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I am obsessed with King Arthur’s cinnamon raisin sourdough bread. I make it at least once a week! My niece, who is very allergic to eggs and dairy, was recently visiting, and I really, really wanted her to experience this bread. So, I got to thinking how I could veganize the original recipe, and got right to it. Hence, the birth of this Vegan Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Bread.

What makes this Vegan Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Bread vegan?

The original King Arthur recipe calls for an egg and some butter. Those were the only two ingredients I needed to sub out. The butter was an easy one, as there are some really good vegan butters out there these days. (My go-to is Earth Balance baking sticks.) The egg was a separate issue. I probably could have just left the egg out and played around from there, but I wanted to replace it with something. Enter non-dairy milk to provide some extra protein that would otherwise come from the egg. I also love incorporating a mashed potato into bread doughs, as the starch in the potatoes works wonders on bread, making the bread really soft. The first Cinnamon Rolls recipe I shared on this blog, which is from Martha Stewart, also uses a mashed potato in the dough.

Suffice it to say, I absolutely love how this bread came out. It is just as good, if not better, than the original recipe. It makes for outstanding toast in the morning!

What ingredients are in Vegan Cinnamon Sourdough Bread?

all ingredients portioned out
No unique ingredients to make the best vegan cinnamon raisin sourdough bread!

There are no obscure ingredients for this recipe, but it is for people who maintain their own sourdough starter and have sourdough discard.

Let’s take a deeper dive into the dough ingredients:

  • Mashed Potato. The potato takes part of the place of the egg, adding a softness to the dough (as does the sourdough discard).
  • Sourdough Discard. In addition to contributing to the softness of the dough, the discard contributes to the taste of the bread, adding just a bit of sour to contrast with the sweet cinnamon sugar filling.
  • Flour. We use all purpose flour in this recipe. A higher protein flour like bread flour could also work, but I prefer all purpose to maintain the soft bread feel as opposed to a breadier texture.
  • Yeast. Because the sourdough discard is not active, we need yeast to make the bread rise. I much prefer instant yeast to active dry yeast. If you only have active dry yeast, I suggest dissolving it in the heated oat milk for approximately 5 minutes until it gets foamy. I would also increase the amount of active dry yeast to 2¾ teaspoons. (Approximately 25% of active dry yeast is actually dead. Instant yeast is 100% alive.)
  • Sugar. Just a tablespoon is all you need here. The sugar adds a slight touch of sweetness to the dough, helps the top of the loaf to brown, and helps activate the yeast in the dough.
  • Vegan Butter. Vegan butter, like dairy butter, is a fat. The fat helps the bread to be soft and maintain moisture.
  • Oat Milk. Any non-dairy milk would work here, but I love how the slight oat flavor complements the cinnamon sugar filling. If not using oat milk, I would first try soy milk before trying a nut milk such as almond milk, although I suspect they will all work well here. The protein in the non-dairy milk replaces the protein from the egg in the original recipe.
  • Salt. I generally use sea salt when baking, especially breads. If you only have table salt, you can certainly use it. Salt helps the dough ferment properly and balances the flavors in the dough.
  • Sugar, Flour and Cinnamon. The sugar and cinnamon make for a wonderful filling. The flour helps thicken the sugar and cinnamon as the bread bakes, making sure it adheres to the oat milk that gets spread on the dough before applying the filling.
  • Raisins. While raisins are completely optional, I love, love, love the sweetness of the raisins in every bite of this bread.
all the filling ingredients portioned out
Such a simple, yet delicious filling!

How to make Vegan Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Bread

This bread is actually very easy to make:

1. Boil and mash the potato

Start by filling a small to medium saucepan approximately  up with water. Bring it to a boil. (Do not add salt.) While the water is heating up, peel and slice the potato into wedges measuring approximately ½ an inch. Cook the potatoes until a fork inserted into them goes through easily. Drain, mash and allow them to cool until they are lukewarm. While they are cooling, gather the rest of the ingredients.

2. Knead

Heat the oat milk. A microwave is great for this. Alternatively, heat it in a small saucepan over a low flame, stirring just until it gets warm. If it exceeds 115° F, set it aside to cool down a bit. Anywhere between 90° F and 110° F is ideal.

Then dump all the dough ingredients except for the salt into a bowl. You can absolutely knead this by hand. I am a fan of using my mixer with the dough hook. After the dough has really come together, slowly knead in the salt. Knead just until the dough passes the windowpane test, meaning that, when you take a small piece of it and stretch it between your fingers, it gets thin enough to be translucent without ripping. Cover and let it rise for approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes.

piece of dough thinly stretched without ripping showing that is passes the windowpane test
The dough is fully kneaded when a small piece stretched is translucent without ripping.

3. Fill and roll

Punch down the dough and give it a few kneads to redistribute the yeast and ensure the dough is all at the same temperature. Roll it out into a rectangle, approximately 6 inches wide and 18-22 inches long. Use a pastry brush to apply a thin coat of oat milk all over the dough, except for approximately ½ an inch of the top of the width of the 6 inch edge.

