White Sourdough Bread with Raisins

White sourdough bread with raisins is a timeless artisanal loaf that brings together a light, airy crumb, a subtle natural tang, and gentle sweetness from dried fruit. Unlike commercial yeast breads, sourdough is naturally leavened, allowing flavor to develop slowly while improving texture and digestibility. The result is a rustic white sourdough raisin bread with a crisp golden crust and soft interior that’s perfect for slicing, toasting, or enjoying fresh with butter and jam.

To bake great sourdough at home, everything begins with a healthy starter. If you don’t already have one, learn how to create and maintain it in our Sourdough Starter Guide, where we explain feeding schedules, storage, and how to recognize when your starter is ready to bake. If you’re still getting familiar with fermentation, hydration, and dough handling, our Sourdough Basics for Beginners article covers the essential techniques that make recipes like this one reliable and repeatable.

Once your starter is active, this recipe comes together using just a handful of simple ingredients: white flour, water, salt, raisins, and time. In this step‑by‑step guide, you’ll learn how to mix, ferment, shape, and bake a white sourdough bread with raisins using an overnight method that fits easily into a home baking schedule. Whether you’re new to sourdough or looking to expand your repertoire, this loaf is a satisfying way to master sweet‑savory sourdough baking, be sure to explore our other sourdough bread recipes for more inspiration. This white sourdough bread with raisins is an approachable recipe for home bakers who want artisan results using simple ingredients and an overnight fermentation.

Why This Sourdough Raisin Bread Works

This recipe balances dough hydration, fermentation time, and flour strength to create a soft, airy crumb without complex handling. Using white flour keeps the structure light, while slow natural fermentation develops flavor and allows the sweetness of the raisins to shine without overpowering the bread.

Image: White sourdough bread with raisins

Ingredients for White Sourdough Bread with Raisins

These simple, high‑quality ingredients create a naturally leavened white sourdough loaf with a soft crumb, balanced tang, and gentle sweetness from raisins. Ingredient measurements are provided in both grams and cups for accuracy and ease of use in home kitchens.

• 500 gram T65 flour (4 cups)

• 375 gram lukewarmwater (1 ½ cups)

• 75 gram active sourdough starter (⅓ cup)

• 6 gram salt (1 tsp)

• 100 gram raisins (⅔ cup)

How to Make White Sourdough Bread with Raisins

This step‑by‑step method guides you through mixing, fermenting, shaping, and baking a naturally leavened white sourdough loaf with raisins for balanced flavor and texture.

Step 1: Mix the Dough

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the lukewarm water (375g or 1 ½ cups) and your active sourdough starter (75g or ⅓ cup) until silky and smooth. Don’t forget to give your starter some love—feed it with 40g water (2tbsp) and 40g flour (4 ½ tbsp). If you’re baking about three times a week, this gentle refresh is usually enough to keep it thriving in the fridge, no discard necessary.

Now, sprinkle in the T65 flour (500g or 4 cups), salt (~1 tsp), and raisins (100g or ⅔ cup). Stir with a fork until the dough comes together into a uniform, shaggy mass. Drape a clean, damp kitchen towel over the bowl and let it rest as it begins its rise. Working with T65 flour makes life easier: its higher protein content gives the dough strength, meaning less stretching and folding for you. If you’re using a softer, lower-protein flour, stick with the longer sourdough method for best results.

Step 2: Bulk Fermentation

If you’re working with flour other than T65, cover the bowl and let the dough rise at room temperature for 3–4 hours, giving it 3–4 gentle sets of stretch-and-fold every 30–45 minutes to build strength and structure. If you want to bake in the early morning for breakfast, or late morning for lunch, it is important to prepare your dough right after dinner time. Let it rest for a few hours and just before going to bed perform the stretch-and-fold.

With T65 flour, the process is simpler: just leave the dough covered at room temperature for a few hours and stretch-and-fold once before sleeping. Let the dough sit overnight covered with a damp cloth. In cooler months, you can help it along by either pre-warming the dough in the oven at 45 °C (~110 °F) for an hour before fermentation, or by simply extending the rise. Always keep the bowl draped with a damp towel so the dough stays supple.

