This cinnamon sugar swirl sourdough bread is filled with layers of brown sugar, cinnamon, and walnuts! Learn how to make this sourdough bread recipe at home so that your sourdough has a golden crust, soft crumb, and a rich, caramelized swirl that’s perfect for breakfast.

WHY I MADE THIS CINNAMON SOURDOUGH BREAD

You already know I’m no stranger to sourdough: my Sourdough Focaccia Bread, Sourdough Rosemary Focaccia Muffins, and Vegan Sourdough Waffles recipes continue to be staples in my home. We moved into a new place recently, and it occurred to me that I hadn’t yet made any sourdough in this new kitchen. I travelled across the country with my sourdough starter (yes, really), and this week felt like the right time to finally put her to work!

I’ve made countless artisan sourdough bread recipes at this point, but never a sweet bread recipe. I’ve made The Perfect Loaf’s Tartine Olive Sourdough more than once, and that recipe I’ve found is the absolute best. My Cinnamon Swirl Sourdough recipe below uses the base of that recipe, but with added walnuts and a cinnamon sugar swirl, which changes the ratios and the technique.

I was really, really happy with how this brown sugar cinnamon sourdough bread turned out. I did a lot of research on the folding and rolling techniques to ensure I’d get that signature swirl in the end, and it turned out pretty well! With practice, I know it will be even better.

I was quite surprised at how much syrup leaked out of my bread during the overnight proofing stage, but it ended up not mattering at all in the end. A pool of syrup is totally normal, believe it or not!

If you’ve never made sourdough before, note that this recipe is definitely more on the intermediate level. I recommend having some experience with working with sourdough before attempting this recipe. If you’ve made a couple of successful sourdough loaves already, then this recipe is a nice step up from a basic loaf. A lot can go wrong when working with sourdough, and even more can go wrong when adding inclusions like nuts, cinnamon, and sugar, so it’s best to get some practice in first!

If you’re comfortable with basic sourdough techniques like stretch and folds, bulk fermentation, and overnight proofing, you can absolutely make this bread. Make sure to read through this cinnamon sourdough recipe thoroughly before starting.

CINNAMON SWIRL SOURDOUGH BREAD KEY INGREDIENTS

Here’s everything you need in order to make this sourdough bread recipe at home:

• Sourdough Starter: Make sure your starter is active, bubbly, and recently fed before using it to create the leaven needed for this recipe. My starter is made with all purpose flour.
• Whole Wheat Flour, and White Bread Flour: Using a combination of whole wheat flour and white bread flour gives this bread the exact taste, texture, and structure that we’re looking for in this recipe. If you use all whole wheat flour, the bread will be dense and gummy. If you use all white flour, the bread will be very light and very fluffy, which is delicious but better for white sandwich breads; not exactly fitting the rustic vibe we’re going for here. A mix of both, though, is a great balance for this particular recipe.
• Walnuts: I lovvve walnuts in my cinnamon sourdough loaves, for both the texture and the flavor! You can omit walnuts though if you don’t like them, or if you have a nut allergy. Or, substitute walnuts with pecans, raisins, chopped dates, or even chocolate chips.
• Brown Sugar and Cinnamon: Makes a wonderful cinnamon sugar mixture that’s used for the swirly part of our swirl bread.

MY WALNUT SOURDOUGH BREAD RECIPE

Scroll down to the bottom of this blog post to view the recipe card with the full instructions on how to make this delicious cinnamon sugar swirl sourdough bread at home.

Here is a brief overview, just so you can get an idea of how this recipe flows before beginning:

The Night Before:

• Add all of the Leaven ingredients to a glass jar or large glass bowl. Allow to rise overnight, 8-12 hours.

Sourdough Day One:

• Add the Leaven to a large mixing bowl. Add the water, and whisk until the starter is fully dissolved in the water.
• Add the flour and the salt to the bowl, and use a spoon to lightly mix everything together until a shaggy dough forms.
• Add the Walnuts, and Begin the Stretch and Folds
• Perform a series of stretch-and-folds to build the structure of the dough. Simply grab a corner of the dough, stretch it up and away from the bowl, and fold it across to the other side. The dough will become stronger and less stretchy the more you fold it.
• Add the chopped walnuts into the dough during this first set of stretch and folds.
• Stretch and Folds
• Repeat for a total of six stretch and folds.
• Bulk Fermentation
• Cover the bowl and rest the dough for about 4 hours at room temperature.
• Divide the Dough
• After the bulk fermentation step, dump the dough upside down and cut the dough in half.
• Shape The Dough
• Pat one dough ball into a rough rectangle with your hands.
• Sprinkle some of the cinnamon sugar on top of the dough, leaving a 1” margin around the edges.
• Lift the right side of the rectangle and fold it over about 3/4 of the way to overlap the top of the dough. Sprinkle more cinnamon sugar on top of this clean side.
• Repeat with the left side of the dough, lifting it up and folding it over on the right side of the dough. Sprinkle this new top side with the remainder of the cinnamon sugar mixture.
• Roll the Dough
• Carefully roll the dough into a tight ball like you’re rolling a blanket or a towel.
• Place the Dough in a Bowl
• Lift the dough and place it upside down in the lightly floured bowl, so that the seam is facing up.
• Overnight Proof
• Proof the dough in the fridge overnight, about 12 hours. Expect to see lots of syrup leaking out of the dough.

