THE HERITAGE COLLECTION
Authenticity is their nourishment.
Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough, Just Like We Remember
Makes: One 13 × 4-inch loaf or two 5.8-inch square loaves
Soft • Swirled • Fragrant • Nostalgic
Vanilla-soaked raisins and a generous cinnamon-sugar swirl wind through a tender, naturally leavened loaf made for thick slices, golden toast, and remembering.
There are certain smells that never really leave us. For me, one of them is cinnamon raisin bread toasting when I was a kid. The kitchen would slowly fill with that unmistakable sweetness—warm cinnamon, sugar melting into the bread, and the promise of something comforting about to happen.
Pepperidge Farm cinnamon raisin bread was one of those familiar foods in our house. Long before I knew anything about sourdough starters or tangzhong, baker’s percentages or fermentation, I knew what cinnamon raisin bread was supposed to feel like. You toasted it until the edges became golden, spread it generously with butter, and waited just long enough for the butter to disappear into all those warm cinnamon swirls. It was simple, but somehow it felt special.
Years later, after breadmaking had become such an important part of my kitchen, I began thinking about that loaf again. By then, I wasn’t interested in simply finding another packaged version of something I remembered. I wanted to know whether I could take everything I had learned about naturally leavened bread and use it to make the cinnamon raisin bread of my memory—only this time with Daisy, a long fermentation, a beautifully soft crumb, and ingredients I had chosen myself.
My first idea was that I would simply make it in the morning and bake it later that day. That sounded perfectly reasonable when I started.
Enriched sourdough had other plans.
The hours passed. The dough rose slowly. Dinner came and went, and I was still waiting for my cinnamon raisin bread to decide it was ready. By the time I realized I could be baking a loaf at nine o’clock at night, I also realized something else: the recipe didn’t necessarily need to rise faster. I needed to stop asking it to fit my schedule.
That is how the overnight version was born.
The overnight rest made the whole process more peaceful, and in the end, it made this bread feel even more like the kind of bread I wanted to make. There is no hurry in it. You build the sweet starter and soak the raisins in vanilla. The next day you cook the tangzhong, mix and ferment the dough, and roll that generous cinnamon swirl inside. Then eventually you put the whole thing to bed in the refrigerator while you do the same.
The next morning, the loaf comes back out and finishes rising on its own schedule. And when it is finally ready for the oven, the kitchen slowly begins filling with that smell again.
And there it is.
Cinnamon raisin bread, just like I remember.
I don’t put a sugary glaze or topping on mine. I’m trying to recreate the feeling of the bread I remember, not necessarily every detail of a commercial loaf. There is already plenty happening inside—vanilla-soaked raisins, brown sugar and cinnamon spiraling through a soft tangzhong crumb, with the gentle complexity of sourdough underneath it all. I want to taste those things, not cover them up.
There is something deeply nostalgic about cinnamon raisin bread. Even if Pepperidge Farm wasn’t part of your childhood, the idea of it—the swirl, the aroma, the comfort—feels almost universal. It’s the kind of bread that invites you to slow down, toast a slice, and stand at the counter while the butter melts into all those little cinnamon crevices before the day has really begun.
What I love most is that the bread I once knew only as something that came home from the market in a bag is now something I know how to make with my own hands. I know how to build the starter that will raise it, how the dough should feel when it is ready, how tightly to roll the cinnamon through it, and when to stop watching the clock and simply wait. There is something deeply satisfying about that. The bread may remind me of childhood, but making it reminds me of everything I have learned since.
This has also become one of my favorite breads to give away. There is a particular pleasure in handing someone a loaf and imagining the moment they cut into it and discover that cinnamon swirl. People are always impressed by this bread, but I don’t think it is only because it’s beautiful. Homemade bread carries evidence of time. Someone mixed it, waited for it, shaped it, waited some more, and baked it for you.
You can taste that kind of care.
Cinnamon raisin sourdough may begin with nostalgia, but I think that is only part of why I keep making it. It connects one kitchen to another—the bread I remember from childhood to the bread I know how to make now.
And perhaps that is one of the loveliest things about learning to bake. We don’t have to leave the foods we remember behind. We can carry them forward, change them with everything we have learned, make them our own, and still recognize them when that familiar aroma fills the kitchen.
The next morning, I slice it thick and put it in the toaster. I wait until the edges are deeply golden, then spread a little cultured butter over the warm surface and watch it melt into the cinnamon swirl.
For a moment, it is something new and something remembered at exactly the same time.
