Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Hi, this is Andrea and I am finally blogging.
I have been addicted to a new website this summer: pinterest.com. This website allows you to "pin" ideas on your "boards"  from a vast amount of categories ranging from Home Decor, Fashion, Party Themes, Children Activities, DIY and Recipes. I have come to the realization that "pinning" would be entirely useless if I didn't actually try the stuff I find. So I have decided to commit to trying out DIY and Recipes that I have found on Pinterest.com.

I have already tried a few recipes that I have "pinned" but I had to tweak them based on the ingredients I  had in the pantry.  This time, I followed the recipe as it was written so I felt it deserved a blog feature. Just this week I came across a Cinnamon Swirl Bread Recipe that looked easy to make and, above all, it looked YUMMY!

Here is the link of the blog the recipe is from. cinnamon swirl bread

I posted the recipe below and the comments in green are my own. :) Enjoy!

cinnamon swirl bread

1 scant tablespoon instant or rapid rise yeast (1 packet) FYI- scant is just less then what the measurement call for. 
3 1/2 cups (350g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups (295mL) warm water (110 degrees)
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons honey
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
butter for pan and brushing on finished bread
1 egg white
1 cup (150g) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1. In an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook and set to low speed, mix together yeast and 3 cups of flour. Pour in the water, oil, honey, and salt. Mix on low speed for about 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.  Add up to a 1/2 cup more flour if needed. I noticed the dough was still wet, even after I added the extra 1/2 cup of flour. Make sure to flour your counter extra good!

2. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead by hand a few times. Drizzle the inside of the mixer bowl with a bit more oil. Roll the dough around in the oil and cover in plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size. I used cooking spray instead of oil in the bowl, less mess and worked great! While the stove is preheating, place the dough on top of the stove, works like a dream, and cuts the rise time way down. 

3.  Butter a large loaf pan and set aside.  Cooking spray worked well for me, if you want it to be a little easier. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and roll out into a long rectangle the width of the loaf pan.  In a small bowl, mix together the egg white, sugar, and cinnamon, and spread out evenly across the dough. I whipped up the egg white separately nice and fluffy and brushed that on the dough, then sprinkled the cinnamon sugar mixture on top.  Roll up carefully, and pinch the dough on the ends, and all along the edge to create a seam that will hold in the filling.  Lay the dough, seam side down, in the prepared pan.  Cover with a clean kitchen towel, and allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until almost doubled in size. In the past I have had a problem with a kitchen towel sticking to the dough when it is rising. Instead I spray cooking spray right on to the dough and then cover with plastic wrap. Never Sticks!

4.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top and bottom of the bread is golden brown. Brush the top of the bread with butter. Tilt the bread pan on its side and allow to cool for 20 minutes. Turn the bread out and allow to cool completely, if you can wait that long.

 I baked the bread for 25 minutes flat. It was perfect! The bread had perfect consistency, was light and airy. The buttered crust knocked it out of the park! It was suggested in the blog to use butter instead of egg white in the cinnamon-sugar filling. I stuck to my guns and used the egg white. It worked well as a glue to seal the dough together. I also liked that the cinnamon-sugar filling wasn't gritty! Just the perfect comfort food. Warm and gooey. 


My father-in-law gave the bread a SEVEN STARS out of FIVE. :)