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Do you want your house to smell and taste like Christmas? Make this Sourdough Artisan Gingerbread Loaf. Your whole house will fill with the aroma of freshly baked bread. And not just any bread: gingerbread! This loaf is similar to my sourdough discard gingerbread loaf but uses ripe sourdough starter to make a gingerbread-style artisan loaf. A mild, sweet and seriously delicious loaf that is perfect for the holiday season! I think you’re going to love it!
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Why You’ll Love Gingerbread Sourdough Bread
- Warm Spices: The combination of spices and sweet molasses make this the perfect loaf to enjoy during the holiday season.
- Festive Bake: This recipe wow’s guests and family who want something nostalgic and delicious. It’s going to be a family favorite recipe! And if you want another festive bake try my easy cranberry orange sourdough quickbread – another favorite festive bake.
- Easy to Follow: I walk you through this recipe step by step, using your sourdough starter to make a delicious loaf. If you can make regular sourdough bread, you can make this delicious gingerbread sourdough loaf.
Important Ingredients
- Sourdough Starter: Use an active/ripe sourdough starter (doubled in size/bubbly/mild sour aroma) to mix the levain.
- Molasses: I use regular molasses in this recipe. For a deeper (and more bitter) molasses flavor you can use blackstrap molasses.
- Brown Sugar: I sweeten this bread with some brown sugar. The taste of the brown sugar complements the molasses and ginger. If you prefer a savory bread, reduce the sugar by 25 grams in the bread.
- Bread Flour: I almost always use a 12.5% protein bread flour for any bread that I am kneading. The higher protein content and properly activating the gluten results in a lighter/springy baked good.
- Salt: Salt enhances the flavor and helps temper the yeast. I delay adding the salt to help give the dough more elasticity in the first 30 minutes. Then I add the salt with a little extra water. Don’t leave out the salt!
- Ground Ginger: This is a gingerbread-forward loaf. Ground ginger doesn’t typically negatively affect the yeast in a loaf – so I add it in the initial mixing stage of this recipe. However, if you notice it slowing down your fermentation, consider adding it in with the ground cinnamon instead of in the dough itself.
- Ground Cinnamon: I laminate ground cinnamon into the dough right before shaping it. Cinnamon inhibits the activity of the yeast, so I don’t like adding it in during the initial mixing, but it does enhance the flavor and gives a swirl effect. You can omit it if desired.
Sourdough Sample Schedule
A sample baking schedule helps me when baking with sourdough. Sourdough takes much longer to rise than traditional bread. This schedule helps me plan my bake.
Note: This schedule assumes the dough temperature is 78-80ºF throughout the process. This loaf is loosely based on my traditional sourdough bread recipe.
| Day 1 | Levain/Mixing/Bulk Fermentation/ Shaping/Cold Bulk Fermentation |
| 8:00 AM – 11:30 AM | Mix Levain: Let sit at 78ºF for about 3-4 hours until doubled/bubbly and ripe. |
| 11:30 AM | Fermentolyse: Mix water, molasses, ripe levain, brown sugar, ginger and bread flour. Let sit for 30 minutes before adding in the salt and extra water. |
| 12:00 PM | Mix Dough: Add salt and reserved water |
12:30 PM 1:00 PM 1:30 PM | Stretch and Folds Stretch and Fold #1 Stretch and Fold #2 Stretch and Fold #3 |
| 1:30-4:00 PM | Bulk Rest |
| 4:00 PM | Laminate in Ground Cinnamon Shape Dough Begin Cold Fermentation |
| Day 2 | Score and Bake |
| 9:00 AM | Preheat Dutch oven |
| 9:30 AM | Score and Bake |
How to Make This Gingerbread Loaf
Mix the Levain
Note: You can manipulate your levain or starter to be ready when you want it to be based on your feeding ratios. Here are a few examples:
1:1:1 Levain (ready in 3-4 hours/same day): This recipe calls for a levain mixed the same day you mix the dough. It should take 3-4 hours until it’s ready to be mixed with the dough, if you keep the levain temperature at 78ºF. Levain is ready when it has doubled in size, has lots of bubbles, a slightly sour aroma and is just about to start going down from its peak height. Mix together:
- 35 grams of ripe/mature starter
- 35 grams of warm water
- 35 grams of bread flour
If you prefer to mix the levain the night before, you can mix a 1:10:10 Levain that is ready in 12 hours or overnight
- 5 grams of ripe/mature sourdough starter
- 55 grams white bread flour
- 55 grams water
Do you have to use a levain in this recipe? No. I prefer it, but if you have a well-maintained and frequently refreshed starter, you can substitute that in place of the levain in the recipe.