It’s the kind of bread that steadies a day—the kind you toast slowly, butter generously, and eat while the world wakes up.
Bread that quietly holds you together.
INGREDIENTS
For the Stiff Sweet Starter
30 g active sourdough starter, 100% hydration
30 g pure maple syrup
60 g water
120 g bread flour
For the Tangzhong
35 g bread flour
175 g unsweetened soy milk
For the Main Dough
All of the stiff sweet starter
All of the tangzhong
195 g cool water
40 g organic cane sugar
45 g avocado oil
515 g high-protein bread flour
12 g fine sea salt
100 g raisins
10 g pure vanilla extract
For the Cinnamon Sugar Filling
150 g dark brown sugar, packed
32 g bread flour
11 g ground cinnamon
For Brushing the Dough
3–4 tablespoons unsweetened soy milk
For Finishing
1 tablespoon vegan butter, for brushing the hot loaf
METHOD
DAY 1 — BUILD THE STARTER & SOAK THE RAISINS
Step 1 — Make the Stiff Sweet Starter
In a small jar or bowl, combine:
30 g active sourdough starter, 100% hydration
30 g pure maple syrup
60 g water
120 g bread flour
Mix until a stiff dough forms, then knead briefly with your hands until smooth and cohesive.
Cover loosely and let ferment at room temperature overnight.
By morning, the starter should feel aerated and slightly expanded. A stiff sweet starter may not dramatically double, particularly in a cooler kitchen, so look for signs of fermentation rather than relying on volume alone.
Step 2 — Soak the Raisins
In a small bowl, combine:
100 g raisins
10 g pure vanilla extract
Stir well, cover, and let sit overnight.
If you forget to soak the raisins the night before, soak them for at least 30 minutes before adding them to the dough.
DAY 2 — MAKE & SHAPE THE DOUGH
Step 3 — Make the Tangzhong
In a small saucepan, whisk together:
35 g bread flour
175 g unsweetened soy milk
Place over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens to a smooth, pudding-like consistency and reaches approximately 150°F (65°C).
Remove from the heat and allow the tangzhong to cool until just warm to the touch before making the dough.
Step 4 — Mix & Develop the Dough
Add to the bowl of a stand mixer:
All of the stiff sweet starter
All of the cooled tangzhong
195 g cool water
40 g organic cane sugar
45 g avocado oil
515 g high-protein bread flour
12 g fine sea salt
Mix on low speed until the ingredients come together into a cohesive dough.
Increase to medium-low and knead for approximately 10–20 minutes, or until the dough becomes smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky but not sticky.
Use the windowpane test rather than the clock as your final guide. A small piece of dough should stretch into a thin, translucent membrane without tearing easily. The finished dough should feel soft, supple, and resilient.
This enriched dough develops gluten more slowly because of the sugar and oil, so give it the time it needs. If the dough tears easily or still feels tight, continue kneading for a few more minutes and test again.
Avoid adding additional flour unless the dough is truly wet and unmanageable. A slightly tacky dough will produce a softer finished loaf.
Drain the soaked raisins well, patting them dry if necessary.
Add them to the developed dough and mix on low speed just until evenly distributed.
Step 5 — Bulk Ferment
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl or fermentation container and cover.
Allow to rise in a warm place until the dough has increased approximately 50–70% in volume.
The dough should look visibly lighter and slightly domed, with small bubbles beginning to appear along the sides. When gently pressed, it should feel aerated and elastic rather than dense or tight.
This stage often takes approximately 5–8 hours in a typical home kitchen, but starter strength and dough temperature can change the timing considerably.
Go by the dough, not the clock, and do not rush this rise.
Step 6 — Prepare the Cinnamon Sugar Filling
In a small bowl, combine:
150 g dark brown sugar, packed
32 g bread flour
11 g ground cinnamon
Mix thoroughly and set aside.
Step 7 — repare the Pan & Shape the Dough
This recipe can be baked in:
One 13 × 4-inch loaf pan
One standard 8½ × 4½-inch or 9 × 5-inch loaf pan
Two 5.8-inch square pans
Lightly grease your chosen pan or pans.
Turn the fermented dough onto a lightly floured work surface.
For one large loaf: Roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 10 inches wide and 20–21 inches long.
For two square loaves: Weigh the dough and divide it into two equal portions. Keep one covered while working with the other. Roll each portion into a rectangle approximately 5–6 inches wide and 18–20 inches long.
Gently press out any unusually large air bubbles without completely degassing the dough.
