Elm Farm

Family owned & farmed in Marshfield, MO

Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough

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This bread came into existence because a friend told me how much she paid for her favorite cinnamon raisin bread, and I figured I could probably get the job done for a little less. She didn’t even let me experiment with the recipe, because once she tasted my first loaf, we never looked back.

My preferred method for making this bread goes as follows: I feed my starter in the morning so it’s ready to use that afternoon. I mix up the dough right before dinner and do the stretch & folds through dinner, clean up & bedtime routines. I cover the bowl with beeswax wrap or a clean grocery bag and do one of the following:

Winter: Bowl sits on the counter in a cold room all night and in the morning, I shape it into a loaf pan and bake it that afternoon for the next morning’s toast.

Summer: The bowl goes into the fridge all night. I bring it out in the morning and let it finish the bulk ferment on the counter. I shape it into the loaf pan when it’s finished doubling in size and if it’s early enough in the day, it sits on the counter until I bake it that evening.

If it took a long time to finish the first bulk ferment (which is more common), I let it sit on the counter for a few hours after shaping in loaf pan and then put it in the fridge. The next morning, I pull it out (it’s usually fully risen at that point), let it come to room temperature and then bake.

Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough

Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough

Recipe by Cherith Mitchell
Servings

1

loaf
Cooking time

55

minutes
Bulk Ferment

8-12

hours
2nd Proof

4-8

hours

After I finally mastered a simple sourdough sandwich loaf that was soft and didn’t fall apart on the second day, I began playing with the different variables. We landed on this rich, fluffy and slightly sweet bread that, when baked plain, makes the perfect french toast on day 3 (if there’s any left after the cream cheese and strawberry jam feeding frenzy). But we take it a step further and turn it into the fluffiest cinnamon raisin bread we’ve ever had.

Ingredients

  • 500g all purpose flour

  • 50g sugar

  • 7g salt

  • 85g softened butter or lard

  • 2 chicken eggs OR 1 duck & 1 chicken OR 1 goose egg

  • Sufficient warm milk to take the eggs & milk to 310g liquid

  • 100-150g active sourdough starter

  • Filling

  • 1/2-2/3 cup brown sugar

  • 1 TBSB cinnamon powder

  • 1/2 cup raisins (we like golden)

  • Water

Directions

  • Place mixer bowl on scale and weigh out ingredients. When you add the eggs, don’t tare/clear the scale. Add the warm milk until the scale reads roughly 310g. This is how we ensure that there is a consistent amount of liquid ingredients, despite difference in egg sizes here on the farm. As with all my recipes, precision is not required for perfection.
  • Use dough hook to mix all ingredients into a rough, wet paste. This is a wetter dough than the plain sandwich bread. Cover and let sit for 30-45 minutes. The warmer your environment, the less time between the next few steps (which is why we use warm milk especially in the winter).
  • After sitting, turn on mixer for 4-5 minutes until dough begins to change texture from wet and rough to a little more glue-y and dough-like. I’ve done it with more and less liquid, the bread still tastes divine. But the wetter you can handle your dough, the fluffier the bread. (If you’re still getting comfortable handling dough, I would recommend erring on the side of less liquid so it’s not frustrating when shaping).
  • Oil a large bowl. Dough will be hard to shape into an actual ball, but just do your best to tuck its corners under and place it in the oiled bowl. Cover (I use bees a wax wrap until the stretch & fold steps are done, and then switch to a clean grocery bag) and let sit for 30-45 minutes.
  • Practice your favorite method of the fold & stretch steps found in every sourdough recipe you’ve ever made. I do 3 more sets of stretch & folds after placing it into the oiled bowl. By the last set of stretches, you should be feeling more confident in this recipe instead of wondering what kind of madwoman calls a lump of floppy stickiness “dough.”
  • Cover snuggly and allow to bulk ferment for your preferred time. Less time for warmer kitchens, longer for chilly environments such as refrigerators and old farmhouses in the winter.
  • When doubled in size, grease (I use butter) one standard sized glass loaf pan (or two small ones like these). Punch down and flatten into a rectangle on a clean countertop. I sprinkle just a few drops of water down before rolling out the dough with a rolling pin. You can use a fat instead (but not flour). Either way, roll out the dough to press out any bubbles found in the rectangle.
  • Sprinkle and smear a little water over the dough and then add a generous amount of brown sugar. This is up to your discretion, but I use about 1/4-1/3 cup for each of my two small loaves. Smooth it out with your hand and then sprinkle with cinnamon. Again, this is more about your preferences than what I say to do. But a very generous sprinkle across the whole rectangle makes for a decadent loaf. Scatter your raisins knowing that each one turns into the most juicy bite of sweetness you’ve ever encountered.
  • Once you’ve covered the rectangle in goodness, fold each long side on itself to meet in the middle to make an even skinnier rectangle. (Here I add a sprinkle of water and repeat the brown sugar & cinnamon but that’s just me). Roll from one short end to the other to make a pudgy cylinder.
  • Place in greased loaf pan(s) and cover until it rises over the top of the pan about 2″ at the peak. You want a nice voluptuous rise. If you over-proofed in the bulk ferment stage (remember to only let it double, not triple), the dough will be a little more poofy and delicate. It’ll still be edible, but don’t proof it for as long during this stage.
  • Lower your oven rack to the lower-middle of your oven and heat to 500 degrees and then lower to 350 when you put the loaf in. Bake on for 55 minutes (I do 50 for my small loaves). The top of the bread will turn dark brown and might feel hard when you pull it out of the oven, but it softens as it cools.
  • Turn bread out of the loaf pan after it cools for 10-15 minutes and finish cooling completely on a rack. This step doesn’t seem important, but the loaf slices up cleaner and thinner if you allow it to completely cool to room temperature before slicing into it. It slices even better on the second day.
  • This loaf will keep fresh and delicious for over a week in a ziplock on your counter (but you’ll use it up so fast, I recommend starting the next loaf when you slice into the first).