Mama Lyd Sourdough

When the air turns crisp and the leaves start to paint the world in shades of amber and red, my kitchen fills with the scent of cinnamon, apples, and caramel. Fall has always been a season of warmth and comfort, and this Caramel Apple Cider Sourdough Loaf captures that magic in every slice.

This loaf combines the cozy tang of sourdough with the sweetness of apple cider and caramel bits swirled throughout. The house will smell like fall and the flavor is just so good.

Adapted from my  original sourdough recipe, this recipe with added sugar creates a sweet loaf that is soft and chewy on the inside, golden and crisp on the outside, and folded fresh crisp apple pieces and chewy caramel bits all throughout. This fall loaf is naturally leavened with sourdough starter, so it’s packed with incredible flavor!

Whether you’re an experienced sourdough baker or just getting started, this recipe is a fun and delicious way to switch things up. I’ll walk you through exactly how to make it, step-by-step, using just a few simple ingredients and basic tools. Get ready to enjoy the most delicious, bakery-quality caramel apple cider sourdough right from your kitchen!

Why This Bread is Perfect for Fall

• Apple Cider Magic: Reduced apple cider brings that unmistakable fall flavor, adding depth and warmth to the dough.
• Caramel Comfort: Bits of condensed apple cider caramel melt into gooey pockets, creating a sweet surprise in every bite.
• Seasonal Pairings: Slice it warm with a smear of butter, Cream cheese and a drizzle of homemade apple cider sauce, enjoy it alongside a hot mug of cider, or use it for the coziest French toast. 
• Sourdough (gut healthy): This bread is naturally leavened with sourdough starter. Thanks to a long and slow fermentation process, it’s higher in vitamins and minerals, easy to digest, and packed with all the gut-healthy benefits of REAL, homemade sourdough. And, of course, it’s more delicious!
• Autumn Aromas: Baking this loaf fills your home with nostalgic scents of apple orchards and caramel.
• Easy to make: This recipe requires minimal hands-on time to prepare the dough. Plus, you only need a few simple ingredients like flour, water, salt, sourdough starter, fresh apples and caramel bits!

Watch my Caramel Apple Cider Sourdough Video

Part 1- Mixing the dough and shaping.

Part 2- Scoring and baking!

Ingredients for caramel apple sourdough

Here’s all of the ingredients you’ll need to make this caramel apple sourdough recipe:

• Sourdough Starter: This recipe calls for an active, bubbly starter. It should be roughly doubled in size, full of bubbles, and just beginning to fall after reaching its peak. 
• Flour: A strong bread flour with high protein content is ideal for sourdough. I use King Arthur Bread Flour.
• Apple Cider: The heart of this recipe. Reduced slightly, it concentrates into a rich, spiced apple flavor that carries through the dough. This also replaces 100% of the water that would typically be in my loaves.
• Salt: Essential for flavor and fermentation. Salt helps regulate fermentation by slowing down yeast activity for a better rise and crumb structure.
• Sugar: Adds sweetness to the dough itself as well as enhancing the natural sweetness of apples while keeping the crumb moist. 
• Apples: I peeled and chopped up a gala apple, but use your favorite fresh apple.
• Caramel Bits: These chewy, buttery nuggets melt into little pockets of sweetness, like hidden treasures in every slice. they melt slightly leaving you with a slight sweet chew in every bite.

How to Make Caramel Apple Cider Sourdough

This Caramel apple cider sourdough loaf is easy to make and just know you’re going to love it for this fall!

DAY 1: PREPARE APPLE CIDER, THE DOUGH AND FIRST RISE

1. Condense the apple cider: Pour 5 cups of apple cider into a pan and start a boil, once it is boiling reduce the heat to medium – medium/low and stir occasionally until it is condensed down to 3 cups. Measure out 350g and allow to cool. This will be for the dough. Continue to Boil/Simmer the remaining apple cider in the pan until it is about an 1/8th of the original size. it should coat the back of a metal spoon when it is ready. it will continue to thicken as it cools. pour into a small jar and allow to cool and then store in the fridge until ready to use.
2. Mix the dough: Combine the sourdough starter and 350g of condensed apple cider and give it a good whisk. Add in the brown sugar and mix again. Add the flour and the salt and mix well until you have a nice shaggy ish dough. it may be a little thicker than a regular loaf.
3. Stretch and folds: When it’s time to strengthen your sourdough dough, you’ll use a technique called stretch and fold. To do this, lightly wet your hands to prevent sticking, then reach under one side of the dough, gently pull it up until it resists, and fold it back over onto itself. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and repeat the motion, stretching from each side of the dough until you’ve gone all the way around. That counts as one full set. Let the dough rest, covered, for 30 minutes before repeating. Usually, 3–4 sets over the first couple of hours of bulk fermentation are enough to build strength and structure while keeping the loaf light and airy. During the 2nd and 3rd rounds, you will add in half the chopped apples and caramel bits per round. I usually do not add in anything for the 1st and 4th rounds.
4. First rise (bulk fermentation):Cover and bulk ferment on the counter for 6-10 hours or until about doubled in size. The time depends on your climate and temp of your home. Mine usually takes 9 hours.
5. Shape: Once the dough is done rising, it’s time to shape. First, prepare your proofing basket by giving it a light dusting of flour. Lightly flour your work surface as well, then carefully transfer your dough onto it. To begin shaping, Stretch out the dough with your hands lightly coated in flour. Here is where you can add more inclusions if desired. Grab the left side of the dough and fold it in towards the center, then grab the right side and fold it all the way over creating a tri-fold. Then, starting from the end closest to you, begin to tightly roll the dough away from you tucking in the sides as you roll. Shape the dough into a round by gently pulling it toward you and rotating it to build tension and create a smooth, taut ball. Use a bench scraper to lift the dough and place it into your prepared proofing basket, seam side up. Be careful when doing this with lots of inclusions!
6. Proof (second rise): Cover the dough and transfer to the refrigerator to proof overnight or up to 48 hours. I like to let my doughs proof for at least 12 hours typically. but I will sometimes settle for 6 hours.