Mixing the Dough: Begin Bulk Fermentation
I like mixing together most of the ingredients in this dough and then waiting about 30 minutes to add the salt and a little extra water. This fermentolyse method helps strengthen the gluten strands in the dough and gives a better overall texture and crumb to this bread. As soon as the levain is ready (bubbly, doubled in size, peaked), mix together the bread flour, water, molasses, brown sugar, ground ginger and levain. Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, add the salt and 10 grams of reserved water. Pinch chunks of dough and reincorporate them together gently. 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, gently kneading until all the ingredients are incorporated and the dough is smooth. This will probably take 3-5 minutes. Cover the bowl and let rest 30 minutes.
Stretch and Fold the Gingerbread Sourdough
In artisan bread we don’t use traditional kneading methods, instead we use a series of gentle folds to help strengthen the gluten strands in the dough. This dough usually gets about 3-4 sets of stretch and folds over a 2 hour period, if the dough is kept right around 78-80ºF.
Stretch and Fold: 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 a quarter turn and repeat the stretch and fold. Turn another quarter turn and repeat. Perform one more quarter turn with stretching and folding the dough. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes. Repeat every 30 minutes a total of 3-4 times.
Rest: After the 2-hour period of stretch and folds, let the dough rest in a warm 78-80ºF place until puffed up and jiggly with a few scattered bubbles around the top. This usually takes 1.5-2 hours. If the dough doesn’t look like this, give it another half hour and check again.
Laminating in the Cinnamon
Once the dough has risen about 30-40%, has a few bubbles scattered around the top and feels extensible and aerated, it’s time to pre-shape the dough and laminate in the ground cinnamon. The lamination method adds some layers to the finished dough, but also imparts a little cinnamon flavor that is really delicious in this sourdough artisan gingerbread loaf.
To Laminate: On a clean counter top, stretch the dough as thin as you can without tearing it. When the dough is fully stretched, sprinkle ground cinnamon over the dough. Fold the dough up and sprinkle a little more cinnamon as you fold it into a little square. This strengthens gluten strands and gives even dispersement of cinnamon. Place the dough into a banneton or small lined bowl.
Cold Fermentation
I almost always use a cold fermentation for my sourdough bread. Cover the dough in the banneton and place in the refrigerator for 12-20 hours. If it goes a little longer than that, it should be okay – up to as much as 48 hours depending on the temperature of your refrigerator.
Baking a Sourdough Artisan Gingerbread Loaf
Pre-heat the Oven: Put a Dutch oven (top and all) into the oven and preheat to 500 degrees. Allow the Dutch oven to heat for about 30 minutes at 500 degrees. This builds up steam, which is necessary to achieve the beautiful oven spring and perfect crust that artisan bread is known for.
Scoring the Dough: Once the oven is preheated for 30 minutes, pull the loaf out of the refrigerator. Remove the plastic wrap (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 it is now sitting on the parchment paper. Take off the bowl/banneton and kitchen towel. Smooth the 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.
Baking the Bread: Carefully remove the Dutch oven from the 500 degree 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 your oven. Lower the temperature to 450 degrees and bake for 20 minutes. Once 20 minutes are up, take the top off the Dutch oven and continue baking for 20 minutes until the bread is fully baked.
Amy’s Recipe Tip
Want a stronger molasses/gingerbread flavor?: Use Blackstrap Molasses for a deeper flavor and reduce sugar by 25 grams for a more savory loaf.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sometimes the ginger in the dough will slow down the fermentation. Give it a little bit longer time to rise and keep the dough warm. If you are still having issues, add the ginger in with the cinnamon and laminate into the dough instead of adding into the dough itself.
I like to let my loaf cool completely. Then slice, stick in an airtight bag and freeze. You can also freeze the whole loaf and then let it thaw or warm back up in the oven for a few minutes before enjoying.
I think this sourdough artisan gingerbread loaf recipe tastes like a sweet Christmasy bread with notes of ginger and cinnamon throughout. It’s definitely a holiday bread with a mild ginger flavor. To get more gingerbread flavor, use blackstrap molasses and a little extra ginger.
Yes. This would be a great bread for inclusions of dried fruit and nuts. I would probably do about 1 to 1 1/2 cups total of inclusions.
