This apple cinnamon sourdough loaf is the perfect fall-inspired bake. Make with crisp apples, warm cinnamon, and your trusty sourdough starter, this beautiful bread is sweet, spiced, and filled with cozy flavor in every bite. Whether you’re serving it at a holiday brunch, enjoying it as toast with butter, or gifting a loaf to a friend, this apple cinnamon sourdough bread recipe brings all the best flavors of fall into one beautiful loaf.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Cozy Fall Flavor – Real apples and cinnamon bring out the best of the season. Need I say more?!
Use of peak-season produce – Apples are at their best during the fall, and there is nothing better than using fruit that shines during the fall for every cozy baking day.
Freezer-Friendly – This apple cinnamon sourdough is a great make-ahead loaf for busy fall mornings.
Tips for Making The Ultimate Apple Cinnamon Sourdough Loaf
- We highly recommend using honey crisp apples for this loaf since they are a bit firmer than other types of apples.
- Dice the apples into small pieces so they distribute evenly throughout the dough.
- Lightly coat apples in the cinnamon before folding them in.
Tools You May Need
Digital kitchen scale
Stand Mixer – or large mixing bowl
Lame or sharp knife – for scoring
Dutch oven
Banneton basket – or a bowl with a tea towel
Dough whisk
Bench scraper – for final shaping
Parchment paper
Ingredients for The Best Apple Cinnamon Sourdough For Fall
Feed Your Starter
Feed your starter 4 – 6 hours before making the fall-inspired apple cinnamon sourdough. You want your starter to be bubbly and active before mixing. If you want to be super accurate while doing this, use a 1:1:1 ratio (equal parts starter, water, and flour by weight). We follow the measurements below and still get a bubbly starter in the same amount of time. I also feed my starter right before bed the night before and it’s always ready to go in the morning. This could work great for those of you that have a colder home.
1/2 cup – bread flour
1/2 cup – whole wheat flour
1 cup – water
For the Dough
100g active starter
307g water
450g bread flour
10g salt
1 medium apple or half a large one.
1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon
How Inclusions Effect Bulk Fermentation
Adding apples can release moisture into the dough which can extend bulk fermentation time. Apples and cinnamon also reduce gluten strength slightly so allow enough rest time between stretch and folds. I usually do 3 rounds of 4 – 5 stretch and folds about 30 minutes apart.
Cinnamon can also absorb moisture so your stretch and folds might make the dough come together sooner.
Your dough temperature is so important when determining how long your dough should bulk ferment. Our house runs a bit cooler which means our dough has to bulk ferment for 12 hours. If you have a meat thermometer I would recommend taking your dough temperature using that and using this bulk fermentation chart by The Sourdough Journey. This has been a game changer for us, and we hope it will help you too!
Baker’s Schedule (Adjust if Needed)
How to Make The Best Apple Cinnamon Sourdough For Fall
1. Make the Dough
Once your starter is active mix it in a stand mixer or larger bowl with warm water and whisk together until you get a frothy mixture. Next, add your bread flour and salt and mix until the dough comes together.
Let the dough rest for 1 hour. This will allow the flour to fully hydrate and develop gluten.
2. Stretch & Folds
After that hour, start performing 3 rounds of stretch and folds. Do 4 – 5 stretch and folds 30 minutes apart.
On the last stretch and fold, add the apples and cinnamon. Start folding them into the dough like this.
3. Bulk Fermentation
Let the dough rise at room temperature until it’s doubled in size. Reference the fermentation chart we linked in the previous section to determine how long your dough should bulk ferment. Remember, inclusion might cause your dough to rise a bit slower.
4. Final Shaping
After the dough has doubled in size for a loooooong time, dump the dough onto a floured surface and perform the final shape. The easiest way to do this is with a bench scraper.
Tuck the bench scraper underneath the dough and move the dough in a clockwise motion (counter clockwise if you’re left handed) until the bench scraper is in front of you again. Keep doing that until you’ve built tension in your dough.
5. Final Proof
Once the dough is nice and tight, transfer it to a banneton basket or a bowl and cover it with a tea towel. Put it in the fridge for 12 – 15 hours before baking.
6. Bake the Best Apple Cinnamon Sourdough Loaf
Preheat your oven and your dutch oven at 420 degrees. While you’re waiting for your oven to preheat, perform the final stitch of the fall apple cinnamon sourdough by taking opposite sides of the dough and crossing them over each other in the middle.
Pitch together the dough you just brought in the middle. Tip – Place your dough on floured parchment paper and let it sit on top of the oven while it preheats. By giving the dough a warm surface to lay on, it will bring the dough to room temperature a bit quicker.
