Carrot Cake Sourdough Bread | Sweet & Spiced Artisan Loaf

This carrot cake sourdough is a sweet and spiced artisan loaf packed with grated carrots, Craisins, toasted pecans, and warm spices. It’s the perfect way to blend classic sourdough flavor with your favorite cake-inspired ingredients—no yeast required!

Is it Cake or is it Bread? 

Friends, this is bread. It’s a delicious, healthy sourdough that’s stuffed with all of the things you love in your carrot cake: spices, grated carrots, raisins (or, in my case, Craisins), and toasted chopped pecans. 

The bread is lightly sweetened with a bit of honey but trust me when I say that the carrots and craisins add sweetness of their own, so it doesn’t take much! You’ll still enjoy the chewy texture of a good sourdough with even more textures incorporated from the Craisins and pecans. 

And, can I just say. . .it’s delicious! Like, over the top delicious! 

Where did this Recipe Come From?

I stumbled across a reel (on Facebook, I think?) with a similar recipe. Until that moment I’d never contemplated the idea of using carrots in sourdough. I do have a carrot cake bread recipe already, but it’s more of a quick bread, and loaded with added sweetness, (like a banana bread, say). 

But, carrots. . .in sourdough? Without a ton of extra sugar to make it cake-like? How would that work?

Turns out, it works well!

I searched online and realized it’s a thing. Like, lots of people have done this before. 

Of course, I’m doing my own thing here. I’m using my own same-day sourdough bread recipe (start to finish in the same day with no yeast). You can use whatever method you choose, (my traditional two-day sourdough bread or my yeasted one-day sourdough) but this is the one I love. 

I also decided to sweeten with a tiny bit of honey, not brown sugar (with many recipes call for), since I’m currently on a healthy eating kick. 

The rest? Well, I kind of made it up as I went along. I always add cinnamon and pumpkin spice to my carrot cake recipes, so I decided to do that here. (Some of the online versions call for ginger, nutmeg, and individual spices, but I’ve found that pumpkin pie spice is sufficient and easier to manage.) 

I also had to decide when to add the various spices and add-ins. I’ll tell you more about that as we go along. For now, let’s start mixing up some sourdough. 

Carrot Cake 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 delicious bread. These are simple ingredients you might already have on hand. 

• 350 grams tepid water (1 ½ cups)
• 100 grams active/bubbly sourdough starter (½ cup)
• 500 grams bread flour (or all-purpose) (4 cups, loosely scooped and leveled)
• 10 grams salt (1 ¾ teaspoon)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or a quarter teaspoon each of ginger, nutmeg, and allspice)
• 25 grams honey (1 ½ tablespoons)
• 1 cup grated carrots, patted dry
• ½ cup raisins (or Craisins)
• ½ cup finely chopped pecans, toasted and cooled

Disclaimer: This recipe was originally developed using weight measurements for accuracy. Flour can vary greatly depending on how it’s scooped (packed vs. loose), and sourdough starter densities can differ. For best results, use a digital kitchen scale. Cup conversions are provided for convenience but may affect texture and hydration.

How to Make Carrot Cake Sourdough Bread

This came together so easily. I’m so tickled to have a new recipe in my arsenal! 

Make sure you start with an active starter especially if you’re doing the same day method. I’ll give you a timeline below, but you must give your starter a good feeding the night before. 

8:00 A.M. 

Gather your ingredients and your digital scale. 

Measure out 350 grams of tepid (slightly warm) water into a mixing bowl. 

Add 100 grams of starter. 

Add honey. 

Add cinnamon and other spices. 

Don’t add the salt just yet. 

Stir together with a bread whisk. Don’t worry if the spices don’t fully incorporate just yet. 

Add the flour and whisk until it starts to come together. 

At this point you will have to switch to working the dough with your hands or a bowl scraper. (I prefer the bowl scraper method. Basically, I scrape the edges and pull the dough toward center, turning the bowl as I go.

Cover and set in a warm spot (70-75 degrees) to rest. 

9:00 A.M.

Do the first of four stretch and folds. You’re going to add your salt now. Sprinkle it in as you go. 

A stretch and fold is a gentle technique used to strengthen sourdough dough without kneading. Wet your hands, lift one side of the dough, stretch it upward, and fold it over the center. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat on all four sides. This process helps build structure while keeping the dough soft and airy.

Cover and place in a warm spot.

9:30 A.M.

Do your second round of stretch and folds. 

This is the one where you’re going to add the carrots and raisins/Craisins. (Don’t add the pecans yet!)

I dump mine in all at once. 

Then I work them into the dough with the stretch and folds. 

