Sourdough Cinnamon Sugar Quick Bread – A Discard Recipe

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Sourdough cinnamon sugar quick bread is made with sourdough starter discard, maple syrup, sour cream, with a swirled with cinnamon sugar middle and a crunchy crumble topping. You’ll love how easy this delicious bread is to make.  

As I type this, the house is open and there’s a cool breeze blowing through which isn’t typical for August. In fact, it feels about 20 degrees cooler than usual. While not ideal for a fun beach day, it is getting me excited for fall weather, and more importantly, all things pumpkin, apple, and cinnamon. It’s a delicious time of year and this is the perfect bread to bake. There’s nothing quite like the smell of sourdough cinnamon sugar quick bread baking as fresh air fills the house.

Why Add Sourdough Starter Quick Breads? 

While my sourdough cinnamon rolls and sourdough cinnamon roll focaccia bread use active starter for their leavening, this sourdough cinnamon sugar quick bread uses baking soda and baking powder for its lifting power. Adding sourdough discard is not only a great way to reduce food waste, but it is acidic and will react with the leavening agents to create a tall loaf. This means there’s no need to wait to let the dough rise like most sourdough recipes. However, don’t be so quick to bake the bread. Fermenting offers plenty of benefits by allowing the bacteria time to do its thing. 

Adding sourdough starter, even just a little bit, introduces a colony of bacteria that go to work to create that classic tangy flavor. But that’s not all, when sourdough breads are given time to bulk ferment, it breaks down the phytic acid, making the bread easier to digest and improves the nutritional value of sourdough bread recipes.

Equipment To Make Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Bread 

• 1 8×4-inch bread loaf pan
• Large bowl
• Small bowl
• Stand mixer (optional)
• Kitchen scale (optional, but highly recommended)

Sourdough Cinnamon Bread Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

• Butter – I stay clear of vegetable oils and use salted butter instead. If you use unsalted butter, you’ll need to compensate for the lost salt in the recipe and add 1/4 tsp of salt. 
• Sugar – Granulated sugar adds sweetness and creates a soft, tender baked good
• Egg – Use a large egg at room temperature for easy mixing.
• Vanilla extract – Adds flavor to any baked goods. 
• Maple syrup – A natural sweetener full of minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants.
• Sour cream – Creates a moist, tender quick bread. You can substitute plain Greek yogurt if needed. 
• Sourdough starter – While you can use active sourdough starter, this recipe is really intended as a great way to use up extra sourdough starter discard. 

Dry Ingredients

• Flour – I use all-purpose flour in all of my quick bread recipes for a light and soft bread. I’d stay away from bread flour since it has a higher protein content.
• Baking soda – Adds lift and reacts with the acid in the sour cream and sourdough starter.
• Baking powder –  Another leavening agent to give lift to the bread. 

Cinnamon Sugar Swirl Mixture

• Cinnamon – The star of the show, creating the best, warm flavor.
• Sugar – Use granulated sugar.

Crumb Topping Mixture

• Brown sugar – Adds caramel notes that you don’t get when you use granulated sugar.
• Cinnamon – Another layer of cinnamon flavor.
• Flour – Provides texture and helps to hold the crumb mixture together.
• Butter – Use salted melted butter.

Sourdough Cinnamon Swirl Bread Instructions

Prepare

Grease an 8×4-inch loaf pan and dust it with flour, tapping out any excess, or line the pan with a piece of parchment paper. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees if planning to bake the same day.

Mixing the Batter – Same Day Method

Add softened butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together. Add the remaining wet ingredients, the egg, vanilla extract, maple syrup, sour cream, and sourdough discard to the bowl. Turn the mixer on low, gradually increasing the speed to medium to mix all of the ingredients together. 

In a separate large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on medium-low until the batter is just combined. You may need to pause the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl, then continue mixing. 

Assembling the Loaf

In a small bowl combine the cinnamon and granulated sugar for the cinnamon sugar swirl mixture.

To make the crumb topping combine cinnamon, brown sugar, and flour in a separate bowl. Pour the melted butter over the top and mix until all of the dry ingredients are coated.

Spoon half of the batter evenly into the loaf pan, making sure that it gets into the corners. Next, sprinkle half of the cinnamon and sugar mixture over the batter and use a butter knife to swirl it. Repeat with the remaining batter and cinnamon sugar mixture. Swirl in the same way as the first time, making sure to get some of the cinnamon sugar swirl mixture into the corners. Lastly, sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the top of the loaf. 

Bake

Place the loaf pan into the oven on the middle rack and bake for 55-60 minutes. Because the top of the loaf is covered with a dark cinnamon crumble you won’t see the typical telltale sign of a golden brown color on top as it bakes. However, you know the bread is done when a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean or a digital thermometer reads 200 degrees.

Long Ferment Batter Method

Allowing the batter to ferment is a great option if you have the time as requires little additional effort.

Prepare the sourdough cinnamon sugar quick bread batter just like in the ‘Same Day Method,’ but instead of pouring into the loaf pan, cover the mixing bowl and let the dough rest in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. 

The next day when you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and continue with ‘Assembling the Loaf’ directions.

Because the batter is refrigerator-cold, you may need to increase the baking time by 5-10 minutes. Baking time will vary, but bake until a toothpick comes out clean, not just relying on baking time alone to ensure its fully baked.

Serve and Storage

Let the sourdough cinnamon sugar bread rest in the loaf pan for 15 minutes before removing it from the pan and placing it onto a wire rack. Let the bread cool completely before cutting it into slices with a sharp knife. Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days or refrigerate for longer storage, up to 7 days.

Quick breads freeze really well, tasting exactly like they do before they’re frozen. I will often double or triple the recipe and freeze the additional loaves. Allow the bread to cool completely and wrap the loaf, cut into slices or left whole, tightly in plastic wrap. Alternatively, you could place it into a plastic bag, squeezing out as much air as you can. Then label the bread with its name and the date and place it into the freezer. For the best flavor, enjoy within 3 months.

 

I’d love to hear from you! Please leave a comment and rate the recipe. Tag photos #Lockremhomestead over on Instagram when you share pictures of your Sourdough Cinnamon Sugar Quick Bread!