Step 8 — Fill & Roll
Lightly brush the surface of the dough with:
3–4 tablespoons unsweetened soy milk, using only as much as needed
Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar filling evenly over the dough. If making two loaves, divide the filling equally between them.
Gently smooth the filling with your hands so it adheres to the moistened surface.
Beginning at a short end, roll the dough tightly into a log, keeping gentle tension as you roll and tucking as needed to keep the filling inside.
Pinch the seam closed and place the loaf seam-side down in the prepared pan.
If any large bubbles appear on the surface, gently pop them with a toothpick.
Step 9 — Begin the Final Proof
Cover the shaped loaf and allow it to rest at room temperature until it just begins to puff, approximately 1–2 hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen and the activity of your starter.
The loaf should still be clearly under-proofed at this stage. It does not need to approach the rim of the pan before refrigeration.
Cover well and refrigerate overnight for approximately 8–14 hours.
The cold rest slows fermentation, develops flavor, and gives this enriched dough a much more relaxed baking schedule.
DAY 3 — FINISH THE PROOF & BAKE
Step 10 — Finish the Final Proof
Remove the loaf from the refrigerator and allow it to finish proofing at room temperature.
It is ready to bake when:
The dough reaches the rim of the pan or just slightly above it
The loaf looks visibly expanded and feels light and aerated
A gentle fingertip impression springs back slowly
Because both the dough and pan are thoroughly chilled, this final proof often takes approximately 3–6 hours, and occasionally longer in a cool kitchen.
If your kitchen is below approximately 72°F (22°C), place the loaf in a gently warm—not hot—environment to encourage fermentation.
Once again, go by the dough rather than the clock.
Step 11 — Bake
Preheat the oven to:
350°F (175°C)
Bake the loaf uncovered for approximately 45–50 minutes, until deeply golden and the center reaches an internal temperature of approximately 200–205°F (93–96°C).
If the top is becoming too dark before the center is fully baked, loosely tent the loaf with foil and continue baking.
Step 12 — Finish & Cool
Immediately after removing the loaf from the oven, brush the top with:
1 tablespoon vegan butter
Allow the loaf to cool in the pan for approximately 5–10 minutes, then carefully transfer it to a wire rack.
Cool completely before slicing, approximately 1–2 hours. The cinnamon swirl and tender crumb need this cooling time to set properly.
NOTES
Starter Strength
A lively, well-fed starter makes all the difference in enriched sourdough. Because this dough contains sugar and oil, fermentation moves considerably more slowly than it does with a lean sourdough bread.
Build the stiff sweet starter from an active starter rather than one that has been sitting unfed for several days. If your starter is sluggish, expect both the bulk fermentation and final proof to take longer.
The Stiff Sweet Starter
The stiff sweet starter is intentionally quite firm. Don’t expect it to behave exactly like a liquid levain or your everyday sourdough starter.
By morning it should show signs of fermentation and feel lighter and aerated inside, but it may not dramatically double in volume. Aroma, internal aeration, and expansion are better guides than waiting for a particular increase in size.
Flour
I use Bob’s Red Mill Artisan Bread Flour, but any good-quality, high-protein bread flour works beautifully.
Strong flour is especially helpful in this enriched dough because it provides the structure needed to support the tangzhong, oil, sugar, raisins, and cinnamon filling while still allowing the finished loaf to remain wonderfully soft.
Soy Milk
Unsweetened soy milk is my first choice for the tangzhong because its protein and richness contribute to the structure and tenderness of the finished bread.
Another unsweetened plant milk can be used if necessary, although the finished texture may vary slightly.
Tangzhong
The tangzhong is one of the reasons this bread stays so beautifully soft. Cooking a portion of the flour with soy milk allows the starches to gelatinize and hold considerably more moisture within the bread.
Let the tangzhong cool until just warm before adding it to the dough. Adding it while very hot can warm the dough excessively and affect fermentation.
Raisins
Soaking the raisins overnight with vanilla softens them before they enter the dough and gives them time to absorb some of that flavor.
Drain them thoroughly before adding them to the developed dough. Excess liquid on the raisins can make them more difficult to incorporate and can interfere with the dough’s structure.
Temperature Matters
Enriched sourdough loves gentle warmth. Sugar and fat naturally slow fermentation, so this bread will take considerably longer to rise than a lean sourdough loaf.
A dough temperature around 75–80°F (24–27°C) is a comfortable range for fermentation. If the dough seems unusually slow, gentle warmth will help far more than simply watching the clock in a cool kitchen.
Never force the process with excessive heat. Slow fermentation is part of what gives this bread its flavor.
