Prep Time 30 minutes Cook Time 3 hours
by Alison Needham
Your kitchen will smell like a bakery when you make this heavenly loaf of cinnamon swirl bread. Thick slices, toasted and slathered with butter make for an especially delicious breakfast or snack with afternoon tea. Because the dough isn't brushed with butter before it is sprinkled with the cinnamon sugar mixture, the spiral adheres together nicely, making this the perfect bread for French toast.
What you'll need
Dough
- 3 1/2 cups flour, unbleached, all-purpose
- 1 1/8 cup water, luke-warm
- 1/4 cup milk, dry non-fat
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
- 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast, rapid rise or quick
- 2 teaspoons Kosher or sea salt
Egg Wash
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon water
Cinnamon Sprinkle
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon sugar
How to make it
- If you are using a bread maker: Mix all the ingredients (except cinnamon and sugar) into your bread machine according to manufacture's directions and set on dough setting and proceed to step 4.
- If you are making the dough from scratch: Mix the dry ingredients (except cinnamon and sugar) into a large bowl. Cut the butter in with your fingertips until it resembles coarse sand. Add the water and stir with a spoon until moistened. The dough will be a shaggy mess. Cover with a dishtowel and let it rest for 20 minutes.
- Turn dough out onto a floured board and knead for 8 minutes, or until dough is soft and smooth. Place in a greased bowl and cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for at least one hour, or until double in size. If your kitchen is cold or drafty, heat your oven to 175 degrees. When it is at temperature, turn off the heat, and place the bowl inside the oven to rise. Check after 45 minutes to see if it has risen enough.
- Turn out the dough onto a floured board and roll to an 8x15 inch rectangle. Mix the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Sprinkle liberally all over the dough, right to the edges. Roll tightly, starting at the shorter end. Tuck ends under and place seam side down in a greased standard-size (8 1/2 x 4 1/2) loaf pan.
- Let rise for one hour more, or until dough has come one inch above the edge of the pan. About 20 minutes before you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375° F. Brush the top of the loaf all over with the egg wash and place in the oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until loaf is golden brown on top and hollow sounding when tapped on the bottom. If the bread is getting overly brown at the end of baking, it may be necessary to cover lightly with foil. Turn out from the pan and let cool on a rack. Slice and serve warm or at room temperature.
