Free Recipe · Beginner Sourdough
A soft, fluffy cinnamon and sultana sourdough loaf with a crunchy crust, easy enough for any first-time sourdough baker.
This cinnamon and sultana fruit sourdough bread makes one large loaf and takes about 16 hours from start to finish, most of which is hands-off overnight proving.
This is my sweet cinnamon and sultana sourdough bread recipe from my cookbook Simple Sourdough. This recipe, like all in this beginner cookbook, is one that anyone can make no matter what your baking knowledge or skill set. I think you will find this loaf a breeze!
This recipe creates a beautiful soft and fluffy crumb with the perfect crunchy crust (thank you dutch oven!) and a sexy shape (thank you proving basket!), but unlike my plain white loaf this bread has the subtle tones of cinnamon and the sweet chewiness of the sultanas throughout it (no more purchased raisin toast needed!).
I get that it sounds like a lot of steps when you read the recipe, that's why we've filmed a video showing you exactly how I do it for my white plain loaf. Simply apply the same method to your sweet loaf, and you'll see it's really achievable. For more sourdough recipes check out Simple Sourdough! Happy sourdough baking! Ellen x
Don't have a sourdough starter? Click here.
Meet the cookbook
The beginner sourdough book behind this loaf
Simple Sourdough
The easiest sourdough starter and bread recipes you will ever find, written for absolute beginners.
Shop now →Watch
See the method in action
It sounds like a lot of steps written down, so here is the video I filmed for my plain white loaf. Just apply the same method to this sweet cinnamon and sultana version.
Let's Bake
Cinnamon & Sultana Fruit Sourdough Bread
Makes 1 large loaf · Overnight prove · about 16 hours in total
Ingredients
*You can buy rice flour or make your own: mill white rice for 3 minutes, speed 10, in your thermo cooker.
The Tools
The starter recipe, the pull-stretch-and-fold method and every technique used here.
Shop now →Method
Place active starter (p. 36 Simple Sourdough) and water in a large mixing bowl. Mix with a silicone spatula until well incorporated.
Add flour, salt, sultanas and cinnamon, continue mixing until well combined. It is normal to be quite dry and hard to mix at this stage; this will change over time so do not add more water. Cover and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, do your first pull, stretch and fold method (p. 47 Simple Sourdough), then re-cover and let rest for another 30 minutes. Repeat this step two more times so you conduct the pull, stretch and fold method three times altogether, leaving 30 minutes rest between each.
Cover and leave to prove** until your dough has tripled in size, roughly 8 to 16 hours (depending on the temperature). If you've got one of our silicone baking mats, they make the perfect proving covering: simply drape across the top of your bowl. If temperature is warm, this can occur within 8 hours, but if cold, this can take up to 16+ hours.
Once dough has reached desired size, dust your proving basket with a generous amount of rice flour and set aside.
Using rice flour, lightly flour your work bench or silicone baking mat. Scoop out your dough onto the floured surface. Lightly flour your fingers and pick up the dough edge furthest from you, pull up the edge of the dough, stretch slightly and fold into the middle of the dough towards you. Now grab the dough edge closest to you, pull up, stretch and fold into the middle away from you. Repeat this motion with the left and right side of the dough, so you have a tight folded square-like parcel.
Lift your dough and place gently into your proving basket, the smooth edge in first (the side that has been flat on your benchtop). Cover and let sit for 1 hour. If you've got one of our silicone baking mats, they make the perfect proving covering: simply drape across the top of your proving basket.
Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 240°C. Place dutch oven in the oven (including lid) while preheating.
After your dough has rested for the hour in your proving basket, carefully remove your dutch oven from the oven (it will be hot!) and heavily flour the bottom with rice flour. You want the whole base covered to ensure the dough doesn't stick. Wet one hand and tip dough out of basket onto that hand, then quickly place into your hot dutch oven (work fast and don't worry if you ruin the shape a little; it will still look gorgeous when baked and, of course, be careful of your extremely hot dutch oven!). Dust the top with rice flour ensuring all the dough is lightly covered, then score your bread (p. 29 Simple Sourdough).
Place lid on dutch oven and return to oven (lid will still be hot!). Bake for 30 minutes.
Remove lid and continue to bake for another 15 minutes.
Remove from oven, then turn out the bread. I like to hold the pot with one protected hand and use a silicone spatula in the other to flip out the bread. Transfer bread to a cooling rack for a minimum of 40 minutes before slicing.
To finish
Enjoy! There's nothing better than your freshly baked sourdough, still warm out of the oven. The bigger and airier the holes, the better the loaf, but remember: just have fun with it! We recommend slicing only when you are ready to serve, and storing in our Breadwinner Bread Bag to keep your loaf as fresh as possible for as long as possible.
Proving notes
If it's cold and you want to speed up your proving so you can bake within 8 to 10 hours, there are two ways I like to create a warm environment: warm your oven up to 37°C, turn it off and then place your dough in there, or fill good quality heatproof jars with boiling water and place in a fridge bag with your dough. This creates a warmer environment for the dough to prove. You can also place your dough in a sunny spot or in the warmest room of your house. Never place your dough to prove on a hot surface such as a hot water bottle, as you need the heat to be even around the dough, not just underneath it.
If you want to slow your proving process down, at any point you can put it in the fridge. This is really handy to know: your dough might be rising quickly but you have to leave the house for work or errands soon, so pop it in the fridge and dramatically slow down how quickly it proves. If you do this you do not need to bring it back to room temperature before shaping and baking; you can bake the cold dough into delicious bread.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a sourdough starter for this recipe?
Yes, you need 100g of active sourdough starter. If you do not have one yet, start here with our sourdough starter guide, or find the full starter recipe in Simple Sourdough.
How long does this fruit sourdough take to prove?
The main prove takes roughly 8 to 16 hours, until the dough has tripled in size, plus a further 1 hour in the proving basket. In warm weather it can be done within 8 hours, but in the cold it can take 16 hours or more.
Can I speed up or slow down the proving?
Yes. To speed it up, create a warm environment, such as an oven warmed to 37°C and then turned off, or jars of boiling water placed in a bag with your dough. To slow it down, pop the dough in the fridge at any point; you can bake the cold dough without bringing it back to room temperature.
Is this cinnamon and sultana sourdough vegan?
Yes. This loaf is vegan and vegetarian, as well as dairy free, egg free, soy free and nut free.
Do I need a dutch oven to bake this sourdough bread?
The recipe bakes the loaf in a dutch oven preheated in a 240°C oven, which traps steam and gives the bread its crunchy, bakery-style crust.
Ready to master sourdough at home?
If this loaf hooked you, Simple Sourdough walks you through the starter, the pull-stretch-and-fold method and loaf after loaf, all written for absolute beginners.
