Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Bread (2023)

FAQs

What is the secret to good sourdough bread? ›

When baking sourdough bread, it's important that your starter is strong and active. If it's been dormant in the refrigerator, pull it out and give it a few feeds at room temperature so it starts rising and falling within the course of a day.

The good: This food is low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Dietary Fiber and Selenium, and a very good source of Manganese.

Consider adding raisins, cranberries, dried cherries, pieces of dried apricot or apple, or similar dried fruit to your sourdough loaf. If you incorporate dry apples or raisins, don't forget a dash of cinnamon – and maybe a touch of honey too!

Sourdough bread baking is a slow process, and even a small amount of yeast can speed it up significantly. An assist from yeast is especially helpful in the winter, when temperatures in the kitchen can dip below 70 degrees and warmth-loving sourdoughs can be especially sluggish.

Any flour containing starch is suitable for a sourdough starter, since it is the sugar that the microbes feed on. Glutenous flours, such as spelt, einkorn, rye, and wheat, tend to work best.

Yes - adding olive oil to sourdough bread will result in a softer crust and crumb. The oil as a lipid coats the flour and inhibits the gluten network resulting in a softer, tighter crumb and softer crust. This can be a desirable outcome if you do not like tough, chewy sourdough crusts.

Whole grain bread is the healthiest pick for weight. It provides you with the nutrition of several whole grains like oats, barley, corn and others. Whole grain means whole kernel -the bran, germ and endosperm, which makes them highly nutritious.

Sourdough bread contains higher levels of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants than other breads. It also contains lower levels of phytate and therefore allows your body to absorb the nutrients it contains more easily than those in regular bread.

Is sourdough good for your gut? ›

Is Good for Your Gut. The fermentation process for sourdough bread can lead to an increased number of prebiotic- and probiotic-like properties, which help improve gut health, according to a 2021 review in the journal Microorganisms.

You most definitely can bulk ferment sourdough too long. If you leave the dough to ferment for too long, it will become "over fermented". Over fermented dough will lose its structure and become a soupy, sloppy mess that you will not be able to shape.

While underworked dough can simply be fixed by a little more kneading, severely overworked dough cannot be fixed. Instead, the overworked dough will result in a hard loaf that will likely not be eaten. It's important not to overwork your dough and continually check for overworking throughout the kneading process.

One easy way to make sourdough more sour (and noticeably so!) is to incorporate more whole grains into your sourdough recipes. Flour made from whole grains such as whole wheat, einkorn, and rye naturally have more robust, tangy flavors than white flour.

In my experience, it's best to feed your main jar of starter with the same flour it's made of. For white flour starters, use unbleached all purpose flour or bread flour. These flours are inexpensive, easy to find, and reliable for starter growth. For whole wheat starters, use whole wheat flour.

Technically, any grain-based flour works for making a sourdough starter. Flours made from rice, rye, spelt, einkorn and wheat all work. However, bread flour works the best and yields the most reliable starter. Even if you raise your starter on bread flour, you can still make bread with other types of flour.

Simply put: a sourdough starter is a live fermented culture of fresh flour and water. Once combined, the culture will begin to ferment and cultivate the natural yeasts found in our environment. A small portion is added to your bread dough to make it rise. Commercial yeast IS NOT required.

Olive oil in the dough not only brings another level of flavor; it also inhibits gluten development, resulting in a loaf that's more tender than the average sourdough, with a melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Tip #14: Enrich the Sourdough to Make it Softer and Fluffier

Replacing some of your water with milk and adding a little butter to the dough will give it a softer and fluffier texture. This is known as an enriched bread, and you will find that the texture is far softer and fluffier than traditional sourdough.

Baking with oil produces moist and tender baked goods.

Because oil is liquid at room temperature, it produces exceptionally moist baked goods. Butter, on the other hand, is solid at room temp, and therefore baked goods made with it are (arguably) a tad more dry.

What brand of sourdough bread is the healthiest? ›

The healthiest bread brands

DeFazio and Malkani have a few favorite healthy bread brands. Those include: Food for Life Ezekiel Sprouted Whole Grain Breads, Dave's Killer Breads, Trader Joe's Whole Wheat Sourdough, Alvarado Street Bakery, Angelic Bakehouse, Vermont Bread Company, and Franz Bakery.

As long as they're made with whole grains and have limited or no added sugar, both rye bread and sourdough bread are healthy bread options. Sourdough bread may be even healthier than regular bread because the fermentation makes certain vitamins and minerals easier for our bodies to absorb.

Sourdough contains less sugar, even when made with white flour. Both light and dark rye bread have a relatively low GI. Try to buy fresh from the bakery instead of the store, and go organic when possible. Even “healthy” multigrain bread can contain nasty sugar levels.

Whole-grain bread, Ezekiel bread, and rye bread are among the most healthful options. Bread made from whole or sprouted grains contains essential nutrients, including protein, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Others, such as processed white bread, contain very few nutrients.

The vast majority of the evidence supports the latest US Dietary Guidelines, which state that a “healthy” 1,800-to-2,000-calorie diet could include six slices of bread a day—including up to three slices of “refined-grain” white bread.

As far as bread goes, Trader Joe's Sourdough bread varieties are generally pretty healthy. They all contain very low sugar and some are even quite low in calories.

Multi-grain bread has barley, wheat, oats, corn, buckwheat, millet and flaxseeds. Its densely rich in fibre and other healthy nutrients. All this makes it ideal for weight loss.

According to some research, sourdough-leavened wholemeal bread can help a person lose excess weight. This effect is due to the combined glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) ratings.

A high-fiber diet reduces your body's production of insulin and smoothes out blood sugar levels. Which helps you feel full longer, cuts back on cravings, and makes you less likely to overeat. The fermentation process makes sourdough act like it's got more fiber than any other bread.

Is sourdough bread an inflammatory food? ›

Sourdough is one such bread which is recommended due to its anti-inflammatory grains. The bread is created through fermentation making its vitamins easier to digest. Sourdough is also low-glycaemic meaning it won't spike a person's blood sugars and also contains prebiotics which form during the fermenting process.

Use Warm Water to Control The Temperature. If the weather is cold and your dough won't budge, please use warm water during the initial mixing phase. It will help to jumpstart the rising process. I actually use warm water 90% of the time when making dough (I tend to use cooler water in the summer).

Adding sugar to the dough will decrease the time it takes for your dough to rise. What is this? This can decrease the sour flavor in your sourdough bread. If you enjoy the sour taste from a long, slow ferment, adding sugar may not be for you.

Acetic acid, or vinegar, is the acid that gives sourdough much of its tang. Giving acetic acid-producing organisms optimal conditions to thrive and multiply will produce a more tangy finished product.

Let rest in a warm spot to rise. The dough is ready when it no longer looks dense and has doubled in size. This can take anywhere from 3-12 hours depending on the temperature of your ingredients, the potency of your starter and surrounding environment.

Add Baking Soda to Sourdough for a Boost

Mixing baking soda into the dough at the shaping stage (just after the bulk ferment) will give sourdough bread an extra boost and help it become lighter and more airy. Baking soda is a heavy alkaline and reacts with the strong acidity of sourdough.