Cinnamon Swirl Sourdough Bread

With a texture more like soft sandwich bread, these sourdough based loaves are slightly sweet and spiced. Unlike a traditional sourdough, this recipe uses yeast to achieve a fluffier height in a shorter rise time. A slight amount of vegetable oil in the dough helps create the pillowy texture of a normal white bread. If you’re unfamiliar with sourdough, King Arthur Flour’s site features a DIY sourdough starter recipe, as well as a blog, tips, tricks and, of course, recipes.

To get “started” on this bread, I enlist the help of my bread maker. In it’s bucket, I dump all of the wet or liquid ingredients in first, followed with all of the dry goods. Turn the machine onto the dough cycle setting and walk away.

If you don’t have a bread machine, use a standing mixer or old-fashioned elbow grease. You’ll mix everything together like they were added to the bread machine bucket until the dough is smooth. Place the dough into a greased bowl, turn once, and cover with greased plastic wrap in a warm place until the dough has doubled, probably about an hour (depending on your house temps).

Punch the dough down, and roll out on a lightly floured surface to about a 8-inch by 16-inch rectangle. You don’t want to roll over 8-inches because the final rolled loaf has to fit into a 9-inch loaf pan. Spread the dough with melted butter, sprinkle on the cinnamon-sugar, and roll up tightly. Pinch the seam and set the loaf, seam-side down, into a greased loaf pan. Cover again with greased plastic wrap and let rise until doubled. Bake if off and brush the baked loaves with butter as soon as they come out of the oven.

This recipe makes two loaves, which leaves you with a decision. Save or share? You can also freeze a loaf to savor later. Any way you slice it, this Cinnamon Swirl Sourdough is delightful–toasted with butter, sandwiched, French toasted, or just eaten as baked.

Cinnamon Swirl Sourdough Bread

Print Recipe

• Author: Erin Thomas (Adapted from King Arthur Flour’s Sourdough Bread with Yeast)
• Prep Time: About 2 to 3 Hours
• Cook Time: 20 Minutes
• Total Time: 0 hours
• Yield: Two 9-in by 5-inch by 3-in Loaves 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For Bread Dough:

1 cup “fed” sourdough starter

1–1/2 cups lukewarm water

1 T. vegetable oil

1 T. granulated sugar

1 T. salt (table, kosher or sea)

5–1/2 to 6 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. instant yeast

For Filling: 

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

3 T. unsalted butter, melted

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

To make dough, combine all of the bread ingredients.  If mixing by hand, or stand mixer with dough hook, combine all ingredients in a large bowl using only about 5 cups flour.  Mix well  and add more flour as necessary to create a smooth, soft dough.  Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled (about an hour).

If using a bread machine, place ingredients in the order given or according to bread machine directions, but alter flour amount to 5-1/2 cups.  Turn bread machine on to “Dough” setting and let it complete the cycle.

While dough is rising, lightly grease two 9-in X 3-in X 5-inch loaf pans with canola spray, vegetable oil or butter.  Set aside.

Turn risen dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.  Divide dough into two even pieces and roll each out into a 16-inch by 8-inch rectangle.  Brush 1/2 of the melted butter over each rectangle, leaving about 1/2-inch border around edges of dough.  Sprinkle half of sugar and cinnamon over each rectangle.  Roll up each rectangle jelly-roll style, starting with the short side.  Pinch the seam to seal the dough and tuck the ends.  Place each rolled dough loaf seam side down into a prepared pan.  Cover loaves with lightly greased/sprayed plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled (about 45 minutes to 1 hour).   Preheat oven to 450 degrees F, during last minutes of the 2nd rise.

Bake loaves in preheated oven for about 20 minutes.  Brush the loaves with butter during the last 10 minutes of the bake to create a slightly browner crust.   Remove from oven, brush again with butter, and let cool completely on a wire rack.    This recipe is best as toast with butter and homemade jam.

Notes

If desired, 1-1/2 cups of raisins and/or chopped nuts can be sprinkled over the dough along with the filling mixture.