Cinnamon Apple Sourdough Bread

This Cinnamon Apple Sourdough Bread combines sweet apples, butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar in a crusty fall sourdough inclusion loaf. The sautéed apples are folded throughout the dough for a cozy, flavorful loaf you’ll want to make all season long.

Course Bread, Breakfast

Cuisine American

Prep Time 1 7

Cook Time 45

Cool Time 2

Total Time 1 9 45

Servings slices

Calories 194kcal

Author Ashley Petrie, RDN, LDN

Equipment

Small skillet
Kitchen scale
Bowl scraper
Straight-sided container (optional)
Proofing basket or bowl lined with tea towel
Bread sling or parchment paper
Lame or sharp knife
6-quart dutch oven

Ingredients

Sautéed Cinnamon Apples

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium (140 grams) apple peeled and diced into ¼-inch cubes
2 tablespoons brown sugar packed
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Sourdough Bread

1 ⅓ cups (330 grams) water
½ cup (100 grams) active sourdough starter
4 cups (480 grams) bread flour
3 ½ teaspoons (10 grams) Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt reduce to 1 ¾ teaspoons if using Morton's brand or table salt
Rice flour for proofing basket
2 ice cubes for steam

Instructions

Feed your sourdough starter 6–12 hours before you plan to mix the dough. It should be bubbly, active, and at or near its peak when you’re ready to use it. In a cooler kitchen (60–65°F), this may take closer to 12 hours, while a warmer kitchen (around 75°F) may take about 6 hours.
Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add the diced apples and cook for 7–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the brown sugar and cinnamon and stir to coat the apples. Continue cooking for 2–3 minutes, until the sugar melts into a thick, syrupy coating. Remove from the heat and let the apples cool completely before adding them to the dough.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 medium (140 grams) apple, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
In a large bowl, whisk together the water and active sourdough starter until the starter is mostly dissolved. Add the bread flour and salt and mix until no dry flour remains and a sticky dough forms. Cover and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
4 cups (480 grams) bread flour, 1 ⅓ cups (330 grams) water, ½ cup (100 grams) active sourdough starter, 3 ½ teaspoons (10 grams) Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
Lightly wet your hands and gently flatten the dough. Spread about one-quarter of the cooled apples over the surface. Grab one side of the dough, stretch it upward, and fold it over the center. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and repeat, adding another quarter of the apples with each fold until all of the apples have been incorporated. Gather the dough into a loose ball and place it seam-side down. Cover and let it rest for 15 minutes. Repeat the stretch-and-fold process 3 more times, resting the dough for 15 minutes between each round, for a total of 4 rounds of stretch and folds.
Cover the dough and let it rise at room temperature until it has nearly doubled, looks noticeably puffy, and has bubbles throughout. This can take anywhere from 4–12+ hours depending on the temperature of your kitchen and the strength of your starter.

A straight-sided container makes it much easier to see how much the dough has risen.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and gently stretch it into a large rectangle. Fold one short side toward the center, then fold the opposite short side over it, like folding a letter. Fold the two long sides toward the center in the same way. Flip the dough seam-side down. Using your hands or a bench scraper, gently pull the dough toward yourself across the work surface to create surface tension and shape it into a smooth, tight ball.
Lightly dust a proofing basket with rice flour. You can also use a bowl lined with a clean tea towel. Transfer the dough to the basket seam-side up, pinching the seam closed if needed. Cover and refrigerate for 12–16 hours.
Rice flour
Place a lidded Dutch oven in the oven and preheat to 450°F. Once the oven reaches temperature, let the Dutch oven continue heating for 30 minutes.
Turn the dough onto a piece of parchment paper or a bread sling. Score the top with a lame or sharp knife. Carefully remove the hot Dutch oven from the oven. Add the ice cubes for steam, then carefully lower the dough into the Dutch oven. Cover with the lid and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the lid and continue baking for 5–10 minutes, or until the crust is deeply golden brown and reaches your desired level of doneness.
2 ice cubes
Transfer the bread to a wire rack and let it cool for at least 2 hours before slicing.

Notes

Storage: Store bread at room temperature for up to 2 days, then freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Did you try this recipe?Let me know! Comment below, or take a picture and tag me on Instagram @everydayhomemadebyashley.