DAY 2: Score and Bake

1. Preheat your oven and Dutch oven: When you’re ready to bake, place your Dutch oven with the lid on inside your oven. Preheat to 450°F and let it heat for 20-30 minutes.
2. Score your dough: Once your Dutch oven is fully preheated, take your dough out of the refrigerator. Lay a piece of parchment paper or silicone sling over the top, then gently flip the dough onto the parchment, with the parchment lying on your work surface. Use a sharp blade or bread lame to make a cut at a 45-degree angle just beneath the surface of the dough’s skin. Score however you’d like!
3. Bake the bread: Take the Dutch oven out of the oven and remove the lid. Grab the edges of the parchment paper to lift the dough and carefully lower it into the Dutch oven. Cover with the lid and bake at 450°F for 35 minutes. Then remove the lid and bake for another 10 minutes. The bread is ready when the crust is deep golden brown or when the internal temperature reaches 208–210°F (97–99°C). Once baked, take the bread out of the Dutch oven and let it cool completely for 1 to 2 hours before slicing.
4. Serve and enjoy: Slice it up and enjoy! Drizzle some of that apple sauce on a slice with some cream cheese or enjoy with a bowl of ice cream!

Sample Baking Schedule

I love having bread ready for the weekend so here’s a typicaly baking schedule that I follow so my bread is ready to bake first thing on Saturday morning. The cold proof step can always be extended as needed, so you could also bake this bread at any point on Sunday in this scenario. 

• Morning 7am: Feed your sourdough starter. Starter should be bubbly, doubled, and ready to use (watch for peak activity).
• Midday (12pm): Mix the dough and let it rise. 
• Evening (8pm): Shape the loaf and place in floured banneton and cover. place in fridge for an overnight proof.
• Morning (or whenever during the day) Score and bake the bread!

Equipment for sourdough

Making sourdough bread doesn’t require a professional bakery setup, but having some tools makes the process smoother and more enjoyable. Here are the essentials I recommend:

• Digital Kitchen Scale – Accuracy is everything in sourdough. A scale ensures you measure by weight, not cups, for consistent results every time.
• Mixing Bowl – A large, sturdy bowl gives your dough room to stretch, fold, and rise. Glass or stainless steel bowls are both great choices.
• Bench Scraper (or Dough Scraper) – This little tool makes handling sticky sourdough so much easier. Use it to scoop, fold, and shape dough without it clinging to your hands.
• Banneton Basket (Proofing Basket) – These baskets help the dough hold its shape during the final rise and create those beautiful floury rings on the crust. If you don’t have one, a bowl lined with a floured towel works too.
• Lame (Bread Scoring Tool) – Used to score or slash the dough right before baking. This controls how your bread expands in the oven and adds a decorative touch. A sharp razor blade or even a knife can substitute in a pinch.
• Dutch Oven (or Heavy Oven-Safe Pot with Lid) – A Dutch oven traps steam during the first part of baking, which is the secret to achieving that glossy, crackly artisan crust at home.
• Oven Thermometer – Many ovens run hotter or cooler than their setting. A thermometer helps you make sure you’re actually baking at the right temperature.
• Cooling Rack – After all that hard work, let your bread cool properly! A rack keeps air circulating so the crust stays crisp instead of getting soggy.
• Jar with Lid (for your Starter) – Your sourdough starter needs a home, and a simple glass jar with a loose-fitting lid is perfect for feeding and watching it bubble to life.

You can find all my favorite sourdough tools and essentials here or with the tab above.

If you loved this recipe, here are some more to try!

• Homemade Jam
• Stuffed Bagel Minis
• Bacon Jam Sourdough Loaf
• Bacon Jam
• Chili Crunch Oil and Pickle Sourdough Loaf