Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Bread

In a rush? You can skip straight to my sourdough discard cinnamon bread recipe at my tumblr. Or you can jump to my Just the Basics section.

Do you have a lot of discard that you don’t know what to do with? My sourdough discard artisan-style bread recipe is one of my most popular options. It makes a classic loaf with a crispy crust that’s perfect for sandwiches.

But artisan-style bread takes a lot of time and patience.

Most days, I don’t have that kind of patience. I want to use up my starter fast, and I want bread NOW. I don’t want to spend a lot of time baking, and I don’t want to deal with a lot of dishes and cleanup.

So this week, I’m proud to present sourdough discard cinnamon bread.

Fun, Fast, and Flavorful

This bread is a super-fast, super-easy, no-mess-no-fuss kind of recipe. Just stir all the ingredients together, pop it in the oven, and bam! Gorgeous bread to impress your friends and family.

The sourdough tang blends perfectly with the cinnamon and the nutmeg. Although the loaf is sweet enough on its own, I’ve included an optional drizzle that makes this quick bread tastes like a luscious dessert. If you’ve ever made Amish Friendship bread, this loaf has a lot of similarities in flavor.

Sourdough discard cinnamon bread is perfect for breakfasts. I like to have a slice or two with a cup of hot chocolate in the mornings. And it stays fresh for about 3 to 4 days at room temperature if sealed tightly in a bag or container with a lid.

And the best part of this bread? You can make it in just over an hour. No need to worry about rise times or punching down a loaf or second guessing your shaping.

Time

Prep time:  10 Minutes
Rise time: None
Cook time:  50 to 55 Minutes
Total time: 1 Hour to 1 Hour 5 Minutes

Ingredients

If you want to make this quick bread recipe, you’ll need the following:

• 180 Grams (1 1/2 Cups) All-Purpose Flour
• 201 Grams (1 Cup) White Sugar
• 6 Grams (1 1/2 Teaspoons) Baking Powder
• 5 Grams (1 Teaspoon) Salt
• 5 Grams (2 Teaspoons) Ground Cinnamon
• 1 Gram (1/2 Teaspoon) Ground Nutmeg
• 226 Grams (1 Cup) Sourdough Discard
• 55 Grams (1/4 Cup) Milk
• 4.2 Grams (1 Teaspoon) Vanilla Extract
• 112 Grams (1/2 Cup) Butter, Melted
• 1 Large Egg

Glaze Topping

• 32 Grams (1/4 Cup) Confectioners’ Sugar
• 10 Grams (1 to 2 Teaspoons) Milk

Keep in mind that the glaze topping is completely optional! Sourdough discard cinnamon bread is sweet enough on its own. If you’d rather, you can spread a smidgeon of butter on each slice.

Additional Equipment

Sourdough discard cinnamon bread doesn’t require fancy tools like artisan-style loaves do. However, you do need a few basic items:

• Mixing Bowls, Cups, Spoons
• Kitchen Scale
• 9-Inch by 5-Inch Baking Pan
• Wire Cooling Rack
• Oven Mitts
• Probe Thermometer

Keep in mind that you don’t have to buy your gear from Amazon. Most of these things are available at your local store for an affordable price. I provide links to items I like and receive a commission if readers buy something – but my opinions are my own.

Instructions

Before you get baking, make sure you have all your ingredients and equipment readily available. Once you’re prepped, go ahead and preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (176 degrees Celsius).

Next, grab a large mixing bowl and whisk together your dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Then, grab a smaller mixing bowl and combine your wet ingredients: sourdough discard, milk, vanilla extract, butter, and egg.

Pour your wet ingredients into your dry ingredients and stir until everything is just moistened. Over mixing the batter will result in a sunken loaf.

Once you’ve got a smooth batter, pour it into a lightly greased 9-inch by 5-inch baking pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes to 55 minutes. The top should have a light golden color. If you have a probe thermometer, the internal temperature should read at least 195 degrees (90 degrees Celsius).

Keep the bread in the pan and place it on a wire cooling rack to cool for 15 minutes.

After it’s had a chance to cool somewhat, use a knife to loosen the edges of the bread from the pan and then turn it out onto the wire cooling rack to finish cooling.

While your bread cools, feel free to stir together the glaze if you want.

Once the bread has finished cooling, drizzle the glaze over the top of the loaf.

And you’re done!

Freeze – Don’t Refrigerate

Feel free to slice and serve, or if you’re not ready to eat it quite yet, feel free to seal it in a bag at room temperature. Make sure the bread has completely cooled before you store it in the bag, however. If you store it prematurely, the bread will sweat and soften.

If you are making this bread in advance and want to freeze it, wrap the loaf tightly in plastic first and then cover with aluminum foil. It will stay fresh this way in the freezer for about 3 to 6 months. When you’re ready to eat it, take it out of the freezer and allow it to thaw overnight so it’s ready for breakfast the next day.

Just the Basics

Secrets to Success

Sourdough discard cinnamon bread is a great choice for beginners. Unlike many sourdough bread recipes, this loaf doesn’t require any specialized timing of the starter. You can use fed or unfed starter or straight up discard and the loaf will taste heavenly.

Additionally, this recipe doesn’t require any specialized tools or unique shaping methods for success. I love that you can just stir everything together and it’s ready to go with little to no effort.

However, like many quick breads, sourdough discard cinnamon bread does come with one caveat. If you stir it too much, the bread will sink in the middle and it won’t have those gorgeous cracks that indicate a well-baked quick loaf.

If you look closely in this photo, you can see that I may have mixed my bread batter just a little too much. Although it has those lovely cracks, the bread does sink a little in the middle. Not much, but it’s there.

Fortunately, a little glaze is more than enough to hide any sinking. And even if your loaf does sink in the middle, the dip won’t affect the flavor at all. It will still make for a yummy snack even if it doesn’t look picture perfect.

Also, I have struggled with quick breads sticking to the pan in the past. While I didn’t have any trouble with this particular recipe, I know it’s a possibility. If your bread tends to stick to the pan even after greasing, consider lining the pan with parchment paper so you can pull it out of the pan without too much trouble.

Nutritional Information

Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Bread is more dessert than bread. It has a lot of sugar to sweeten it, not including the optional glaze. If you’re trying to stay healthy, here’s the nutritional information at a glance:

When I made this recipe, I cut the loaf into about 10 slices, and the nutritional information reflects that. If you cut your bread into smaller or larger slices, your calories per serving will vary. Keep this in mind if you keep track of your calories.

Did You Try It?

Sourdough discard cinnamon bread has become one of my favorites (I know I have a lot of favorites – they’re all my favorites or they wouldn’t be here on my blog). But I’d love it if my recipe became one of your favorites, too. If you tried my recipe, feel free to leave a star rating or comment in the comment section below.