Sourdough Champagne Bread with Golden Raisins

This sourdough champagne bread is made with degassed Brut sparkling wine, vanilla, and champagne-soaked golden raisins. The champagne flavor is most pronounced when freshly baked and mellows beautifully by the next day.

Course: Bread, Sourdough, Sourdough Artisan Loaf

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Sourdough Champagne Bread

Servings: Loaf

Author: Serena Carcasole

Ingredients

Levain

5 Starter
50 Water
50 Flour

Dough

450 g bread flour
50 g all purpose flour
265 g degassed champagne or sparkling wine
65 g water
100 g active sourdough starter (100% hydration)
10 g fine sea salt

Raisin Inclusion

100 g golden raisins
Champagne for soaking (discard soaking liquid)
1/2 tsp vanilla powder or vanilla paste

Instructions

Step 1. Mix the Levain

You’ll need 100 g active levain (100% hydration) at peak for this recipe.
5 g mature sourdough starter
50 g flour (bread flour or all-purpose)
50 g water
Mix until smooth, cover loosely, and let ferment overnight at room temperature (around 70–75°F / 21–24°C).
The levain is ready when it has doubled or slightly domed, smells lightly sweet and fermented, and shows bubbles throughout.

Degas the Champagne

Pour the champagne into a bowl or measuring jug. Whisk gently for 2–3 minutes to release excess carbonation, then let it sit briefly until most of the bubbles have settled. This step stabilizes the liquid so it behaves like water in the dough while keeping the aroma and acidity of the champagne.

Soak the Raisins

In a small bowl, combine the raisins with enough champagne to cover. Add the vanilla powder or vanilla paste and stir gently to coat.
Set aside. The raisins will be added later during the stretch and folds, once the dough has developed strength.
Let the raisins soak for 20 minutes, then drain thoroughly and discard the soaking liquid.Pat the raisins dry with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture.

Mix (Fermentolyse)

In a large bowl, combine the flour, degassed champagne, water, and sourdough starter. Mix until no dry flour remains and the dough looks shaggy and fully hydrated.
Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.This fermentolyse allows the flour to hydrate fully and jump-starts fermentation without salt, helping the dough develop extensibility and flavor early on.

Add Salt

Sprinkle the salt evenly over the dough. Using wet hands, gently pinch and fold until the salt is fully incorporated. The dough will feel slightly tighter at this stage.
Cover and rest for 30 minutes to allow the gluten to relax before strengthening.

Strengthen the Dough (Stretch & Folds)

Perform 3–4 sets of stretch and folds, spaced 30 minutes apart.
With each set, the dough should feel progressively smoother, stronger, and more elastic. By the final fold, it should hold its shape between folds and feel cohesive rather than slack.

Add the Raisins (Gradually)

Once the dough has clearly developed strength, begin adding the raisins.
Adding inclusions gradually prevents the gluten from tearing and helps distribute the raisins evenly without deflating the dough.
Fold in half of the drained raisins during the second stretch and fold
Add the remaining raisins during the third stretch and fold

Bulk Fermentation

After the final stretch and fold, let the dough continue bulk fermenting. Bulk fermentation usually takes 3.5–5+ hours total from the start of mixing, depending on your starter strength, dough temperature, and room temperature.

Overnight Cold Proofing

For deeper flavor development and added gut-friendly benefits, refrigerate the dough after shaping.
Pre-shape and final shape
Place in a floured banneton
Cover and refrigerate 8–16 hours
Bake straight from the fridge the next day