Step 3: Preparing for baking

By morning, your dough should be beautifully doubled in size. If it’s still a little sluggish, simply give it another stretch-and-fold and more time—or adjust the temperature—before moving on. Once it’s ready, line your baking pan with parchment paper dusted lightly with flour.

Dampen your countertop to keep the dough from sticking, then gently turn it out. With wet hands, fold each side of the dough toward the center, then flip it over and shape it into a smooth, round ball. Nestle the dough seam-side down into the prepared pan, cover with an oven-safe lid, and optionally let it relax for another 30 minutes before baking. The 30 minutes waiting step is only helpful if you are not sure that your dough doubled in size overnight. It helps to get a slightly bigger bread!

Step 4: Baking

Preheat the oven to 230 °C (~450 °F). Bake the dough in the covered pan for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for another 5–10 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and crisp. When you are using a relatively new oven that heats-up quickly. Just place your bread in a cold oven and set it for 40 minutes at 230 °C / ~450 °F with the lid on. Afterwards bake another 5-10 minutes until golden brown with the lid off.

Step 5: Cool before slicing

Remove the bread from the pan and let it cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Store the whole loaf uncovered until sliced. After cutting, you can keep it in the baking pan with the lid on.

Freshly baked white sourdough bread with raisins on a wooden cutting board, just out of the oven

Images of the white sourdough raisin bread after baking.

Nutritional Score

This nutritional breakdown provides an estimate per slice, helping you understand the calorie content and key nutrients in this white sourdough bread with raisins.

Nutrient	Amount per Slice (1/15th serving)
Calories	152 kcal
Total Carbohydrates	31.5 g
Fiber	1.8 g
Sugars	4.2 g
Protein	4.1 g
Total Fat	0.6 g
Salt	0.4 g
Sodium	160 mg

More Sourdough Recipes to Try

If you enjoyed this loaf, there’s plenty more to explore. Discover additional sourdough bread recipes, including classic sourdough bread with pumpkin- and sunflower seeds, dark brown sourdough with roasted malts and whole‑grain breads, and variations made with dried fruit or alternative flours. You can also browse our collection of sweet and savory sourdough discard recipes, a great way to use excess starter while baking flavorful pastries, pancakes, and snacks. These recipes build on the same naturally leavened techniques used here, making them an easy next step if you’re continuing your sourdough baking journey.

Enjoy This Sourdough Raisin Loaf at Home

Enjoy your homemade white sourdough bread with raisins, slowly fermented for full flavor, a soft crumb, and a crisp crust. This loaf works just as well for breakfast toast as it does alongside cheese, soup, or a simple spread of butter and honey. If you experiment with different dried fruits, flours, or flavor additions, feel free to share your favorite combinations in the comments, home bakers always learn best from each other.

FAQ: White Sourdough Bread with Raisins

Can I use a different type of flour instead of T65?

Yes. You can substitute T65 with all‑purpose flour or bread flour, but the dough may need extra stretch‑and‑fold for strength. If using a lower‑protein flour, expect a slightly softer crumb and allow a longer bulk fermentation to develop structure.

When should I add the raisins to sourdough dough?

Raisins are best added during the initial mix in this recipe to distribute them evenly. If your raisins are very dry, soaking them briefly in warm water and draining well can help prevent them from drawing moisture out of the dough during fermentation.

Can I make this sourdough bread with raisins overnight?

Yes, this recipe is well suited for an overnight fermentation. After mixing and initial fold, the dough can rest covered at room temperature overnight. In cooler environments, fermentation may take longer, so always judge readiness by dough volume rather than time.

How do I know when the dough is ready to bake?

The dough should roughly double in size, feel airy, and show visible bubbles on the surface. If it looks tight or hasn’t expanded enough, give it more time or a gentle fold and continue fermenting until it becomes light and elastic.

How should I store white sourdough bread with raisins?

Store the loaf whole at room temperature, uncovered or lightly wrapped, until sliced. Once cut, keep it in a bread box or covered baking pan for up to two days. For longer storage, slice and freeze the bread, then toast slices directly from frozen.