Step 1

(9:00 a.m.)In a small bowl mix the Levain ingredients. Cover the jar and keep it at a warm temperature for 3 to 3 1/2 hours.

Step 2

(11:30 a.m)In a mixing bowl, add the Autolyse ingredients until no dry bits remain. Cover the bowl and let rest for 1-hour.

Step 3

(12:30 p.m.)Add the salt and levain to the top of the dough in autolyse and use a splash of the remaining water to moisten. With wet hands, mix thoroughly. Add the remaining water if the dough feels like it can handle it. Knead the dough for a few minutes using either the slap and fold technique or folds in the bowl until the dough smooths and becomes elastic. Transfer the dough back into the bowl. Transfer the dough to a bulk fermentation container and cover. At the end of this initial strengthening, the dough should have smoothed out and will loosely hold its shape on the counter (or in the bowl). Add the cinnamon dough and gently massage to incorporate. It is not necessary to overwork the dough to get the cinnamon incorporated, just enough to spread it around. Finally, spread the raisins on top of the dough and perform a few stretches and folds to gently incorporate the raisins. Again, don’t over-mix. The raisins will be further dispersed during our stretch and fold through bulk fermentation.

Step 4

(12:45 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.)This dough will require 2 sets of stretches and folds during bulk fermentation at 30-minute intervals. After the second set, let the dough rest, covered, for the remainder of bulk fermentation.

Step 5

(4:45 p.m.)Scrape the dough out to a clean work surface. Use water and a wet hand, and your bench knife, divide the dough in half. Lightly shape each half into a round shape and let rest for 30 minutes, uncovered.

Step 6

(5:15 p.m.)Flour the top of the preshaped round and your work surface. Using your bench knife, flip one of the rounds over onto the floured area. Using floured hands, shape the dough into a bâtard. Gently transfer the dough to the proofing basket, seam-side up. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.

Step 7

(5:30 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. the next day)Cover proofing baskets with reusable plastic, seal, and place into the refrigerator overnight.

Step 8

(The next day, 9:00 a.m.)Preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C). I baked two of these at a time in my home oven, but you might be able to bake all four side-by-side, depending on how wide your baking stone/steel is. If you do two at a time, keep the other two in the fridge until you’re ready to bake them. Remove your dough from the fridge, uncover it, and turn out onto parchment paper. Using a straight-edged razor blade, score each straight in at 90° to the dough in a series of slashes from top to bottom. I like the direction of my hand to move at 45° from side to side to create a series of stripes that open evenly. Slide each piece of parchment paper holding the dough into the oven. Then, after all the dough is loaded, steam your oven and close the door. Bake at 450°F (232°C) for 20 minutes with steam, then open the oven door, remove the steaming pans, and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes at 425°F (218°C). Note that because these loaves are a smaller dough mass than my typical 900g – 1kg, they will bake a little faster than you might expect—keep an eye on them toward the end of the bake time. Remove the loaves from the oven and let cool on wire racks for 1-2 hours.