The Wild Crumb

Sunday has a way of slowing things down.
The kitchen feels gentler, the light softer, and even your starter seems to stretch and yawn instead of bubbling with weekday chaos.

That’s why this space—this little corner of the week—is meant for simplicity.
A warm loaf, an easy recipe, a moment you can take without rushing.
Every Simple Sourdough Sunday is a reminder that small rituals matter…
and there’s nothing more grounding than the smell of bread drifting through a sleepy house.

Today, we’re making something sweet and soft:
a cinnamon swirl sourdough loaf that tastes like comfort and feels like a warm blanket in bread form.

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Simple Sourdough Cinnamon Swirl Loaf

(Soft, tender, lightly sweet, and perfect for slow mornings.)

Ingredients

Dough

100 g active sourdough starter

300 g warm milk

60 g melted butter

50 g sugar

500 g all-purpose flour (or bread flour)

8 g salt

Cinnamon Filling

60 g soft butter

100 g brown sugar

2 tbsp cinnamon

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1. Mix the Dough

In a large bowl, whisk together the starter, warm milk, melted butter, and sugar.
Add the flour and salt.
Mix until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms.
Cover and rest for 20–30 minutes.

This rest gives your dough time to hydrate and become easier to work with.

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2. Strengthen the Dough

Perform 2–3 sets of stretch-and-folds, spaced 20–30 minutes apart.
The dough will get smoother and more elastic with each fold.

It should feel like a soft pillow by the last fold.

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3. Bulk Fermentation

Let the dough rise at room temperature until puffy and almost doubled.
This may take 3–5 hours depending on how cozy (or cold) your kitchen is.

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4. Roll Out & Fill

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface.
Gently roll into a rectangle, about 12×16 inches.

Spread the soft butter across the surface.
Mix brown sugar + cinnamon and sprinkle evenly.

Roll the dough into a log, cinnamon-roll style.
Pinch the seam to seal.

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5. Second Rise

Place the log seam-down in a greased loaf pan.
Cover and let rise until it reaches the top of the pan and looks pillowy.

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6. Bake

Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 35–40 minutes, until golden brown and fragrant.

If the top browns too quickly, loosely tent it with foil.

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7. Cool… or Try To

Let the loaf cool at least 15–20 minutes before slicing.
(But if you sneak a warm piece with butter, I won’t tell.)

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Bread doesn’t need perfection to be meaningful.
A cinnamon swirl isn’t measured in straight lines or perfect spirals — it’s measured in moments.
Moments of mixing, folding, rising, waiting… and finally slicing into something warm you made with your own hands.

That’s the heart of Simple Sourdough Sunday:
slow baking, soft mornings, and the reminder that comfort is something you can create.