Sprinkle the sugar/cinnamon/flour mixture all over the dough and top with the raisins. Roll the dough up. You want to roll it so that it has a little room to rise but tight enough to avoid air pockets. Rolling it too tight will cause the dough to crack as it bakes. Place the dough in a greased 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan.

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for one hour, at which point the dough should be approximately one inch above the edge of the pan.

4. Bake, cool and enjoy!

Bake the bread for 45 minutes. The internal temperature should be at least 190° F. Once it’s done, take it out of the oven and remove it from the pan. Allow it to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. Cooling it out of the pan will avoid the sides from getting soggy.

overhead shot of a few slices of cinnamon raisin sourdough bread
So delish alone or toasted with a shmear of vegan butter.

Frequently Asked Questions About Making Vegan Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Bread

Can I use active dry yeast instead of instant yeast in vegan cinnamon raisin sourdough bread?

Yes. Increase the amount of yeast to 2¾ teaspoons. Dissolve the active dry yeast in the heated oat milk for approximately 5 minutes, until it gets foamy.

Can I refrigerate the vegan cinnamon raisin sourdough dough overnight?

Yes. After you fill and roll the dough up, place it into the prepared pan. Instead of allowing it to rise for an hour, wrap the loaf pan and dough in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, take it out of the refrigerator for a half hour while the oven preheats. Bake as usual.

Vegan Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Bread

5 from 32 votes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Resting time 2 hours 45 minutes
Total Time 4 hours
Servings 16 slices
Calories 170
The best vegan cinnamon swirl bread has a touch of sourdough discard and baked up super soft and delicious!

Equipment

  • 1 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan

Ingredients

Dough

  • 110 grams baking potato (½ cup)
  • 113 grams sourdough discard (½ cup)
  • 360 grams all purpose flour (3 cups)
  • teaspoons instant yeast (See note below for active dry yeast)
  • 1 Tablespoon sugar
  • 71 grams vegan butter (5 Tablespoons)
  • 152 grams oat milk, warmed to approximately 100° F (⅔ cup)
  • 8 grams sea salt (1¼ teaspoons)

Filling

  • 75 grams sugar (¼ cup plus 2 Tablespoons)
  • teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 Tablespoon all purpose flour
  • 83 grams raisins (heaping ½ cup)
  • 1 Tablespoon oat milk

Instructions 

  • Fill a small or medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil. (Do not add salt.) Peel the potato. Cut it into quarters, then into approximately ½ inch pieces. Once the water comes to a boil, add the potato pieces, cooking for 10-12 minutes, just until they are tender enough for a fork to easily slide into them. Drain, mash and allow to cool a bit until lukewarm. Weigh out 110 grams or measure out ½ cup. (Save the rest for dinner.)
  • Place all of the dough ingredients except for the salt into the bowl of an electric mixer. (Or knead them all by hand in a bowl.) Knead on a medium speed until a dough forms, approximately 2-3 minutes. Lower the speed and slowly add in the salt. Increase the speed to medium and continue kneading until the dough passes the windowpane test.
  • Shape the dough into a ball and cover with plastic wrap. Allow it to double in size, approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes.
  • In a small bowl, mix the sugar, cinnamon and flour together. Set aside.
  • Spray a 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan with non-stick spray.
  • Punch down the dough and give it a few kneads by hand. Roll it out into a long rectangle, approximately 6 inches by 20 inches. Brush a thin layer of oat milk all over the dough, except for the top ½ inch. Sprinkle with the cinnamon mixture and then the raisins. Use the rolling pin to gently push the filling and raisins into the dough. Roll the dough up and pinch the seams together. Place the dough into the prepared pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise for one hour.
  • Approximately 30 minutes into the second rise, preheat the oven to 350° F.
  • At the end of the second rise, the dough should have risen approximately 1 inch above the top of the pan. Bake for 45 minutes. The internal temperature of the dough should be at least 190° F. Immediately remove from pan and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

Notes

  • If using active dry yeast, increase to 2¾ teaspoons. Dissolve the yeast in the heated oat milk for 5-10. minutes, until it foams. Continue with the recipe, kneading together the rest of the dough ingredients except for the salt.
Calories: 170kcal
Course: Bread, Breakfast, brunch
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cinnamon, discard, sourdough

Nutrition

Calories: 170kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Sodium: 231mg | Potassium: 122mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 192IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 1mg

7 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Great recipe; we love Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Bread, and this went down lovely for breakfast 🙂

  2. 5 stars
    I love all your vegan baking recipes, they are all amazing but this one has to be my favourite!

  3. 5 stars
    This bread is fantastic! I used currants and sultanas and made 4 mini-loaves to share with very appreciative friends! Perfect, especially toasted. Not too sweet and a lovely deep flavor from the sourdough. Thanks!

  4. 5 stars
    This is a lovely bread! Made it in four mini loaf pans and used sultanas and currants. It’s not too sweet and the flavor is complex… especially toasted. Much appreciated by the friends I gifted. I love it!

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