Once your oven has preheated, bake for 6 minutes in your dutch oven with the lid on. Then take your lame or sharp knife to score it. The 6 minute score is going to be the best scoring method for oven spring, but you can also score your sourdough beforehand like we did.
After the 6 minutes are up, score the bread and bake for 20 minutes with the lid on, and 25 minutes with the lid off. Let your apple cinnamon sourdough cool for at least 3 hours before cutting into it, but if you can’t wait that long, we don’t blame you.
Storage
Slice your beautiful creation and store in the fridge for 3 – 5 days or the freezer for up to 3 months.
The Best Apple Cinnamon Sourdough For Fall
Equipment
- Digital kitchen scale
- Stand Mixer – or large mixing bowl
- Lame or sharp knife – for scoring
- Dutch oven
- Banneton basket – or a bowl with a tea towel
- Dough whisk
- Bench scraper – for final shaping
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 100 g active starter
- 307 g water
- 450 g bread flour
- 10 g salt
- 1 medium apple or half a large one.
- 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon
Instructions
Feeding Your Starter
- Feed your starter 4 – 6 hours before making the fall-inspired apple cinnamon sourdough. You want your starter to be bubbly and active before mixing. If you want to be super accurate while doing this, use a 1:1:1 ratio (equal parts starter, water, and flour by weight). We follow the measurements below and still get a bubbly starter in the same amount of time. I also feed my starter right before bed the night before and it’s always ready to go in the morning. This could work great for those of you that have a colder home.
- 1/2 cup – bread flour
- 1/2 cup – whole wheat flour
- 1 cup – water
1. Make the Dough
- Once your starter is active mix it in a stand mixer or larger bowl with warm water and whisk together until you get a frothy mixture. Next, add your bread flour and salt and mix until the dough comes together.
- Let the dough rest for 1 hour. This will allow the flour to fully hydrate and develop gluten.
2. Stretch & Folds
- After that hour, start performing 3 rounds of stretch and folds. Do 4 – 5 stretch and folds 30 minutes apart.
- On the last stretch and fold, add the apples and cinnamon. Start folding them into the dough.
3. Bulk Fermentation
- Let the dough rise at room temperature until it’s doubled in size. Reference the fermentation chart we linked in the previous section to determine how long your dough should bulk ferment. Remember, inclusion might cause your dough to rise a bit slower.
4. Final Shaping
- After the dough has doubled in size for a loooooong time, dump the dough onto a floured surface and perform the final shape. The easiest way to do this is with a bench scraper.
- Tuck the bench scraper underneath the dough and move the dough in a clockwise motion (counter clockwise if you’re left handed) until the bench scraper is in front of you again. Keep doing that until you’ve built tension in your dough.
5. Final Proof
- Once the dough is nice and tight, transfer it to a banneton basket or a bowl and cover it with a tea towel. Put it in the fridge for 12 – 15 hours before baking.
6. Bake
- Preheat your oven and your dutch oven at 420 degrees. While you’re waiting for your oven to preheat, perform the final stitch of the fall apple cinnamon sourdough by taking opposite sides of the dough and crossing them over each other in the middle.
- Pitch together the dough you just brought in the middle. Tip – Place your dough on floured parchment paper and let it sit on top of the oven while it preheats. By giving the dough a warm surface to lay on, it will bring the dough to room temperature a bit quicker.
- Once your oven has preheated, bake for 6 minutes in your dutch oven with the lid on. Then take your lame or sharp knife to score it. The 6 minute score is going to be the best scoring method for oven spring, but you can also score your sourdough beforehand like we did.
Notes
Storage
- Slice your beautiful creation and store in the fridge for 3 – 5 days or the freezer for up to 3 months.
Bulk Fermentation
- Please refer to the bulk fermentation chart by The Sourdough Journey to determine how long your dough should bulk ferment.
Baker’s Schedule
- For anyone that needs a schedule to follow, we have one above!
If you tried this recipe and loved it please come back and give this recipe 5 stars! Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram @goldenhourgrains.
Want More Sourdough Recipes?
Check these out!
Chocolate Swirl Sourdough Bread
Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Pumpkin Cinnamon Sourdough Bread
Are you local?
If you live in the Lubbock, TX area we would love to bake bread for you! Sign up for reminders for our next bread drop so you don’t miss a chance to pre-order bread from us!
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I’m so sad. I followed this recipe to the letter and my dough was sticky all the way to the end and didn’t rise very well. Where could I have gone wrong?
Hi there!
It sounds like the hydration in your dough may have been a bit too high. Next time I would try adding slightly less apples and incorporate the apples and cinnamon during your bulk fermentation instead of folding them into the dough. If you try this, please note, your bulk fermentation might take a bit longer. Hope this helps!
You didn’t finish your baking directions?
Hi Roxanne! All the baking instructions are in the blog post and on the recipe card. Hope this helps!