Sourdough Fruit Bread: The Only Sourdough Raisin Bread Recipe You'll Ever Need!
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This sourdough fruit bread is absolutely next level.
It has all the makings of not only the perfect sourdough, but also the perfect breakfast.
It pairs the wonders of sourdough with the sweetness of raisins and the delicate hint of cinnamon. Ready to try it?
This recipe came about because my husband absolutely LOVES raisin toast.
You know, the generic store bought stuff. It's sweet, easy and tasty ... but really doesn't fill you up.
You can eat half the loaf and still wonder what's for breakfast, right?
Well, I set about developing a loaf of sourdough bread that would not only satiate his love of all things cinnamon and raisin, but also fill up his belly so he was set to achieve great things for the day.
This is a bread that is loved by everyone in my household.
It is delicious to eat fresh - with it's delicate crust and soft squishy crumb. It's perfect toasted. It freezes really well - sliced or as a whole loaf to "refresh" later.
The smell when this loaf bakes will have you peering through the oven door, just waiting to get a glimpse of the sweet, sourdough goodness that lies within.
If you love sourdough bread with fruit and nuts, why not try some of these combos - sourdough walnut raisin bread, orange cranberry sourdough bread or even this chocolate walnut sourdough bread.
Fruit Bread with Cinnamon Filling
To bring the cinnamon flavor to this loaf, I have chosen to add it after the bulk fermentation, just before shaping.
The reason for this is that cinnamon can hinder fermentation so by adding it after the bulk ferment you can ensure that your bread rises as much as possible.
The cinnamon is mixed with butter and flour to ensure that the filling sticks to the bread dough and does not create separate layers when you shape the bread.
Depending on how you shape your bread, you will end up with a delicious cinnamon butter belly.
I prefer shaping this bread as a batard because it's easier to slice for toasting - but it will work in any shape you'd like.
Here are a few photos of my dough as its being shaped. You can see that it's light and pillowy making it very easy to shape.
Using A Sweet Starter (Levain)
If you've been in my Facebook Group for a while, you might know I'm not a fan of "levain".
Just feed your starter and let's bake bread!
However, sometimes I do like to play with variations to my sourdough starter (hello Pasta Madre) and I have played around with a sweet sourdough starter recently.
I used the sweet sourdough starter to bake a few loaves of this sourdough fruit bread and I have to say that it turned out very well (it does however work just as well with a regular sourdough starter).
To build a sweet levain I simply fed 50g of my mature sourdough starter with 25g of raw sugar, 50g of flour and 50g of water. Stir it vigorously to ensure that the sugar is mixed throughout. You can use this when it peaks or you can choose to repeat the process to really get the sweet starter moving.
Even when I use a sweet levain, I still add the honey in the recipe to sweeten the bread.
This starter is also really lovely in these sourdough pancakes.
I prefer to just build this sweet levain when I want it - as opposed to constantly feeding two sourdough starters.
You can read more about adding sugar to sourdough here and there's a full guide to the differences between a levain and a sourdough starter here.
You could also try this sourdough fruit bread with a chocolate sourdough starter.
Sourdough Fruit Bread Recipe Variations
This sourdough fruit bread recipe makes a fantastic loaf - but there are so many ways you can tweak it. This recipe is literally the only sourdough fruit bread you'll ever need! Check out some of these sourdough fruit bread variations:
Heavy Sourdough Fruit Bread - if you prefer a heavier fruit bread, you can double the amount of dried fruit you add. Instead of a generic "mixed dried fruit" you could also include some chopped apricots and figs. This will add to the heaviness of the sourdough.
Rye Fruit Bread - if you love the earthiness that rye flour brings to your sourdough, substitute up to 30% of the Bread Flour with Rye Flour. You can read about Baker's Math here.
Sourdough Raisin Toast - love a traditional raisin toast. Substitute the mixed fruit with plain raisins. You don't have to soak them before you add them, but if you want to, you could soak them in maple syrup, vanilla essence or even just some warm water to plump them up.
Fruit & Nut Sourdough Loaf - love some crunch? Substitute half the dried fruit with your favorite chopped nuts. We love a combination of walnuts and pecans.
For an aromatic twist, why not try adding flavored tea instead of water? You'll find a full guide to using tea in sourdough bread here.
