This sourdough bread features a unique blend of rose petals, creamy white chocolate, and warm cinnamon—perfect for when you want something a little special. Soft, aromatic, and just sweet enough, it’s a beautiful loaf for slow mornings or thoughtful gifting.

I think this loaf gives Mother's Day vibes ... but of course, you could make it for any occasion!

A loaf of sourdough bread topped with dried rose petals. The sourdough bread is infused with dried rose petals, cinnamon and white chocolate and is sitting in a cast iron bread pan.

Why You'll Love This Recipe!

Romantic Flavor Combo – The blend of delicate rose petals, sweet white chocolate, and cozy cinnamon creates a soft, floral, and comforting flavor that feels like a treat for the senses.

Unique – This isn’t your everyday loaf—it’s eye-catching, fragrant, and perfect for gifting or special occasions. It's definitely a loaf I'd describe as "a little extra"!

Soft, Sweet, and Tangy – The natural tang of sourdough balances the sweetness, giving you a complex, not-too-sweet bite with a tender crumb and just the right touch of decadence.

A loaf of sourdough bread infused with dried rose petals, cinnamon and white chocolate that has been sliced and placed into a cast iron bread pan. You can see the pink rose petals in the crumb of the sourdough.

Ingredients

Sourdough Starter - as always, an active, fed and happy sourdough starter is necessary to rise this beautifully fragrant loaf.
Water - just regular water, although check out the notes further down for adding rosewater or rose extract if you're not able to use rose petals.
Bread Flour - as always, use a good quality bread flour for the best results.
Salt - salt is necessary for both flavor and development of gluten!
Vanilla Bean Paste - I've used vanilla bean paste for this recipe to add a delicate vanilla flavor to the dough which compliments the rose petals so well. If you don't have paste and need to use extract, it's better to add it with the water at initial mixing of the dough.
Rose Petals - organic, dried food grade rose petals are perfect for this delicate sourdough loaf. I've tested this recipe multiple times to get the the perfect amount of flavor, without tasting soapy. I do not recommend adding extra rose petals. If you don't have access to rose petals, you can use some rose water extract to re create the flavor. Add 1 teaspoon of extract along with the water.
Cinnamon - I love the warmth that cinnamon brings to this flavor combination. Cinnamon can hamper fermentation, so it's best to leave the cinnamon out of the mix until shaping.
Brown Sugar & All Purpose Flour - I've added a sprinkle of brown sugar at shaping to give this loaf a hint of sweetness to go along with the delicate aroma of the rose petals. The brown sugar won't leak out because it's mixed in with some all purpose flour.
White Chocolate - you can use white chocolate chips or your favorite white chocolate chopped or grated.

You'll find specific measurements in the recipe card further down the page.

Ingredients necessary to make rose petal sourdough bread.

How to Make Rose Petal Sourdough Bread

Making sourdough bread infused with dried rose petals, cinnamon and white chocolate is such a beautiful process. I really loved creating this recipe because the inclusions were so fragrants and gorgeous to work to with and every part of the process was such a joy.

I feel like stretching and folding the vanilla and rose petals into the dough was almost an aromatic experience!

Pre Mix & Autolyse

Weigh out your starter and water in a glass or ceramic bowl. Mix them together so that the sourdough starter is dissolved in the water (or at least really well distributed).

Then add your flour and salt and mix altogether with the end of a spatula. The dough will be fairly shaggy and only just brought together.

Cover your bowl with cling film or a damp tea towel and let it sit for around 1 hour.

4 process photos showing the process of mixing the dough and stretching and folding the dough while adding rose petals.

Forming Up Your Dough

Work your way around the bowl, grabbing the dough from the outside, stretching it up and over itself until a smooth ball is formed. You shouldn't need more than about 20-25 folds to form the ball.

Once the dough has formed into a smooth ball, pop the cling film back on and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Stretch & Fold - Creating Structure

You need to add the vanilla extract paste and half the rose petals to your dough during the stretch and fold phase. It's very easy to do! Try to add them around the second or third set of stretch and folds.

So do your first set of stretch and folds with the dough as is and then add the inclusions on the second (or third) set depending on how your dough is behaving.

Try to do around 4 sets of stretch and folds with around 15 to 30 minutes between each set.

A smooth ball of sourdough infused with rose petals being held by a hand over a bowl. There are three bowls in the background containing cinnamon, white chocolate and rose petals.