Just make sure they’re fully incorporated. 

Cover and place in warm spot to rest. 

10:00 A.M. 

Do your third round of stretch and folds. 

You might notice that the dough is feeling a bit moist at this point but don’t fret. The moisture from the carrots does work its way into the dough, but everything will be fine. Also, the carrots will feel softer now, which is also to be expected. 

Cover and place in warm spot to rest. 

10:30 A.M. 

Do your fourth/final set of stretch and folds. 

Cover and rest the dough for three hours. 

1:30 P.M. 

Prepare your banneton or bowl by lightly flouring. 

If you use a tea towel or cheesecloth in your bowl you’ll want to flour that, as well.) 

Your dough should have risen a bit by now.

Gently remove your dough from the bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. 

You can sprinkle a bit of flour on top if the dough is still too sticky to handle. 

Gently spread into a rectangle, being careful not to knock all of the air out. 

Sprinkle in your pecans and gently press down so they stick to the dough. 

Fold envelope style: Right over center, then left over center. 

Roll up into a ball. 

Gently seal the edges. 

Using your hands, gently push the dough away from you, then pull it back, creating surface tension. Rotate the dough slightly and repeat the push-pull motion until a smooth, tight ball forms. This helps develop a strong outer skin for a better rise and shape during baking.

Place the boule into the banneton (or bowl), seam-side up.

Use your fingertips to seal the seam. 

Cover and place in refrigerator for three hours. 

3:40 P.M. 

Place your dutch oven into your oven. 

Preheat at 450 degrees

4:30 P.M. 

Time to score and bake! 

Remove the dough from the fridge. 

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

Flip out the boule. 

Score with a razor blade (lame) or sharp knife. 

4:40 P.M.

Gently place the boule (and parchment paper) into your hot dutch oven, being oh-so-careful not to burn yourself. 

Place four ice cubes into the dutch oven behind the parchment paper (in different spots). This will create steam. 

Place the lid back on the dutch oven and set your timer for twenty minutes. 

5:00 P.M. 

Check the dough. Did you have a lovely oven rise? 

Remove the lid and bake for 20 more minutes. 

5:20 P.M. 

Check the dough. Is it a lovely golden brown? 

It’s best to take the bread’s temperature. You’re looking for a temp between 200 and 210. 

Remove the bread from the oven. 

Place on a wire rack to cool. 

It’s important to let the bread cool for at least an hour, possibly longer. If you’re eating this bread as a dessert, the timing should work out perfectly! 

Cut the loaf in half and check your crumb. (What does yours look like?) 

Slice and serve! 

This bread is lovely and moist. I suggest storing it in the fridge in a bread bag, but not until it’s cooled at room temperature for several hours. It should stay fresh in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can freeze it to eat later, if you like. 

What to Expect from this Carrot Bread Sourdough Recipe

This is one of my new favorites, folks! I love the tiny bit of sweetness--especially from the carrots and Craisins) and I'm happy with the way the different flavors come together. Making this loaf has inspired me to try other "cake" flavors in sourdough. Look for more in the coming weeks!

Variations to this Recipe

If you’re like I am, you like to mix up your carrot cake. I add several unusual things to mine that I might consider for next time when I make this bread: 

More sweetness: If you want a sweeter bread, mix together ¼ cup of brown sugar and a teaspoon of cinnamon to add during the shaping stage when you add the pecans. (Yum!)

Orange zest: I always add orange juice in place of water or milk in my carrot cake. I just love the flavor it gives. For this bread I wouldn’t add juice, but I would add orange zest, (probably one large orange would suffice). I would add it with the carrots and raisins during the second stretch and fold. 

Coconut: I love adding coconut to carrot cake. It gives it a tropical twist! If you add coconut to this loaf you could add it with the carrots and raisins. 

Pineapple: I haven’t tried pineapple in sourdough yet so I’m not sure how it would work out. Maybe freeze-dried or dehydrated pineapple would be best. (Do they make a dehydrated pineapple?) 

White chocolate chips: Yum! Sounds delicious

Candied ginger: if you go this route, just remember that a little goes a l-o-n-g way. Teensy-tiny pieces only! 

Cream Cheese Glaze: Hear me out: Use my cream cheese frosting on top of this bread, or have it nearby for dipping. You’re welcome! 

Other Sourdough Favorites from Out of the Box Baking

The list of sourdough goodies is growing, friends. Here are some recent favorites: 

• Easy Cranberry Pecan Sourdough
• Lemon Berry Sourdough
• Jalapeno Cheddar Sourdough
• Simple French Country Bread
• Cinnamon Swirl Sourdough 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.