Today I wanted to share a delicious from scratch cinnamon swirl sourdough bread recipe for anyone who thinks they aren’t good at baking sourdough.

I’ve been playing with this recipe for a while now.

I’m so excited to share what I’ve learned about it with you.

But before I get into all the details about this recipe, I want to encourage you to not be afraid to experiment with recipes.

Especially my recipes.

I used to be so afraid of baking and cooking.

I was terrible at it.

But as I have learned to make it my own and have fun with it, I have learned guidelines are more helpful than recipes.

So I am going to give you a recipe, but please have fun with it and let me know how you change it to make it the best recipe for you and your family.

I’ve been trying to find a way to get that beautiful swirl with this recipe, but instead of shaping the dough like I do in this recipe, I’m trying the twist that I do in my sandwich sourdough bread.

It turns out good except for the first couple of slices on one end of the loaf.

Experiencing is so much fun!

Watch the Cinnamon Swirl Sourdough Bread Video HERE

How to prevent cinnamon swirl mixture from leaking?

Use flour in the cinnamon swirl mixture to help absorb the sugar as it melts.
Pinch seams closed so there are no openings in the dough.
Be gentle and careful not to tear a hole in the dough as you shape it.

How to get a swirl in sourdough bread?

Roll the dough out into a rectangle about 6 x 20 and spread the mixture on the dough (this can be any mixture for any swirl style bread)
Then fold one side over onto the middle by 1/3.
Repeat this for the right side.
Then add another layer of the cinnamon mixture on top of the folded dough and begin rolling it into a log.

cinnamon swirl sourdough bread with a better swirl

Why Cinnamon Swirl Sourdough Bread?

This was an idea my sister gave me a couple of years ago.

I used to watch my niece after school until my sister or brother-in-law could come pick her up.

On day while I was making my sourdough sandwich bread when my sister showed up to pick up my niece.

She walked into the kitchen and saw what I was doing and said something to the effect of, “I bet that would be good if you added cinnamon before you rolled it up.”

I thought she was probably right.

So I started looking at other recipes and trying to figure out what would be the best way to turn my sandwich bread into a cinnamon bread that I could easily use in something french toast casserole or just to eat as a sweet treat.

This is the recipe I landed on.

cinnamon swirl sourdough bread with starter

Less Sugar: Cinnamon Swirl Sourdough Bread

This recipe has less sugar than most of the recipes I found.

Sugar is something that I fight with.

I know that it tastes so good, but I also know that it is one of the biggest issues for health struggles today.

So for almost every recipe that I make I try to cut the sugar in half is not completely omit it when possible.

(I make an oatmeal bake and I use my homemade applesauce to sweeten it.)

So when I decided to make this recipe I stayed true to what I always do.

I reduced the sugar.

Cinnamon Swirl Sourdough Bread Ingredients

cinnamon swirl sourdough bread with brown sugar

Sourdough Ingredients

3 1/2-4 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/4 c. water
1/2 c. sourdough starter (if you don’t have one check out this post)
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp salt

Cinnamon Swirl Ingredients

1/4 c. brown sugar
2 tbsp flour
1-2 tsp cinnamon

Cinnamon Swirl Sourdough Bread Instructions

Combine Dough Ingredients

brown sugar and cinnamon sourdough bread

You can watch my video or read my post on my sourdough sandwich bread, which is the base of this loaf.

Pour 1 1/4 c. water, 1/2 c. sourdough starter, 2 tbs honey, and 1 tsp salt into the mixer
Turn on mixer and begin to combine
Stop the mixer to add 3 1/2 c. of all-purpose flour
Once that is combined, slowly add in the last 1/2 c. of flour. But only add enough so that the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the mixer bowl. I generally only add about 1/4 c. more flour but sometimes I need a little more.
Once the dough is fully combined, let the mixer run and knead the dough for 10- 15 minutes

Bulk Rise

Place dough in a bowl greased with butter and then put a lid on the bowl (I generally use a plate, but plastic wrap or a wet tea towel will also work)
Let it bulk rise for 8-12 hours. In the hot and humid summer, it will require less time, and in the winter it will require a longer time.

Shape Dough/Add Cinnamon Mixture

After the bulk rise, lightly flour a working surface and remove the dough from the bowl and begin shaping. I stretch the flour out into a rectangle as then roll it with a rolling pin to about 6 x 20.