Sourdough bread is a more sticky dough than other breads. This bread has sugar and molasses in it, which makes it even more sticky. Make sure you are using bread flour and a bench scraper when shaping the dough. Keeping your hands wet will also help you shape it. And don’t worry, trust the sourdough process!
Because this loaf has molasses and brown sugar in it, it can have a tendency to burn more on the bottom, especially if you are using a dark cast iron pan. Decrease the temperature by about 25ºF and make sure there is a baking sheet or stone on the rack below the dutch oven to help deflect the heat.
Gingerbread Sourdough Artisan Loaf
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Ingredients
Levain (1:1:1, 3-4 hours at 78-80ºF)
- 35 grams ripe sourdough starter, about 2 Tablespoons
- 35 grams bread flour, about 1/4 cup
- 35 grams water, about 2 Tablespoons
Gingerbread Artisan Loaf
- 100 grams ripe/bubbly/peaked levain, scant 1/2 cup, see recipe notes
- 300 grams water, (reserve 10 grams for adding in with the salt), (1 1/4 cup water plus 2 teaspoons for adding in with the salt)
- 100 grams molasses, see recipe note, scant 1/3 cup
- 50 grams brown sugar, light or dark, about 1/4 cup
- 5 grams ground ginger, about 1 Tablespoon
- 500 grams bread flour, about 3 1/2 cups
- 10 grams salt, (added in after 30 minutes), about 1.5 teaspoons
- sprinkle of ground cinnamon, during shaping
Instructions
Day 1: Levain/Mix/Bulk Fermentation/Shape/Cold Bulk Fermentation
- Levain: Make levain by mixing together ripe sourdough starter, flour and water. Set aside for 3-4 hours at 78 degrees F.
- Mix Dough: Once the levain is ripe/bubbly/doubled in size, mix together the ripe levain, 290 grams of water, molasses, brown sugar, ground ginger and bread flour. Let rest for 30 minutes.
- Add Salt and Reserved Water: After 30 minutes, add in the 10 grams reserved water and 10 grams of salt. Pinch chunks of dough and reincorporate them together gently. 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 until all the ingredients are mixed and the dough is smooth, about 3-5 minutes. Transfer the dough to a plastic container or a glass bowl if desired.
- Stretch and Folds: Perform 3 sets of stretch and folds every half hour for the first 1.5 hours.
- 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 a quarter turn and repeat the stretch and fold. Turn another quarter turn and repeat. Perform one more quarter turn with stretching and folding the dough. Cover and set aside.
- Repeat the stretch and folds every 30 minutes for three times total.
- Rest: After your third set of stretch and folds, cover the dough and let rest/rise for about 1.5-2 hours at 78-80ºF until showing signs of readiness to shape. The dough will have risen about 30-40%, have some scattered bubbles around the edges and be doming and pulling away from the sides of the bowl.Sometimes the ginger in this recipe will slow down the fermentation. In that case, the dough may not be ready in 1.5-2 hours at 78-80ºF. Give it more time and watch for the signs of rising before laminating and shaping the dough.
- Lamination & Shaping: On a clean counter top, stretch the dough as thin as you can without tearing it. See post for pictures and description. When the dough is fully stretched, lightly sprinkle ground cinnamon over the dough. Fold the dough up and sprinkle a little ground cinnamon as you fold the dough up into a round or oval package. Place into the lined banneton.
- Cold Bulk Fermentation: Cover the dough and store in the refrigerator overnight or for up to 18-20 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. This dough really benefits from the cold because it tends to be a little more sticky.
Day 2: Bake
- Pre-heat the Oven: Put a Dutch oven (top and all) into the oven and preheat to 500 degrees. Allow the Dutch oven to heat for about 30 minutes at 500 degrees.
- Once preheated for 30 minutes, pull the loaf out of the refrigerator. Remove the plastic wrap (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 kitchen towel.
- Scoring: Smooth the 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.
- Bake: Carefully remove the Dutch oven from the 500 degree 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 your oven. Lower the temperature to 450 degrees and bake for 25 minutes. Once 25 minutes are up, take the top off the Dutch oven and continue baking for 20 minutes until the bread is fully baked. Note: If your oven runs hot or you are using a dark cast iron pot, there's a tendency for 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 425 degrees F instead of 450.
- Let cool completely and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made this for the 2nd time today (1/25/26) because it was that good the first time!! This is a def keeper in my baking repertoire
It’s a keeper for sure!