Cinnamon Swirl Sourdough Bread

This Cinnamon Swirl Sourdough Bread combines the tangy goodness of sourdough with a sweet, spiced cinnamon-sugar ribbon running through each slice. Soft, aromatic, and perfect for toasting, it’s a comforting twist on traditional sourdough that’s great for breakfast or snacking!

Sourdough Inclusions

One of the best things about a good sourdough is the addition of inclusions. These inclusions could really be anything you like: jalapeños and cheddar. Garlic and parmesan. You name it, you can add it to your base recipe.

In this case, I was in the mood for something sweet. I wanted to try my hand at cinnamon-sugar. I already have a yummy cinnamon-sugar loaf but adding sweetness to sourdough was too tempting!

So, that's exactly what I did. And it turned out so well that I'm happy to pass the idea off to you! Trust me: This is one of those sourdough recipes you're going to use again and again!

Cinnamon Swirl Sourdough Ingredients

You will find a full printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but here’s a quick peek at what you’ll need to make this cinnamon swirl sourdough bread. These are simple ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. 

For the Bread:

• 100g starter (active)
• 350g water
• 500g flour (all-purpose or bread flour, your choice)
• 10g salt

For the Filling:

• ¼ cup room temperature butter
• 1 ½ tablespoons cinnamon
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoons flour

How to Make Cinnamon Swirl Sourdough Bread

Like I did in my original sourdough bread recipe post, I’m going to include a sample schedule. You are more than welcome to adjust the times to suit your own personal needs. This is a two-day process, so know that going in and you’ll do fine! 

DAY ONE: 

8:00 AM

Start the day by feeding your starter using the 1:1:1 method (equal portions starter, room temperature water, and flour). 

Example: 200 grams of active sourdough starter, 200 grams of water, 200 grams of all purpose flour

Let the starter sit for 4 hours until it doubles in size and turns bubbly and stretchy.

NOON:

It’s time to check your starter to see if it’s ready to go. I test mine by dropping a pinch in some water. If it floats, you’re good to go! 

Grab your kitchen scale and a large mixing bowl. 

Measure 350 grams of room temperature water into your mixing bowl. 

Add 100 grams of the activated starter. (It should easily float.) Whisk together using the bread whisk until it’s a pale watery liquid. 

Add 500 grams of flour and 10 grams of salt. 

Use the bread whisk to create a shaggy, sticky dough. 

I use a bowl scraper to pull the excess dough away from the edges of the bowl. In fact, I usually work the dough with the scraper to remove any obvious lumps. 

Cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel and set in a warm spot (72-75 degrees) for half an hour. 

1:00 PM

It’s time to start your first round of stretch and folds. Wet your hands, reach down into the bowl and pull up the dough as far as you can, and fold it over to center. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn clockwise and repeat this process.

Keep turning until you’ve stretched and folded all of the dough. You will notice that the dough gets more tense as you go along. Loosely cover with the plastic wrap or tea towel once you’ve completed stretching and folding all of the dough. 

1:30 PM

Perform your second stretch and folds. 

2:00 PM

Perform your third stretch and folds. 

2:30 PM

Perform your fourth/final stretch and folds. 

Cover dough and leave it proof for 4-5 hours (no longer than five hours)

7:00 PM

Now that the dough has proofed it’s time to add the cinnamon sugar mixture and form the loaf. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and spread into a large rectangle.

Combine all of the filling ingredients.

Spread them up the center of the dough, as you see in the picture.

Fold the edges over like an envelope.

Add more filling to the top of the dough.

Roll into a loaf. You can shape it into a boule (round ball) or rectangle. It's your choice.

7:15 PM

Lightly flour a Banneton bowl or loaf pan. Set the rolled cinnamon-sugar loaf inside. Cover with tea towel or cheesecloth and set in refrigerator overnight. 

DAY TWO: 

8:00 AM

Place empty dutch oven (with lid) in oven and set temperature at 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Leave in oven for a full hour. 

9:00 AM

Lower the oven temperature to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Remove Banneton from refrigerator. 

Crumple a piece of parchment paper and place it on top of the bowl.

Flip the dough ball out onto the wrinkled paper. Don't worry if the dough looks a bit flat. It should rise nicely during the first 20 minutes of the bake. This is known as the oven spring.

Use a lame (razor) to score the dough. A slight curve is all that’s necessary but you can get fancy if you prefer. Cut down about half an inch. 

Using a hot pad remove the lid from the dutch oven (still in the oven), being careful not to burn yourself. 

Use the parchment paper to gently set the scored dough into the pan. 

Drop four ice cubes into the dutch oven under the edges of the parchment paper. 

Put the lid back on and close the oven door. 

Set time for 20 minutes. 

After baking for 20 minutes remove the lid and check your oven spring. (Did it rise properly? If so, great!)

Bake for another 20 minutes. 

Your bread is now ready! 

Remove the dutch oven from the oven and set on a wire rack to cool. 

After a few minutes, remove the dough (and parchment paper) from the dutch oven. (Check out that golden brown crust!)

Allow to cool for at least an hour, or longer. I recommend an hour and a half to two hours. 

Slice the bread with a sharp knife. (I have a special bread knife that I use.) Check out those cinnamon swirls! 

Serve and enjoy. 

Store at room temperature in a bread bag or a basket with tea towel on top. It will stay fresh for 2-3 days. 

What to Expect from this Bread

It’s lovely and sweet, loaded with texture and flavor. The outside is crisp (as all good sourdoughs are) and the inside is a lovely texture. In some ways this reminded me of a delicious cinnamon roll, but without the glaze. 

Variations to this Recipe

Raisins or Craisins: I had planned to add half a cup of craisins to my bread but totally forgot. I think it would be delicious! 

Pumpkin Pie Spice: Turn this loaf into a fall treat by adding half a teaspoon of pumpkin pie (or apple pie) spice. 

Apple pie filling: Speaking of apples, why not add a cup of chopped apples (or chopped apple pie filing) to the cinnamon mixture? 

Loaf Pan: You can bake this in a traditional 9x13-inch loaf pan or even in a pullman pan. You can make a sourdough cinnamon raisin bread similar to cinnamon rolls but rolling out the dough as you would in my cinnamon roll recipe. Sprinkle the whole dough with the cinnamon sugar mixture and place in a pullman loaf pan instead of cutting into rolls.

Other Sourdough Breads from Out of the Box Baking

• Quick Sourdough Dinner Rolls
• Sourdough Discard Focaccia
• Homemade Sourdough Loaf
• Cranberry Sourdough Coffee Cake
• Easy Sourdough Starter
• Starter Discard Banana Bread

That’s it for this post, friends!

I hope you enjoyed this delicious recipe. 

If you make this recipe and love it, don’t forget to leave a review and a comment below. And while you're at it, go ahead and pin some photos to your Pinterest boards!

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About the Author

Janice Thompson is an author, baker, and all-around mischief maker! She has overcome a host of baking catastrophes, including a toppled wedding cake, to learn more about the baking process. Janice has published over 165 books for the Christian market but particularly enjoys writing recipes and baking devotions. To learn more about Janice or to drop her a note, visit her About the Author page.