Sourdough Day Two:

• When you’re ready to bake your bread, place a Dutch oven, with the lid on, inside of the oven and preheat for one hour at 500 F.
• Score
• Take one of the dough balls out of the fridge and turn it upside down on top of parchment paper, seam side down. Score the top of the dough however you like with a bread lame or a sharp knife.
• Bake
• Carefully remove the hot Dutch oven, and take off the lid. Lift up the parchment paper and place the whole thing in the Dutch oven. Cover with the lid, and place the Dutch oven in the oven.
• After 20 minutes, remove the lid and bake for 35 minutes more, until the top is golden and beautiful.
• Rest
• Cool both sourdough breads completely for at least 2 hours before slicing and enjoying!

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE THIS SOURDOUGH CINNAMON SWIRL BREAD?

The beauty of sourdough is that it is almost always going to be a two day process. The dough needs time to strengthen its gluten structure (through stretch and folds), and go through multiple proofing stages before you’re ready to bake it.

Here’s a rough timetable breakdown of when I like to start making this bread:

The Night Before:

• 8 PM: Prepare the leaven.

Sourdough Day One:

• 8:30 AM: Mix the leaven with water, salt, and flour.
• 9:00 AM: Stretch and Fold #1. Add walnuts.
• 9:30 AM: Stretch and Fold #2.
• 10 AM: Stretch and Fold #3.
• 10:30: Stretch and Fold #4.
• 11 AM: Stretch and Fold #5.
• 11:30 AM: Stretch and Fold #6.
• 4 PM: Divide the dough into two.
• 4:30 PM: Shape the dough.
• Overnight rest.

Sourdough Day Two:

• 9 AM: Preheat oven to 500 F.
• 10 AM: Bake sourdough loaves (either one at a time, or both at once, depending on your equipment and the size of your oven).
• 11 AM: Remove sourdough loaves from the oven.
• 1 PM: Cool, slice and enjoy!

HOW TO STORE BAKED SOURDOUGH BREAD?

Store the fully cooled bread at room temperature in an airtight bag or container for 1–2 days. You can also just cover the exposed side of bread with parchment paper to keep the cut loaf from drying out.

For longer storage, slice the loaf into toaster-sized slices and freeze it. Frozen slices toast beautifully straight from the freezer.

CINNAMON SUGAR SOURDOUGH FAQ

1. Can I make this recipe if I’m new to sourdough?

Yes, you can certainly give it a try! I HIGHLY recommend having some prior experience working with sourdough, though. If you’ve made a couple of successful sourdough loaves already, then this recipe is good for you to try next. A lot can go wrong when working with sourdough, and even more can go wrong when adding inclusions like nuts, cinnamon, and sugar.

If you’re comfortable with basic sourdough techniques like stretch and folds, bulk fermentation, and overnight proofing, you can absolutely make this bread. Make sure to read through this sourdough recipe thoroughly before starting.

2. What is a leaven?

A leaven is a mixture of sourdough starter, flour, and water that is the foundation for making our bread. Sourdough starter, by the way, is also a mixture of flour and water, so, technically, they’re made of the same thing. The difference is just in how and when you use it.

You could use just the sourdough starter alone for this recipe and skip the overnight leaven step, but we use the leaven method for a few reasons: it makes our starter even more active, bubbly, and concentrated, and it incorporates our whole wheat flour early on into our starter, which helps because the starter I use is made with all purpose flour.

You’ll know the leaven is ready to use when it’s visibly bubbly and has risen noticeably.

3. Can I skip the walnuts or replace them with something else?

Sure, you can leave the walnuts out entirely or substitute them with pecans, raisins, chopped dates, or even chocolate chips.

4. Why is syrup leaking out during the overnight proof??

This is normal! This happens when the brown sugar melts and draws moisture out of the dough. I’ve made this recipe a few times and brown sugar leakage is pretty unavoidable.

It may look scary, but it won’t ruin the final result of the bread. The syrup will caramelize during baking and add flavor to the crust. It will also darken the outer crust, so don’t panic if the bread looks kind of burnt when it’s done baking.

5. Why bake in a Dutch oven?

A Dutch oven traps steam, which helps the bread rise properly and creates that crisp, golden crust on the outside. If you don’t have a Dutch oven, you can also bake the bread in a stainless steel pot (with an accompanying lid), or even a cast iron skillet. Just make sure whatever pot or pan you use is oven safe to 500 F, and has a lid to go with it.

6. How do I know when the bread is fully baked?

The crust should be deep golden brown, and the internal temperature should reach 205–210°F. If you don’t have a thermometer, tap the bottom of the loaf—it should sound hollow.

7. Why do I need to wait before slicing?

As tempting as it is, slicing into the sourdough loaf too early causes all of the steam and moisture to seep out at once, which can result in a dense, gummy crumb. Plus, all of the cinnamon sugar will leak out.

Cool the bread to room temperature, at least 2 hours, to allow the crumb to fully set, which will improve both the texture and the flavor of the sourdough bread.

8. How should I store this sourdough bread?

Store the bread at room temperature in an airtight bag or container for 1–2 days. You can also just cover the exposed side of bread with parchment paper to keep the cut loaf from drying out.

For longer storage, slice the loaf into toaster-sized slices and freeze it. Frozen slices toast beautifully straight from the freezer.

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