Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Bread

sourdough discard cinnamon quick 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.

sourdough discard cinnamon quick 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 quick bread

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:

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.

sourdough discard cinnamon quick bread dry ingredients

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

sourdough discard cinnamon quick bread wet ingredients

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.

sourdough discard cinnamon quick bread batter

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.

sourdough discard cinnamon quick bread

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.

sourdough discard cinnamon quick bread

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.

sourdough discard cinnamon quick bread

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

sourdough discard cinnamon quick bread

Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Bread

A fast and easy way to to use up sourdough discard. Perfect for breakfast, dessert, and anytime. Comes together in just over an hour.
5 from 10 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Course Bread, Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 10
Calories 276 kcal

Ingredients
  

For the Bread

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

For the Glaze

  • 32 Grams Confectioner's Sugar, Powdered Sugar (1/4 Cup)
  • 10 Grams Milk (1 to 2 Teaspoons)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350ยฐ Fahrenheit (176ยฐ Celsius).
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: ย flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
  • In a smaller mixing bowl, combine wet ingredients: sourdough discard, milk, vanilla extract, butter, and egg.
  • Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until just moistened.
  • Pour batter into a lightly greased 9-inch by 5-inch baking pan.
  • Bake at for 50 minutes to 55 minutes.ย Internal temperature should reach at least 195ยฐ Fahrenheit (90ยฐ Celsius).
  • Let cool in pan on wire cooling rack for 15 minutes.
  • Use a knife to loosen bread from pan and turn out onto wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
  • While bread cools, stir together powdered sugar and milk to form a glaze. After the bread has finished cooling, drizzle glaze over the top.

Notes

Don’t over mix this bread! Over mixing will result in a sunken loaf.ย 
If your bread sticks to your pan, line the pan with parchment paper for easier removal.
Keyword Bread, Cinnamon Bread, Quick Bread, Sourdough Bread, Sourdough Discard Bread, Sourdough Starter

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.

sourdough discard cinnamon quick bread

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.

sourdough discard cinnamon quick bread

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:

Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Quick Bread Nutritional Information

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.