In a large mixing bowl, add the active sourdough starter and room-temperature filtered water. Mix with a Danish dough whisk or with your hand until it looks like a milky liquid.

50g (1/4 c) active sourdough starter, 400g (1 2/3 c) filtered water, room temperature

Then, add the bread flour, whole wheat flour and salt. Again, mix with a whisk or by hand. Be sure to mix until all of the flour is incorporated.

This is also a higher hydration dough, so the dough will seem sticker and eventually more elastic than compared to my Beginner’s Sourdough Loaf recipe.

425g (3 c) bread flour, 75g (1/2 c) whole wheat flour, 10g (1 1/2 tsp) salt

Cover the bowl with a reusable shower cap and let the dough rest for at least a half hour before you move on to the next step.

While the dough rests, prepare your raisins. You can add dried raisins as they are, but I prefer plumping them up beforehand.

To do so, add the raisins to a bowl and cover them with boiling water for at least 30 minutes. Once plump, drain the raisins and thoroughly pat them dry.

120g (1 c) raisins

For even more flavor, try adding vanilla extract to the boiling water while your raisins soak!

8g (2 tsp) vanilla extract (optional)

After thirty minutes, remove the cover. With a bowl scraper, scrape the dough away from the bowl. Then pour the raisins on top of the dough.

With slightly wet hands, reach down to the bottom of the bowl, grab a section of the dough and stretch the bread dough above itself. Then fold it over on top of the dough. Rotate your bowl clockwise a quarter of the way and repeat identical stretch and fold. Repeat the process until you come full circle. You will notice the dough will start to look much smoother than before. Cover and let the dough rest for another 30 minutes.

Repeat the same stretch and folds 3 more times, for a total of 4 sets. Cover the dough and wait for at least 30 minutes of rest in between each set.

Once you have completed the final set of stretch and folds, cover the dough and let it rest for the remainder of the bulk fermentation at room temperature, about 9-11 more hours if the dough is kept at 68-70 degrees F.

Now this is the most finicky part of sourdough. There isn’t a set time for your bulk ferment. It is greatly dependent on the temperature of your environment. The warmer it is, the faster your dough will ferment. The opposite is true for cooler temperatures.

In an environment of 68-70 degrees, doughs will typically bulk ferment for 9-11 hours more after the stretch and folds, but again, you will have to look for the signs that your dough is done fermenting, rather than the clock. Warmer temperatures will be faster, while cooler temperatures will be slower.

The dough should have increased in size by at least 75% and be domed on top.

The dough looks light, and jiggles when the bowl is shaken.

The dough should easily pull away from the bowl.

There should be visible bubbles in the dough and on top.

The dough doesn’t tear when you do a windowpane test

Once your dough has completed its bulk fermentation, continue on to the pre-shaping.

With slightly wet fingers, gently release the dough from the sides of the bowl. Tilt the bowl and leave gravity to do the work to move the dough on the counter.

Shape the dough by doing another round of stretch and folds until you have gone full circle. With a bench scraper or your hands, turn the dough upside down, so the seam is now on the counter. Cover the dough with the bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes.

While you are waiting for the dough to rest, prepare your proofing basket. Line a banneton with a tea towel, then dust it with flour to prevent sticking. Doughs with cinnamon sugar fillings are notorious for leaking. Therefore, I like to line my bannetons with at least 2 clean tea towels, just in case.

Before shaping the loaf, prepare the cinnamon sugar filling. Add the softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and flour to a bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. . Mix on medium/low speed for about 2 minutes, or until the ingredients are combined and a paste is formed.

This can be done with a hand mixer.

57g (1/4 c) unsalted butter, softened, 55g (1/4 c) brown sugar, 6g (1 T) cinnamon, 5g (1 1/2 tsp) flour

After 30 minutes of rest, flip the dough, with the seamed side up. Gently stretch the dough into a large rectangle, about 10 x 11 inches (does not need to be exact). Refer to the pictures above. Be careful not to stretch any sections of the dough too thinly, as the raisins and cinnamon sugar will break through.

Spread half of the cinnamon sugar filling over the top of the dough, leaving at least an inch perimeter around the dough without the filling. This helps to seal the dough when shaping.

Next, take the left side of the dough and fold it towards the middle. Spread 1/2 of the remaining cinnamon filling on top of this new section.

Finally, take the right side of the dough and fold that towards the middle on top of the last section, like a tri-fold. Spread the remaining cinnamon filling on top. Now, roll up the dough, starting with the part of the dough closest to you.

For a boule shape, gently cup your hands around the dough ball. Turn the ball in a clockwise motion about a quarter turn and then softly pull the dough towards you. Do this repeatedly until you see the dough form a tighter and more round shape. With a bench scraper or just your hands, carefully scope up the dough and lay it upside down (seam side up) into your tea towel-lined/floured proofing basket and cover it with a plastic bag or a shower cap.

For a batard shape, pinch the seams of each end, then gently place the rolled up dough into the prepared banneton (seam side up). Cover it with plastic bag or a shower cap.

Place your proofing basket in the fridge to cold proof for 8-72 hours.

Placing your dough in the fridge slows down the fermentation process, which deepens the flavors of your loaf. It also gives you flexibility in when you want to bake your bread.

Thirty minutes before baking, place the dough in the freezer.

The cooler temperatures tighten up the dough which helps with the scoring design.

At the same time, place your Dutch oven in your oven and preheat to 500 degrees F. Allow the Dutch oven to preheat for at least 30 minutes.

Place a piece of parchment paper on your workspace and gently flip the banneton upside down over the parchment paper.

With a lame / razor blade or sharp knife, score a crescent moon shape on top of the dough. This is necessary for your bread to be able to expand while baking.

Grab the corners of the parchment paper and carefully place the Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin dough into your preheated Dutch Oven and cover with the lid.

Reduce the temperature to 450 degrees F and bake the Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Bread covered for 30 minutes. Then remove the lid of the Dutch oven. reduce the temperature to 425 degrees F and continue to bake the bread for an additional 20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the loaf reaches 205 degrees F with the lid off.

Keep an eye on the cinnamon sugar filling. If it is browning too much, cover the loaf with aluminum foil while the bread continues to bake.

Once golden brown, remove the Dutch Oven from your oven. Using the corners of the parchment paper, lift the sourdough bread out of the Dutch oven and place it onto a wire rack to cool.

Allow your homemade bread to cool for at least 1 hour before cutting into it. Once the hour is up, slice into your work of art, slather on some butter and enjoy!