Easy Raspberry Cheesecake Sourdough Bread
The soft, pillowy crumb of this raspberry cheesecake sourdough bread gives way to sweet swirls of cheesecake and bursts of raspberry, making every slice feel like a little homemade indulgence. This amazing raspberry cheesecake sourdough bread is perfect for a Valentine's Day get together, breakfast, brunch, or just a special treat any time of day.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Healthy - made with homemade cream cheese, fresh raspberries, lemon juice and honey, this bread is perfect for those on a healthier diet.
- Delicious - it tastes wonderful plain, but is even more delicious when slathered with homemade butter.
- Great for a snack - I often enjoy a warm slice of this bread when I need a quick snack. It also makes a delicious dessert.
- It takes little work, but the results are stunning. The creamy cheesecake swirls and bright raspberries make this loaf look as beautiful as it tastes.
What are the health benefits of sourdough?
Anytime you add a fermented element like sourdough to a recipe, it becomes more nutritious because it contains live probiotics and good bacteria that help with gut health and digestion. Gluten and phytic acid are naturally present in wheat, and are usually what is to blame for people not being able to digest gluten well. When the grain is fermented through the sourdough process, the gluten and phytic acid are broken down, making it easier to digest. A lot of people that struggle with gluten intolerance (not people with celiac), can digest food made with sourdough without any issue, especially if the recipe is allowed to sit out for a few hours and “long ferment”.
In addition, phytic acid is an anti-nutrient that blocks absorption of the nutrients found in wheat. During the sourdough fermentation process, the phytic acid gets broken down and the nutrients are more bio-available to the body. This is why baking with sourdough is so important for our health.
Ingredients
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Tools
Example of Timing For Making Raspberry Cheesecake Sourdough Bread
Sourdough bread is so flexible, it can fit into any schedule. Here’s a couple of examples of how you could fit sourdough baking into the margins of your day.
Option 1
- Before bed feed sourdough starter
- 8:00 a.m. the next morning mix ingredients
- 8:30 a.m. add salt and begin stretch and folds over 2-3 hours
- 11:00 a.m. bulk Ferment for 2-3 hours
- 2:00 p.m. shape and put in refrigerator
- 5:00 p.m. bake in time for supper
- OR
- 7:00 a.m. the next morning – bake in time for breakfast
Option 2 (this would work great if you work away from the house all day)
- 7:00 a.m. Feed your sourdough starter
- 5:30 p.m. Mix your ingredients
- 5:45 p.m. Add salt and begin your stretch and folds every 15 minutes (since this will be a tigher timeline)
- 7:00 p.m. Bulk ferment on counter for 2 hours
- 9:00 p.m. Shape and put into the refrigerator
- 6:00 a.m. Bake
For more of our favorite sourdough recipes, click here
Keys To Success
Thick active sourdough starter
If you have a weak or runny sourdough starter, you’re gonna have flat and sloppy dough. It’s really important to start with a strong and active starter. Learn how to make a healthy sourdough starter without using a scale here. When you’re preparing to make bread especially, be sure to mix your starter thickly – with more flour than water. You want your starter to have a thick pancake like consistency.
Create A Good Internal Structure In Your Dough
Work with your dough every few minutes until it has good structure and holds it shape (see video below).
Don’t Overferment
Don’t overferment your dough. Try not to forget the dough sitting on the counter for more than 2-3 hours during the bulk fermentation time. If you overferment your dough it won’t hold it’s shape and will be a sloppy mess. If you get interrupted before the bulk ferment is done and need to leave, just put it in the refrigerator. You can always shape it after it’s been in the refrigerator. Once again, it’s very flexible, but try not to let it sit out on the counter until it ferments into a sloppy ball or it won’t raise much in the oven.