I recommend this sourdough fruit bread be baked in a Dutch Oven for maximum oven spring.
If you have whey available to use, this cinnamon fruit bread is beautiful when you replace the water content with acid whey. You can read more about using whey in sourdough here.
Sourdough Fruit Bread Recipe with Cinnamon {plus variations}
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Digital Scales
- Banneton
- Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 500 g Bread Flour
- 350 g Water
- 100 g Sourdough Starter fed and bubbly (see levain alternative in notes)
- 10 g Salt
- 30 g Honey
- 100 g Mixed Dried Fruit
Cinnamon Filling
- 40 g Butter
- 10 g Cinnamon
- 30 g All Purpose Flour
Instructions
- Autolyse:Weigh out your starter, water and honey in a glass or ceramic bowl. Mix them together so that the honey 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 wooden spoon. 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.
- 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 / Adding the Fruit:You need to add the dried fruit to your dough during the stretch and fold phase. It's very easy to do! Try to add the fruit 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 fruit 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.
- 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 ferment. See notes below.
- Shaping Your Dough:Once your dough has finished its first ferment, it's time to give it some shape and surface tension. This loaf is a little different in that you will now add some cinnamon to the dough before you shape it. I think this recipe lends itself to a batard however it's completely up to you what shape you would like.Before you shape your dough - mix the butter, cinnamon and all purpose flour into a paste. Set aside.Ease your dough out of the bowl with the smooth side on the counter and the sticky side up. Pull it into a loose rectangle and spread with the butter and cinnamon mixture. Be careful to leave a border around the edges so that when you shape it the cinnamon is contained and does not leak out of the dough.Once you have shaped your loaf, make sure you tension the dough tightly to ensure that the cinnamon does not leak out. Place it into a floured banneton.If you need help with shaping, you'll find instructions for a batard here and boule here.
- 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. I use a large plastic bag to cover it - I just reuse it each time.Try to leave it in the fridge for a minimum 5 hours up to a maximum of around 36 hours. The longer you leave it the better your bread will be! A longer cold ferment creates beautiful blisters on your crust and a deeper sourdough flavour.
- Preparing To Bake: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. Try to preheat for around 1 hour to ensure your oven is super hot - but you know your oven so just adjust this time if you need to.Leave your dough in the fridge until the very last minute - placing a cold dough into a hot oven will give you a great "spring".
- 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 - a single slash or cross is perfect for this loaf.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. If you want to you can spritz your dough with extra water before you put the lid on.BAKE TIME:30 Minutes with the lid on at 230C/450F plus10-15 Minutes with the lid off at 210C/410F
- Finishing The Bake: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.
Notes
- Notes on Sourdough Starter
This recipe is based on you having an active starter that you have fed a few hours before starting your bake. For information on whether your starter is ready, go here.
- Notes on Stretch & Folds
If you are going to do the stretch & folds on your bench top, spray your surface with water mist rather than using flour.
- Notes on Bulk Fermentation:
If your home is warm then your dough will ferment a lot faster and could be done in as little as a few hours. If it's colder, it will take longer, possibly overnight. I would recommend that you try to do your first few bulk ferments during daylight hours so that you can watch your dough closely.
Once you're more familiar with the process - and the temperature of your home - you will be able to do overnight ferments.
You will know your dough is ready to move to the next stage when it has *just* doubled in size. It will be fairly wobbly and full of bubbles. You should be able to see large air bubbles under the surface of the dough.
You don't want to let it go any further than doubled as it will be over fermented. If you want to do an overnight ferment, but your home is warm, consider using a little less starter (ie 25g).
Less starter means your dough will take longer to ferment and you will reduce the risk of over fermenting your dough. You'll find more information on these topics here:
When is my bulk ferment finished? What is the difference between cold ferment and bulk ferment? Why does the amount of starter matter?
- Notes on Baking
If you're worried about the base of your bread burning, place a baking sheet on shelf underneath your Dutch Oven - it works! If you're worried about your bread not being cooked all the way through, turn the oven off and place your dough straight onto the oven rack. Leave the door ajar and let your bread rest there for a few hours. Remember not to cut into your loaf too soon - you'll need to let it cool for at least a few hours (4-6 is best).
