Blueberry + Cinnamon Sugar Sourdough Loaf

This is, without sounding dramatic, the best loaf I have ever made. A sweet, springy, naturally leavened sourdough loaf that is filled with wild blueberries and pockets of cinnamon sugar throughout. The flavors of this loaf are an unlikely pairing that mix perfectly together.

❤️ Why You’ll Love Blueberry + Cinnamon Sugar Sourdough Loaf

This is the loaf you bring to someone who needs a hug. It’s delicious treat for any time of the day. I get excited when I make this loaf because I know it’s going to be tasty, and not take much extra effort. It’s also made with a cinnamon sugar mixture that’s similar to what goes into a cinnamon roll, so it’s less likely to leak out of the loaf like a regular cinnamon swirl sourdough. This is a loaf that will for sure make the whole family smile.

🍲 Ingredients

Sourdough Starter – This is the leavening agent for your sourdough bread, your starter should have bee fed so that you use it when it is active and bubbly and can make your bread rise. Every great loaf of sourdough bread starts with a strong sourdough starter.

Flour – I use the organic, unbleached all-purpose flour from Costco for all of my recipes. While organic isn’t always necessary, making sure you use unbleached flour is very important.

Water – Room temp filtered water.

Blueberries – Frozen wild blueberries that have been rinsed and add less moisture to the bread.

Salt – I like pink Himalayan salt but use what you have on hand!

Butter – half a stick of softened butter

Cinnamon Sugar – Brown sugar with a touch of cinnamon.

👩‍🍳 How to Make Blueberry + Cinnamon Sugar Loaf

• In the morning, feed your sourdough starter.
• In the afternoon, when your starter has peaked, assemble your dough.
• Start by mixing together the bubbly starter, honey and water until a milky liquid form. Add in the flour and salt and mix until all the flour is absorbed and there is a shaggy dough. Cover and let sit for one hour.
• After resting, pull the edges of the dough up and towards the middle, rotating the bowl each time until a semi – smooth dough ball forms. Cover and let rest for another hour.
• After resting, rinse 3/4 cup of wild blueberries with cold water to release extra moisture. Pat dry with a paper towel and add to your bowl of dough. Stretch and fold the dough up, and towards the middle, rotating the bowl and incorporating the blueberries into the dough. Cover and let rest for one hour.
• After resting, perform another set of stretch and folds (or coil folds). The dough may be a little more wet than you are used too, but I promise it will be okay. This is normal since they are frozen blueberries. Keep working the dough into a smooth ball. Cover and let rest.
• Optional: you can either cover and let your dough rest for the night or do one more set of stretch and folds to strengthen the dough. Sometimes I do one more if I think the dough is to wet and needs a little more attention, or and sometimes I let it ferment for the night. It’s up to you, and both ways will result in delicious bread.
• The next morning, turn your dough over onto a lightly floured, clean, workspace. Pre-shape your dough into a ball (this isn’t a formal shape, this will help the dough come together before the final shaping process not be too sticky) Tuck the edges towards the middle, flip over and push the dough up with your hands, and pull down in the opposite direction, tucking the dough underneath with your fingers. Cover with a tea towel and let rest for 20 minutes.
• Sprinkle flour on the top of the dough and use your bench scraper to flip it over, lightly stretching into a rectangle shape.
• Mix your cinnamon sugar paste together and place dollops of the mixture evenly over the surface of the dough. Fold the top up, and down towards the middle, pull the opposite side up and towards the middle. Place more dollops of the cinnamon sugar mixture onto the dough.
• Starting from one end of the dough, roll it up so the cinnamon sugar is tucked into the middle. Create tension in the dough by repeating the push and pull motion just like during the pre-shape.
• Using your bench scraper, transfer the dough into a lightly floured banneton, seam side up. The dough may still be wet, but stitch the dough by pinching the sides towards the middle, the best you can.
• Cover and place into the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or up to 3 days,
• When you’re ready to bake, preheat a Dutch oven at 450 for at least 20 minutes.
• Turn your dough over onto a piece of parchment paper or a bread mat, use your bread lame to score the top of your dough.
• Carefully place the bread dough into your HOT Dutch oven. Replace the lid, and bake for for 25 minutes.
• Remove the lid and bake for an addition 23 – 25 minutes. (This depends on how crispy you like the crust).
• Let your bread cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing to ensure the middle is set. Serve with a big smear of butter and a drizzle of honey!

🪄 Tips and Tricks

• If you rinse your frozen blueberries before adding them to the dough, it helps them to not release all of their moisture and make the dough to sticky.
• If you don’t want to make the cinnamon sugar paste for the middle of the dough, you can leave it out entirely or just add a sprinkle of cinnamon during the shaping process.
• Even after rinsing the blueberries, this bread dough will be on the wetter side, add flour as needed to manage the stickiness. But what I find to be the most helpful, is pre- shaping my loaf first. Which is rolling it into a rough ball before the final shaping process. This helps with the unity of the dough, and for it to not be so sticky.

🗒 Bakers Schedule

9 am: Feed your starter a 1:3:3 ratio (50g starter + 150g flour + 150g water)

6pm: Start assembling your dough – starter + water + flour + salt.

7pm: first stretch and fold – rinse your blueberries and pat dry.

8pm: add blueberries to the dough + second stretch and fold.

9pm: third stretch and fold.

10pm: (optional: last stretch and fold)

The next morning –

8 am: pre-shape your dough.

8:30am: final shape + into the fridge.

12:30pm: Preheat your oven.

1pm: bake your loaf.

Let cool and enjoy!

🗒 Substitutions

• If you don’t have frozen wild blueberries – substitute for fresh blueberries.
• All- purpose flour – equal parts bread flour.

🗒 Best served with

• Breakfast + a smear of cream cheese.
• After dinner snack
• As the bread in a French toast casserole.

👝 How to Store Leftovers

You can slice the loaf and place the slices into a Ziplock bag and into the freezer for up to three months. Or, what I like to do, is dice the leftover pieces and place them in the freezer to save for a French toast casserole!

🤔 Common Questions