How to Make Raspberry Cheesecake Sourdough Bread
Feed Starter
Feed starter 4-12 hours before mixing up your dough
Mix Ingredients
In a large bowl, add water, active sourdough starter, and flour. Mix until it comes together into a shaggy sticky dough. Leave it for 15-30 minutes to “autolyse”. This just means you’re giving the flour a chance to absorb the water and the starter while letting the dough rest.
Add the salt and “mix” into the dough with a circular motion similar to how a mixer would mix the dough, until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl (see video below). Let sit for another 15-30 minutes.
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Create Structure In Your Dough
Begin creating structure in your dough by doing a series of stretch and folds, coil folds and/or lamination every 15-30 minutes. For best results, use wet hands when working with your dough to keep it from sticking to your hands. You will know your dough has good structure when it holds it shape and starts getting some bubbles on top. Sometimes I only do 2-3 stretch and folds before letting it bulk ferment if I’m in a hurry, but I try to also do 2-3 coil folds and one lamination.
Bulk Ferment
Cover bowl with a loose fitting lid like a plate and leave it in the bowl at room temperature for 2-3 hours to bulk ferment.
Add The Inclusions
Turn dough out on the counter with the top of the dough facing down on the counter. Gently spread the dough out until it’s in a very thin layer. This is called laminating the dough.
Combine cream cheese, sugar and lemon juice and spread over the surface of the dough.
Sprinkle raspberries on top of the cream cheese mixture.
Shape
Gently roll up the bread into a roll, and then fold the ends in towards the middle. Carefully add tension to the dough by pushing it away from you, and then pulling it back. (See video).
Cold Ferment
Place dough upside down in a banneton or tea towel and flour lined bowl. Cover with cloth or plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 2-12 hours. Keep in mind that the dough will raise some while in the refrigerator, but it may not double in size like yeast bread. It does a lot of its rising while baking. Remember, this is very different than baking regular yeast bread.
Preheat Oven
There are two ways you can bake this bread. In a dutch oven or without a dutch oven as an “open baked” loaf. Either method works well. If using the dutch oven method, be sure to place your dutch oven in your oven while it preheats to 450 degrees.
Score
When oven is hot, take sourdough out of the refrigerator and dump it out onto a piece of parchment paper. Your dough should still be holding it’s shape. Slash the top of the dough about a ½” deep. I find that this simple score works best for this loaf with all of the inclusions..
Dutch Oven Method
Remove dutch oven from pre-heated oven. Remove lid and quickly place parchment paper with bread on it into the hot dutch oven. Replace lid and quickly place it back into the oven. Place a baking sheet on the rack under the dutch oven so the bottom of your bread doesn’t end up too hard and crusty.
Open Bake Method
Place parchment paper with bread on it onto a baking sheet or pizza stone and place it into the oven. Place a baking sheet or pan and pour boiling water into it to create steam. This will help to give your bread a crispy crust with a fluffy inside and will replicate the Dutch oven baking.
Reduce the oven temperature to 425 degrees and bake for 25 minutes.
Remove the lid if using a dutch oven.
Bake for 15 more minutes until the loaf is a nice golden brown.
Remove bread from oven and place on a wire rack.
Slice and Enjoy
For best results, wait until bread is cool to slice with a sharp knife. Sometimes I can’t wait that long and slice it sooner. The bread can look gummy if you slice it too soon, but it is so good with fresh butter that sometimes I do it anyway.
The easiest way to slice artisan sourdough bread is to cut it in half, and then lay the halves flat and slice.
Store leftover bread in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Tips
- Try adding white chocolate chips for a twist.
- You can use fresh or frozen raspberries. Fresh gives the brightest flavor, but frozen works too, just make sure to gently fold them in to avoid turning the dough purple.
