough starter

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup milk, warmed

1 large egg

2 tbsp coconut oil (or butter)

2 tbsp honey

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tbsp salt

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 cups bread flour

3 cups all purpose unbleached flour

1 cup raisins, soaked in 1 cup water

Swirl mixture:

1/4 cup softened butter

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp sugar

1/4 cup walnuts (optional)

In a stand mixer with a dough hook, combine the starter, water, milk, egg, coconut oil, honey, cinnamon, and salt.  Mix will until combined, about 2-3 minutes.  Slowly add in the flour, with the mixer at a slow speed.  You may need less or more flour, depending on your climate.  The dough should be easy to work with – not too sticky.

In a small bowl, combine the raisins and the water to plump up the raisins.  Let them sit for 5-10 minutes.  Drain the water, and add to the dough.  Slowly mix in until the raisins are equally distributed.

Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with a towel.  Let the dough sit at room temperature for 4-8 hours.  (I started the dough around dinner time and let it sit out until I went to bed).  Then, place the dough in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours to ferment a little further.

The night before you want to eat your bread, take it out of the fridge.  Divide into 2 equal sections.  Roll the dough out into a long narrow strip – about 10 inches x 20 inches.  (I didn’t measure – I just rolled out until it was about 1/2 inch thick).

In a bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugar.  Spread the dough with 2 tbsp softened butter.  Sprinkle on 1/2 of the cinnamon/sugar mixture.

One one loaf, I just added cinnamon/sugar, and on my second loaf, I added some chopped walnuts for a cinnamon/raisin/walnut bread.

Starting with the short end of the bread, roll it up, pinching the edges to seal in the cinnamon/sugar goodness.

Place into a greased bread pan. Repeat with the other half of the dough for the second loaf.

Note:  Since my bread was definitely longer than the bread pan, I had to squish it a little so it would fit in.  I just kept molding it with my hands until it fit in the pan.  One one of the pans, I actually folded it in half – length wise – so the bread had double swirls!  Do whatever you gotta do to make it fit in the pan 

Cover, and let the loaves sit at room temperature overnight.  In the morning, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

This is what they looked like the next morning – they rose a little bit, not a lot.

Place the loaves in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes, cover with a foil tent to keep the bread from browning too much (aka burning).  Bake another 30 minutes for a total of 1 hour.

Sammy didn’t understand why I was up so early, just for BREAD.  And, why I would be taking his picture! 

Remove from the oven and let the loaves cool before trying to slice.  I warned you!!!  They stay together so much better if you can wait until they are cool to slice, but if you can’t wait, cut a slice or 2 to enjoy with your breakfast

(You can see the double swirl bread on the right)

I love this bread!!!  It is crusty on the outside, but so soft on the inside.