Step 1

Levain: Mix together 35 grams ripe sourdough starter, 35 grams all-purpose or bread flour and 35 grams water. Set aside to ripen for 3-4 hours, keeping the temperature at 78ºF. Levain is ready when it has doubled in size, is very bubbly, smells milky sweet and is just about to fall.

Step 2

Fermentolyse: Once the levain is peaked and active, mix 100 grams levain with 375 grams of water in a large bowl. Warm the water if the ingredients are too cold and cool the water if ingredients are too warm. Add the 450 grams bread flour and 50 grams whole wheat flour to the bowl and mix until incorporated and a shaggy dough forms. Let rest for 30 minutes.

Step 3

Mixing: After 30 minutes, add the reserved salt and reserved 25 grams of water. Combine using your hands by squeezing the dough between your fingers, pinching chunks of dough and reincorporating together. The dough will break apart and then reform in the bowl through this process. Pick up one side of the dough and fold it over on itself. The dough will be sticky. Wet your hands as needed and continue to work with the dough, slapping it against the side of the bowl and stretching it back until all the salt and water have been incorporated and the dough is cohesive and strong. Alternatively you can perform this step in a stand mixer. Transfer the dough to a plastic container or bowl if desired.

Step 4

Bulk Fermentation: Perform 3-4 sets of "stretch and folds," adding the raisins in during the second set.

Step 5

To “stretch and fold,” wet your hand (so it doesn’t stick to the dough). Reach down to the bottom of the bowl of dough and pull the dough up and over the top of the dough. Turn the bowl 1/4 turn and repeat the stretch and fold. Turn another quarter turn and repeat. Perform one more 1/4 turn with stretching and folding the dough. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes.

Step 6

Add raisins: Before performing the second set of stretch and folds, add the raisins on top of the dough. Stretch and fold the dough again, incorporating the raisins in as you go. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes. Repeat the third and fourth set of stretch and folds every 30 minutes for the next hour.

Step 7

Bulk Fermentation Continued: Let the dough rest in a warm place, for the rest of bulk fermentation, about 2-3 hours at 78ºF. During this time the dough will puff up about 30-40%, become more aerated, start to pull away from the edges of the bowl and have a few scattered bubbles around the edges/top of the dough. If your dough is not showing these signs, make sure it's warm enough and give it another half an hour or so until it is showing signs that it's ready to shape.

Step 8

Mix Cinnamon Filling: Mix together 58 grams softened butter, 60 grams brown sugar, 6 grams ground cinnamon, 3 grams flour and a pinch of salt until it forms a paste. Set aside.

Step 9

Prepare Bowl: Prepare a bowl or banneton with a liner or sprinkle liberally with rice flour.

Step 10

Shaping: When the dough is showing signs that it's ready to shape, dump the dough out onto the countertop. Gently pull the dough into a 12 by 12 square shape. It does NOT need to be very thinly stretched, see post pictures for example. Dollop most of the cinnamon mixture on the top of the dough. Fold one side of the dough to the middle and then the other side of the dough to the middle. Add the rest of the cinnamon sugar mixture on top of that dough. Then roll the dough up into a cylinder or circular shape. Immediately place the dough in the prepared banneton basket without too much handling of the dough. Cinnamon sugar tends to release moisture in the dough making it necessary to work quickly and get it in the banneton.

Step 11

Cold Bulk Fermentation: Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a shower cap and store in the refrigerator overnight for about 18-24 hours. Alternatively you can let your dough rise outside the fridge for another 3-4 hours and then bake your loaf the same day. If you choose this method, stick your banneton or bowl of dough in the fridge or freezer to chill it for a few minutes before scoring.

Step 12

Pre-heat the Oven: Put a Dutch oven (top and all) into the oven and preheat to 500ºF. Allow the Dutch oven to heat for about 30 minutes at 500ºF.

Step 13

Once preheated for 30 minutes, pull the loaf out of the refrigerator. Remove the plastic wrap or shower cap (this is easy to do straight out of the refrigerator if the dough is chilled – not easy if the dough warms up) and place a piece of parchment paper on top of the bread dough. Flip the dough over so that the dough is now sitting on the parchment paper. Take off the bowl banneton and liner.

Step 14

Scoring: Smooth flour over the top of the dough (add a little extra for more contrast if desired) or leave the flour off completely for no contrast. Use a bread lame or very sharp knife to score the dough. Bread with inclusions typically does not score quite as well as bread without. This is not a loaf for intricate scoring. One large slash, about 1 inch deep is sufficient.

Step 15

Bake: Carefully remove the Dutch oven from the 500ºF oven with hot pads. Take the top off and place your bread into the Dutch oven (including parchment paper – this helps with the transfer). Be very careful not to touch the sides of the hot Dutch oven. Put your hot pads back on before you pick up the lid of the Dutch oven and place it on top of the bread. Put the whole Dutch oven back into the oven. Lower the temperature to 450ºF and bake for 25 minutes. Once 20 minutes are up, take the top off the Dutch oven and lower the temperature again to 400ºF. Continue baking for 20 minutes until the bread is fully baked with an internal temperature of 205ºF. Note: If your oven runs hot or you are using a dark cast iron pot, there's a tendency for the bottom of the loaf to burn. Make sure to put a sheet pan on the rack underneath the pot to deflect the heat and decrease the temperature to 425ºF instead of 450ºF.

Step 16

Let cool completely and enjoy!