FAQ
More Recipes Like This
Easy Raspberry Cheesecake Sourdough Bread
Equipment
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl
- 1 Measuring cups
- 1 Danish Dough Whisk
- 1 Bench scraper
- 1 Bread Lame Scoring Tool or Razor Blade
- 1 Banneton basket (you can also use a towel-lined bowl – see video)
- 1 parchment paper
- 1 cast iron dutch oven (optional)
Ingredients
Sourdough bread
- 1 ½ cup water
- ½ cup active sourdough starter
- 3 ½ cup all purpose or bread flour
- 1 tablespoon salt
Filling
- 8 oz cream cheese
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
Honey Lemon Glaze
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup warm honey
Instructions
Feed Starter
Feed starter 4-12 hours before mixing up your doughMix Ingredients
In a large bowl, add water, active sourdough starter, and flour. Mix until it comes together into a shaggy sticky dough. Leave it for 15-30 minutes to “autolyse”. This just means you’re giving the flour a chance to absorb the water and the starter while letting the dough rest.Add the salt and “mix” into the dough with a circular motion similar to how a mixer would mix the dough, until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl (see video below). Let sit for another 15-30 minutes.Create Structure In Your Dough
Begin creating structure in your dough by doing a series of stretch and folds, coil folds and/or lamination every 15-30 minutes. For best results, use wet hands when working with your dough to keep it from sticking to your hands. You will know your dough has good structure when it holds it shape and starts getting some bubbles on top. Sometimes I only do 2-3 stretch and folds before letting it bulk ferment if I’m in a hurry, but I try to also do 2-3 coil folds and one lamination.Bulk Ferment
Cover bowl with a loose fitting lid like a plate and leave it in the bowl at room temperature for 2-3 hours to bulk ferment.Add The Inclusions
Turn dough out on the counter with the top of the dough facing down on the counter. Gently spread the dough out until it’s in a very thin layer. This is called laminating the dough.Combine cream cheese, sugar and lemon juice and spread over the surface of the dough.Sprinkle raspberries on top of the cream cheese mixture.Shape
Gently roll up the bread into a roll, and then fold the ends in towards the middle. Carefully add tension to the dough by pushing it away from you, and then pulling it back. (See video).Cold Ferment
Place dough upside down in a banneton or tea towel and flour lined bowl. Cover with cloth or plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 2-12 hours. Keep in mind that the dough will raise some while in the refrigerator, but it may not double in size like yeast bread. It does a lot of its rising while baking. Remember, this is very different than baking regular yeast bread.Preheat Oven
There are two ways you can bake this bread. In a dutch oven or without a dutch oven as an “open baked” loaf. Either method works well. If using the dutch oven method, be sure to place your dutch oven in your oven while it preheats to 450 degrees.Score
When oven is hot, take sourdough out of the refrigerator and dump it out onto a piece of parchment paper. Your dough should still be holding it’s shape. Slash the top of the dough about a ½” deep. I find that this simple score works best for this loaf with all of the inclusions..Dutch Oven Method
Remove dutch oven from pre-heated oven. Remove lid and quickly place parchment paper with bread on it into the hot dutch oven. Replace lid and quickly place it back into the oven. Place a baking sheet on the rack under the dutch oven so the bottom of your bread doesn’t end up too hard and crusty.Open Bake Method
Place parchment paper with bread on it onto a baking sheet or pizza stone and place it into the oven. Place a baking sheet or pan and pour boiling water into it to create steam. This will help to give your bread a crispy crust with a fluffy inside and will replicate the Dutch oven baking.Reduce the oven temperature to 425 degrees and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the lid if using a dutch oven. Bake for 15 more minutes until the loaf is a nice golden brown.Remove bread from oven and place on a wire rack.Honey Lemon Wash
Mix the honey and lemon juice together to make a syrup. Brush on the top of the loaf immediately after it comes out of the oven.Slice and Enjoy
For best results, wait until bread is cool to slice with a sharp knife. Sometimes I can’t wait that long and slice it sooner. The bread can look gummy if you slice it too soon, but it is so good with fresh butter that sometimes I do it anyway.The easiest way to slice artisan sourdough bread is to cut it in half, and then lay the halves flat and slice.Store leftover bread in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Yum!