The Clever Carrot's Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Yield: 1loaf 

This recipe belongs to Emilie Raffa from The Clever Carrot - it is such a delicious recipe, I have to give her full credit. If you are struggling with sourdough, or interested in doing more with your starter I fully recommend reading through her website, she is a genius! Anyways, enjoy a loaf of her spectacular sourdough cinnamon raisin bread. Maybe with a mug of tea?

Ingredients

Dough

500 g 4( cups) bread flour

85 g (6 tbsp.) unsalted butter, softened, cut into cubes

24 g (2 tbsp.) sugar

9 g fine sea salt

100 g (1/2 cup) bubbly, active sourdough starter

240 g (1 cup) warm water

85 g (1/2 cup) raisins

15 g (1 tbsp) pure vanilla extract

1 egg +a splash of water, lightly beat (egg wash)

Cinnamon-Sugar Swirl

1/3 cup sugar

1tbsp. cinnamon

1tbsp. flour

Baking Schedule: this is an overnight dough which takes approximately 8-12 hours to rise @68F. Start the night before, in the evening, and plan to bake the following day. 

Mix the Dough

Add the flour, butter, sugar and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine on low speed until the butter looks like crumbs. Add the starter and warm water. Mix until the flour is fully absorbed. Cover with damp tea towel and let rest for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, soak the raisins in the vanilla extract if all the vanilla is not absorbed I microwave for 20 second to speed the process up. 

After the dough has rested, add the raisins to the bowl. Switch to the dough hook and mix on medium-low (#3 on aKitchenAid) for 6- 8minutes. The dough will feel soft and supple when ready. If it's sticky, add a little bit of flour.

Note: In lieu of using a stand mixer, knead the dough by hand without the raisins for 8-10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Cover and rest for 1hour. Add the raisins during your first stretch and fold; they will be much easier to incorporate at this stage.

Bulk Rise with Stretch & Folds

Put the dough in a large tupperware and let rise overnight at room temperature (68 F) until double in size, about 8-12 hrs. 

To stretch and fold the dough, begin 30-minutes to 1hour into the bulk rise. Grab a portion of the dough and stretch it upward. Fold the dough over toward the centre of the bowl. Give the bowl a one-quarter turn and repeat: stretch the dough upward and fold it over toward the centre. Continue until you have come full circle to complete 1set, or 4 folds around the bowl. Rest the dough for 30 minutes and then do a second set. For step-by-step instructions and video click here. (This step is optional)

Shape the Dough

In the morning, coat an 8.5 x 4-inch loaf pan with butter. Combine the sugar, cinnamon and flour in a small l bowl; set aside.

Remove the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently pat, flatten and stretch the dough to release any large air bubbles. Roll the dough into a 6x20-inch rectangle with a rolling pin. Gently score a 1-inch border around the sides leaving a 2-inch border at the very top to seal the dough (you are not cutting through the dough just marking it). Brush the entire surface with the egg wash. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture inside the border. Slowly roll the dough into a log pinching the ends to seal. Place the dough into the loaf pan seam side down.

Second Rise

Cover the dough and let rest at room temperature until it has risen to about 1-inch above the rim of the pan, about 1 1/2 - 2 hours depending on temperature. Check the height by looking at the domed centre portion of the dough.

Preheat your oven to 375 F towards the tail end of the second rise.

Bake the Dough

Place the loaf pan on the centre rack and bake for about 45-50 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes, and then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

This loaf will stay fresh for up to 3 days, stored in a plastic bag at room temperature.