Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Sourdough Bread

Sourdough Sunday is Back!

I am so excited about how this bread came out. The swirl actually worked!

This recipe is from Artisan Sourdough Made Simple, by Emilie Raffa. This book is chock full of beginner recipes that require minimal kneading.

It may not be the first bread I recommend you try if you are just starting out, but if you are looking for that next level to try after you have the basic no-knead bread down, give this a try!

What I loved about this recipe is the "mostly" hands off time.  Making the initial dough and then incorporating the raisins is the only time you need to knead the dough.

You'll want to start with a nice, bubbly starter, so if you're starter has been in the fridge for awhile you will need to prep that a few days ahead. 

My initial dough sat for an hour while I went about getting dinner ready.  It is a really flexible amount of time- says it can sit from 30 min to 1 hour.  I set the raisins up to soak in that time as well.  It is really important to make sure you soak dry fruit before you use it in dough. If your fruit is not adequately hydrated before being added to the dough, it will suck up water from the dough, leaving your bread too dry.  So give those raisins a good long soak! 

After an hour I added the raisins (the recipe says you can add walnuts as well but I left them out of this loaf) and mixed in.  Then the dough was left to bulk rise over night.  My starter is on the slower side to bulk rise- I suspect because my house is cooler, so it usually takes 12+ hours for my sourdough to rise.  Sourdough is a slower process and do not be discouraged if your dough has not doubled in the time that is listed in the books.  Watch and see how your dough reacts.  

The next day, I turn the bread onto a floured counter and let it sit for 15-20 min.  This will allow the dough to relax and be easier to stretch.  I stretched the dough into a long rectangle and spread the cinnamon sugar.  When rolling up the dough it is important to make sure all edges are tucked in tight so the filling doesn't melt out. 

The dough gets one more rise in a banneton to shape.  I made this is a log shape and used my Breadsmart banneton.