Old Fashioned Cinnamon Swirl Bread
developed & tested by:
This vanilla cinnamon swirl bread is baked in a loaf pan & ready to be sliced for a sweet breakfast with coffee or a cozy afternoon snack. The buttery brown sugar & cinnamon filling creates a beautiful swirl in every slice of this fluffy, enriched bread.
Equipment
Ingredients
BREAD DOUGH
- 1 cup milk
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (one packet)
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons salt (use either table salt or fine sea salt)
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
SWIRL FILLING
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon all purpose flour
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
EGG WASH
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon water
Instructions
Make the Dough
- In a microwave-safe bowl, warm the milk in the microwave for 1 minute until it's between 98°F to 105°F. Stir in the brown sugar and active dry yeast. Set aside for 10 minutes, until it becomes frothy on top.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the frothy yeast mixture with the eggs and vanilla extract.
- Add the flour and salt. Mix with a large spoon until it starts forming a sticky dough.
- Add the softened butter and mix for a minute to incorporate the butter.
- On a floured surface, knead the dough by hand for a full 8 minutes, until the dough is elastic and slightly tacky. Add a tiny sprinkle of flour onto your work surface as needed while kneading the dough, to prevent it from sticking. This dough is meant to still be a little tacky (not perfectly smooth, but not wet/sticky).
- Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a clean mixing bowl. Cover it with a clean kitchen towel or dinner plate. Let the dough rise in a warm spot until it has doubled in size, after about 2 hours.
Prepare the Filling
- In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients for the filling (brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and flour). Keep the butter separate.
Make the Egg Wash
- Whisk the egg and one teaspoon of water to make the egg wash. Set aside.
Shape & Proof the Loaf
- Grease or line a loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside. Lightly dust your work surface with flour and roll out the dough with a rolling pin into a rectangle so it's as long as your loaf pan twice as wide (about 1.25 to 1.5 cm thick).
- Leaving a 1-inch border around the edges, gently spread the softened butter evenly over the dough, then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture in an even layer on top.
- Loosely roll up the dough into a log, starting from a long edge. Brush a little egg wash along the exposed long edge to “glue” it shut, and tightly pinch the seam closed. (Save the rest of the egg wash for later.) Flatten the short ends slightly and fold them underneath the dough log. Place it seam-side-down in the prepared loaf pan, so the seam is directly under the center of the loaf.
- Cover the loaf pan with a kitchen towel. Set aside to proof for 30 minutes at room temperature (not the warm oven, since we don’t want the butter in the filling to melt), until an indent made by your finger springs back to its original shape after 2 to 3 seconds.
Bake the Bread
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the oven rack in the lower third to prevent the top of your loaf from burning. Once the dough is done proofing, brush the top with egg wash. Use a sharp kitchen knife or bread scoring lame to cut a ¼-inch deep line lengthwise down the top of the dough.
- Place your loaf pan in the oven, and place a baking sheet on an oven rack below to catch any potential spills so they don’t burn on your oven floor. Bake for 25 minutes, then rotate the loaf pan 180 degrees, and bake another 25 to 35 minutes, until your loaf has an internal temperature of 190°F. Loosely place a large piece of aluminum foil folded in half over the bread halfway through baking, to prevent the top from getting too brown.
- Allow it to cool for 1 hour before slicing. Enjoy!!
Notes
- How to get a clean cinnamon swirl: Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar in an even, thin layer to avoid gaps. If your kitchen is hot and your softened butter in the dough or filling is starting to melt, pop your loaf pan with the dough in the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes to cool before it goes into the oven.
- How to roll the bread evenly: Use both hands to roll the dough snugly (not tightly), starting from a long edge. If you roll the dough too tightly, it could cause the filling to burst through and tear the loaf.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 slice (of 12)Calories: 284kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 7gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 61mgSodium: 349mgPotassium: 116mgFiber: 2gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 299IUVitamin C: 0.03mgCalcium: 56mgIron: 2mg
Did you make this recipe?Leave a comment below - I love hearing from you!