Baking anything with cinnamon always makes my family feel like I went out of my way to make something extra special for them. The truth is that this bread is just a simple adaption of my Everyday Sourdough Bread Recipe which keeps it simple to make any day of the week.
Ingredients:
50g Active sourdough starter
350g Water
500g Flour
10g Salt
3 TBSP Cinnamon
1 TBSP Honey (Sugar can be substituted for Honey. In this case, you will add Sugar in at Step 3. Honey is added at Step 1.)
Step 1: Making the dough
Start with 50g of active starter in a large bowl, then add 350g of water. Add 1 tablespoon of honey. Stir until the starter is distributed and your water becomes milky. Next, add 500g of all-purpose flour and 10g of salt. Mix with your hands until you have a large clump and there is no dry flour left in the bowl. Cover and let your dough rest for one hour at room temp. I cover mine with a tea towel.
Step 2: Stretch and Fold, Plus Bulk Rise/Long Fermentation
After resting, you will stretch and fold your dough (keep it inside the bowl). Wet your hands with a little water first to prevent sticking. You will pick up one half of the dough, stretch it upward and fold over the other half of the dough. Give the bowl a quarter turn and repeat this process until your bowl has come full circle. Cover the bowl and let your dough rest for 30 minutes before repeating the stretch and fold process once more. Your dough will begin forming into a tight ball. After the second stretch and fold, you will cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise for 6-10 hours on your kitchen counter at room temperature. *The amount of time it takes for dough to rise depends heavily on temperature. We keep our home around 70 degrees, but sometimes our kitchen is warmer if it's getting a lot of use throughout the day/oven is on, etc. The warmer the temperature, the quicker the rise time. Keep this in mind when gauging the time it takes for your dough to rise. If the temp in your kitchen is on the warmer side, begin checking your dough after a few hours. The dough will increase in size by about 50% when it is ready to be shaped.
Step 3: Shaping dough and Second/Final Rise
First, place dough onto a floured surface and sprinkle it with 3 tablespoons of cinnamon. (If using sugar in substitution of honey, add sugar at this time.) Mix the cinnamon into the dough with your hands before pulling all four sides of the dough up and into its center. Turn the dough over so that the seam is facing down. Cup your hands under the dough pulling toward and pushing away from you while turning it in a circular motion until there is tension on the outer layer. You will have formed a nice tight ball-like shape out of your dough at this point. Place the dough seam side down on a piece of parchment paper, then use the parchment paper like a sling to place your dough, along with the parchment paper, into a bowl. Cover and allow to rise again for 1-2 hours.
Step 4: Scoring and Baking Bread
About 30 minutes before baking, preheat your oven to 450. Set your dutch oven inside the oven so that it can preheat as well. You will also need to score the dough before baking. I use a razor blade, but a sharp kitchen knife will also do the trick in place of a bread lame. A 3-inch slash in the top surface of your dough is all that’s needed. Carefully, using oven mitts, take the dutch oven out of the oven. Place your dough (with parchment paper to prevent sticking) into the dutch oven and cover it with the lid. Bake for 25 minutes. Next, you will remove the lid to bake for another 10-15 minutes or until your crust is golden brown.
Step 5: Slicing and Storing Sourdough Bread
After you have taken your bread out of the oven, allow it to cool on a cooling rack for an hour or two before slicing it. Allowing bread to cool prevents gumminess and helps give the bread its soft, airy texture. Using a bread knife for slicing is best. Your bread can be stored in a bread bag or with a tea towel wrapped tightly around it for 3-4 days. Do not refrigerate.
Questions about this recipe? Feel free to leave them in the comments or if you make this Cinnamon Sourdough Breakfast Bread, be sure to share with me how it turns out. I love hearing from you!
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