Go by the Dough
The fermentation times throughout this recipe are guides, not deadlines.
Starter strength, dough temperature, room temperature, pan material, and the temperature of your refrigerator can all change the schedule. Look for the visual and tactile signs described in the Method rather than moving to the next step simply because a certain number of hours has passed.
This is particularly important during the final proof. A properly proofed loaf is more important than keeping to a schedule.
Why I Prefer the Overnight Method
This bread can be mixed, shaped, proofed, and baked in one day, but enriched sourdough moves slowly. I learned quickly that a same-day loaf can turn into a very late-night baking project if fermentation takes longer than expected.
Refrigerating the shaped loaf overnight creates a much more relaxed rhythm. The following morning, simply let the cold loaf finish proofing and bake when the dough tells you it is ready.
The refrigerator isn’t there to replace the final proof—the loaf may still need several hours at room temperature the following morning. It simply gives you control over the schedule while allowing the flavor to continue developing slowly.
Swirl Tip
For a clean, defined cinnamon swirl, brush the rolled dough lightly with soy milk, distribute the filling evenly, and roll firmly without pulling the dough excessively tight.
The flour in the cinnamon sugar filling is intentional. It helps absorb moisture as the sugar melts, reducing leaking and helping the spiral remain distinct after baking.
Pan Sizes
This recipe was originally developed for a long 13 × 4-inch sandwich loaf pan.
A standard 8½ × 4½-inch or 9 × 5-inch loaf pan can also be used and will create a different, generally taller profile. The dough can also be divided between two 5.8-inch square pans for smaller loaves.
Because pan dimensions affect the depth and shape of the dough, baking time may vary slightly. Internal temperature is particularly useful when baking the recipe in a different pan for the first time.
Sweetness
This bread is meant to be gently sweet and nostalgic rather than dessert-like. Most of its recognizable cinnamon-raisin sweetness comes from the spiral running through the loaf rather than from an excessively sweet dough.
If you prefer a sweeter cinnamon swirl, increase the brown sugar in the filling slightly rather than substantially sweetening the dough.
Slicing & Toasting
Allow the loaf to cool completely before slicing. The tangzhong creates a very tender crumb, and the cinnamon filling needs time to settle as the loaf cools.
Once cool, it slices beautifully—and perhaps even more importantly, it makes exceptional toast. A thick slice toasted until the edges are golden lets the cinnamon sugar caramelize slightly while the center stays tender.
Storage
Store the completely cooled loaf well wrapped at room temperature for up to 2 days.
For longer storage, slice the loaf and freeze the individual slices in an airtight container or freezer bag. Frozen slices can go directly into the toaster, making it very easy to have cinnamon-raisin toast whenever you want it.
A Final Thought
There are breads we make because we want something new, and there are breads we make because we want to find our way back to something we remember.
This one belongs to the second kind.
The cinnamon spiral, the raisins tucked into a soft slice, and especially that first piece of warm toast bring back the familiar cinnamon-raisin bread of childhood—but now it comes from a sourdough starter, a long fermentation, and our own hands.
Sometimes making something from scratch isn’t about leaving the old version behind. It’s about discovering how beautifully we can bring it home.
CONVERSION: INSTANT YEAST OPTION
This recipe is written for natural sourdough fermentation. If you prefer a shorter timeline, you can easily make it with instant yeast instead.
To Convert
Omit the 150 g sourdough starter.
Add 7 g (2¼ tsp) instant yeast.
Increase the flour to 550 g total.
Increase the soy milk to 300 g total.
Proceed with the same mixing method.
Continue with the remaining recipe exactly as written, including the lamination, filling, proofing, and baking instructions.
Fermentation Timeline with Instant Yeast
Bulk ferment for approximately 1½–2½ hours at 75–78°F, or until the dough is soft, visibly expanded, and puffy.
Shape and fill the loaf as directed in the master recipe.
Final proof for approximately 1–2 hours, or until the loaf is relaxed, gently swollen, and has reached the appropriate height in the pan.
Bake as directed.
Yeast fermentation is faster and produces a slightly milder flavor while still creating excellent texture and structure.
What to Expect
The instant yeast version will be slightly less tangy, slightly more sweet-forward, and somewhat more predictable in its fermentation schedule.
But it will be every bit as beautiful.
Inspiration: This recipe is inspired by Sourdough Gal, whose ratios form the foundation of this loaf. I’ve veganized the recipe & adapted the timeline to suit my own kitchen and rhythm.
This is the kind of food that nourishes quietly.
It asks us to slow down,
to listen,
and to remember what is enough.