Bulk Ferment

Once you've finished your stretch and folds, place the cling film or damp tea towel back over your dough and let it rest and bulk ferment at room temperature. You want the dough to double during this time.

While your dough is fermenting, take a small bowl and mix the cinnamon, brown sugar and all purpose flour together. Set this aside until you're ready to shape your dough.

A bowl of rose petal sourdough that has finished bulk fermentation and is ready for shaping. The inclusions that will be added during shaping are in small bowls at the top of the photo (cinnamon, brown sugar, white chocolate and rose petals).

Shaping Your Dough

Once your dough has finished its first ferment, it's time to give it some shape and surface tension and add the spices, white chocolate and rest of the rose petals that you've kept aside.

I think this recipe lends itself to a batard however it's completely up to you what shape you would like. Stretch your dough out into a rough rectangle and sprinkle over a generous amount of the cinnamon mixture. Sprinkle on some of the white chocolate and rose petals.

Fold the top down and sprinkle on some more of the cinnamon mix and other inclusions. Fold the sides in, sprinkle some more. Roll up the dough like a burrito and pull it towards you to create some surface tension and ensure all of those beautiful petals and cinnamon are tucked up inside.

Place the shaped dough into your banneton with the seam side up. Stitch the base together if you need to.

4 process photos showing how to shape rose petal sourdough bread. The last photo shows the shaped sourdough in a banneton.

Cold Ferment

Now your dough is in it's "shaping container" cover it loosely with a plastic bag or damp tea towel and place into the fridge to cold ferment. Try to leave it in the fridge for a minimum of 5 hours. I don't like to leave this loaf in the fridge for too long - generally I don't leave it more than 12 hours.

Preparing to Bake Your Sourdough

Once you're ready to bake your sourdough, you'll need to preheat your oven to 230C/450F. Place your Dutch Oven into the oven when you turn it on so it gets hot.

Baking Your Sourdough

Now it's time to bake!When your oven is at temperature. Take your sourdough out of the fridge. Gently place it onto a piece of baking paper. Gently score your bread with a lame, clean razor blade or knife.

An unbaked loaf of sourdough that has been scored and sprinkled with dried rose petals.

Carefully take your dutch oven out of the oven. Place the sourdough into the pot using the baking paper as a handle. Put the lid on and place into the hot oven.

BAKE TIME

30 Minutes with the lid on at 230C/450F plus
10-15 Minutes with the lid off at 210C/410F

An unbaked loaf of sourdough bread that has been sprinkled with dried rose petals and placed into a hot cast iron bread pan with the lid off.

If you're worried about the base of your bread burning, place a baking sheet on the shelf underneath your Dutch Oven - it works!

When you remove your dough from the oven, carefully remove it from the dutch oven as soon as possible and place on a wire rack to cool.

A horizontal image of rose petal sourdough bread that has been baked. It is sitting in the cast iron bread pan it was baked in and has been sprinkled with dried rose petals.

Baker's Timeline

This is a sample baking timeline for making a rose petal and white chocolate sourdough loaf. You will need to adjust the times to suit your own temperature and environment, but this timeline works well for my sourdough starter and kitchen temperature.

TIME	PROCESS
9 am	Premix and autolyse for around an hour, forming up the dough and leaving to rest for another 30 minutes before stretch and folds.
11 am	1st stretch and fold.
11.30 am	2nd stretch and fold - add half the rose petals and the vanilla paste.
12 pm	3rd stretch and fold - continue working the rose petals and vanilla paste through the dough.
12.30 pm	4th stretch and fold.
1 pm	Bulk fermentation at room temperature.
6 pm	Shape dough into a batard, place into banneton and then into fridge for cold fermentation.
6 am	Wake and bake! The next morning, you can get up, make a coffee and bake your rose petal sourdough bread!

Notes & Tips

I had so much fun creating this recipe and in testing it I discovered lots of little nuances and tips that I thought I'd share to help you bake a successful loaf!

If you can't get hold of any food grade rose petals, you can use rose water or rose extract to flavor the loaf instead. This can be added with the water during the initial mix and autolyse stage.
I recommend using dried rose petals rather than fresh as they are much easier to work with. Just make sure that the rose petals you're using are organic, food grade rose petals. Fresh petals tend to lose their color and go slimy in the dough, so dried are a much better choice when working with dough.
To make some of the rose petals stick to the top of the loaf, you can sprinkle some of the dried rose petals into your banneton before placing the loaf on top.
For something extra special, a sprinkling of shelled pistachios make a gorgeous addition along with the white chocolate at shaping.