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Close-up of a sliced cinnamon swirl sourdough loaf with the top portion smothered in butter, ready to eat

Cinnamon Swirl Sourdough Bread (Soft, Sweet & Naturally Leavened)

Becky Rickett
This cinnamon swirl sourdough bread is soft, tender, and filled with cozy cinnamon sugar ribbons throughout. It’s naturally leavened, lightly sweet, and just the right amount of indulgent. Perfect for toasting, snacking, or eating warm with butter straight from the oven.
5 from 2 votes
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
5 hours
Total Time 15 hours
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Snack
Cuisine American, Naturally Leavened
Servings 1 loaf
Calories 210 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
  

  • 50 g active sourdough starter
  • 270 g water
  • 250 g bread flour King Arthur
  • 100 g wheat flour Barton Springs Stardust Whole Wheat
  • 50 g flour 00 or Yecora Rojo 00
  • 7 g salt fine sea salt

Cinnamon sugar filling:

  • 30-40 g brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp cinnamon
  • 15 g butter melted
  • 1 tsp flour optional

Flour to feed starter

  • 50 g whole wheat flour Barton Springs Mill Butler's Gold Flour (certified organic) Whole Wheat
  • 50 g bread flou King Arthur
  • 100 g water filtered

Instructions
 

Flour to feed starter

  • Combine 50g whole wheat flour, 50g king Arthur Bread Flour, and 100g water. Stir and let it double and becomes active.
    Sourdough starter jar with Barton Springs Mill Butlers Gold flour and bread flour ready for feeding

Autolyse

  • In a large bowl, dissolve 50g active sourdough starter into 245g filtered water.
    Sourdough starter and water in a glass bowl for cinnamon swirl bread

Add Flours

  • Add 250g King Arthur Bread Flour, 100g Barton Springs Stardust Whole Wheat, and 50g Yecora Rojo 00. Mix until no dry spots remain. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
    Overhead view of shaggy sourdough dough in a bowl with Stardust flour and a cinnamon bottle on a rustic white board

Add Salt + Reserved Water

  • Dissolve 7g sea salt with the remaining 25g water and gently mix or pinch into the dough until fully incorporated.
    Fine sea salt dissolved in water in a small container for sourdough cinnamon swirl recipe

Bulk Fermentation Begins

  • Perform 3 stretch-and-folds, every 30 minutes (at 9:45, 10:15, and 10:45). After each fold, cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes to relax the gluten and continue fermentation. Then, let the dough rise until it’s soft, puffy, and slightly domed — usually 4–5 hours depending on room temperature.
    Overhead view of sourdough dough in a bowl at the start of bulk fermentation with small bubbles forming on the surface

Pre-shape & Rest

  • Lightly pre-shape into a round. Let rest 20 minutes, uncovered.
    Round ball of sourdough dough resting on a rustic wooden board before going into the cold proof stage

Roll, Swirl & Shape

  • Roll dough into a rectangle. Spread with brown sugar, cinnamon, and optional butter/ 1 tsp flour. Roll tightly into a log then swirl Or just shape into a loaf. You also could cut into individual cinnamon rolls. I like to use unflavored floss for this. Works like a charm.
    Sourdough dough rolled out with cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top, sitting on a rustic cutting board and wooden table

Final Shape & Banneton

  • Let rest at room temp for 1–2 hours until slightly puffy then bake Or refrigerate overnight for a deeper flavor
    Shaped cinnamon swirl sourdough nestled in a loaf pan, ready to be refrigerated for its cold proof before baking

Preheat Bake

  • Preheat oven to 475°F. Bake 20 minutes covered, then 20–25 minutes uncovered until swirl is golden and your kitchen smells like magic.
    Cinnamon swirl sourdough bread with a latte to the left and the Emile Henry Artisan Bread Baker in the background

Cool (or Don’t) & Enjoy

  • Let your swirl loaf cool for at least 1 hour… or don’t. Slice in while it’s still warm, and dip it into coffee, chai, or just tear off a piece and devour it straight. No wrong moves here.
    Overhead view of a cinnamon swirl sourdough slice with butter in the background, latte to the right, and sprinkled brown sugar mix nearby

Notes

Torn slice of cinnamon swirl sourdough bread with one edge smothered in butter, a latte and butter dish in the background

Torn, buttered, devoured. 🧈💛 Swirl cravings don’t wait for a knife.

 

When you pull this swirl from the oven, take a second. Breathe in that cinnamon-sourdough magic. This is the kind of loaf that makes the whole kitchen feel like a hug.

Nutrition

Calories: 210kcal
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