Combine all the cinnamon swirl ingredients in a small bowl.
Spread the cinnamon swirl mixture on the sourdough rectangle evenly. Reserve 1/3 of the cinnamon mixture for later. Keep cinnamon mixture away from the edges of the dough to prevent it from leaking.

spread cinnamon and brown sugar mixture on the dough

Fold the dough over toward the center by 1/3.
Repeat this with the other side of the sourdough.

Now pour the remaining cinnamon swirl mixture on the sourdough and then begin to roll it into a log.
As you roll the sourdough, make sure you are pitching the ends to prevent any cinnamon swirl mixture from leaking.
At this point, you can transfer the dough to a 9×5 loaf pan.
Cover the dough with plastic or a wet tea towel and let rise again for 2-4 hours. (For this specific loaf I only let it rise for 1 hour because of how hot it was).

Bake & Cool

Preheat the oven to 375F
Once the oven is preheated, remove the plastic/tea towel and place in the oven for 40-45min.
After it is golden brown on top remove from oven and let rest in loaf pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack for the remainder of the cool time.

simple sourdough cinnamon bread with brown sugar

I typically let my loaves cool overnight before I cut into them just because they maintain their texture better that way.

But I have cut into them before they were completely cool and they still taste amazing!

Print Pin

Easy Cinnamon Swirl Sourdough Bread

Classic sourdough with a sweet cinnamon twist. Perfect for breakfast or dessert.

Course Bread

Cuisine American

Keyword Cinnamon Swirl Bread, Sourdough Cinnamon Bread

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 45

Total Time 16

Servings 1 loaf

Calories 250kcal

Equipment

1 Stand Mixer optional
1 Large bowl
1 plastic wrap or wet towel
1 9×5 pan loaf
1 bench scraper optional
1 small bowel
1 Rolling Pin

Ingredients

1/4 cup softened butter
1 1/4 cup water
1/2 cup active bubbly sourdough starter
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp salt
3 1/2-4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cups brown sugar
2 tbsp flour
1-2 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

Combine all ingredients and only 3 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour in the stand mixer with the dough hook (reserve 1/2 cup flour for later).
Once the ingredients are combined turn on the stand mixer. At this point, the dough should look very wet and soggy. Grab the 1/2 cup of flour, sprinkle a little into the bowl, and begin mixing again. Do this until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. (For me this typically happens around 3 3/4 cups of flour).
Once the dough is the right consistency turn the mixer to medium speed for 10-15 minutes and let it knead the dough.
Grease a large bowl with butter, and once the kneading is complete transfer the dough to this greased bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap, a wet tea towel or a plate to prevent the dough from drying out.
Set aside and let bulk rise for 8-12 hours, or until it doubles in size.
Once the dough has doubled in size, dump it onto a floured surface and roll it into a rectangle shape.
In a small bowl combine 1-2 tsp cinnamon, 2 tbsp flour, and 1/4 brown sugar and mix.
Spread the cinnamon mixture on the sourdough rectangle, reserving about 1/3 of the mixture.
Fold over 1/3 of the sourdough with the cinnamon mixture toward the center of the rectangle.
Next, fold the other 1/3 of the sourdough with the cinnamon mixture on it on top of the first fold.
Now spread the remaining cinnamon mixture on the folded sourdough.
From the short side begin to roll the dough into a log shape. Make sure to pinch the seams to prevent the cinnamon brown sugar from bubbling out.
Transfer to a buttered 9×5 loaf pan.
Once you have the dough in the greased loaf pan cover it with plastic wrap or a wet tea towel and set it aside to rise again for 2-4 hours. (I only let this loaf rise for 1 hour because it was so hot.)
After it has rose a second time preheat the oven to 375F.
Remove plastic or tea towel and bake for 40-45 minutes.
Remove and let cool when it is golden brown on the top.

More Sourdough Recipes

If you like this cinnamon swirl sourdough bread recipe you might want to check out these other sourdough recipes!

Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread

Lemon Ricotta Cookie with Sourdough Discard

Sourdough Discard Pancakes (I updated this post recently)

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Have a great week! XoXo

Open Your Doors,
Aliya

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How to Make Easy Cinnamon Swirl Sourdough Bread with Brown Sugar

Watch the Cinnamon Swirl Sourdough Bread Video HERE

How to prevent cinnamon swirl mixture from leaking?

How to get a swirl in sourdough bread?

Why Cinnamon Swirl Sourdough Bread?

Less Sugar: Cinnamon Swirl Sourdough Bread