bake 52: cinnamon swirl bread

Cinnamon.  Bread.  Win.  Win.  I think I could eat this everyday.

Combine white sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon.  That's 4 tsp of cinnamon.  That's a lot of cinnamon.  mmmm.

Set aside 2 Tbls. of this mixture to sprinkle on top of the bread.

In a mixer bowl, combine flour, yeast, salt, and 1/4 cup of cinnamon sugar mixture.

Didn't get a picture of the milk mixture.  That's milk, melted butter and egg yolks.  You can just see it in this picture, being poured into the flour mixture.

The dough is kneaded until it comes together nicely.  Knead the ball on the counter until it forms a smooth round ball.  Place in a greased bowl.  Cover.  Let rise.

Risen.

Press the dough into a rectangle.  Spray lightly with water.  I thought this was a good tip.  I've always used melted butter and then put the cinnamon sugar on top.  The "test kitchen" said that to keep the cinnamon sugar glued to the dough, water is the secret.

Then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the water and dough.  Lightly spray with water again.

Roll-up and place in a greased loaf pan.

Let rise.  (I probably could have let it go longer, but I was getting anxious.

Brush lightly with melted butter, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, then spray lightly with water.  Bake.

Here it is just out of the oven.  Wish you could smell that cinnamon through the screen.  Heaven.

The recipe said to let it cool for 2 hours before serving.  We didn't wait that long.

Swirls.

Yum.

We toasted it the next morning for breakfast.  So good.  My cinnamon swirls separated a bit, which was supposed to be remedied by the water spritzing, but I think that was probably my fault.  Maybe I didn't roll it tight enough?

Give it try!

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Makes one 9-inch loaf

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/4 cups warm whole milk (110 degrees)
3 Tbls unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus extra for brushing
2 large egg yolks
3 1/2 - 4 cups all-purpose flour
1 envelope (2 1/4 tsp) instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt

1.  Mix the sugars and cinnamon together in a small bowl.  Measure out 2 Tbls and reserve for the topping.  Whisk the milk, melted butter, and yolks together in a large liquid measuring cup.

2.  Combine 3 1/2 cups of the flour, yeast, salt, and 1/4 cup of the cinnamon sugar in a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook.  With the mixer on low speed, add the milk mixture and mix until the dough comes together, about 2 minutes.

3.  Increase the mixer speed to medium-low and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.  If after 4 minutes more flour is needed, add the remaining 1/2 cup flour, 2 Tbls at a time, until the dough clears the sides of the bowl but sticks to the bottom.

4.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead by hand to form a smooth, round ball.  Place the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl an cover with greased plastic wrap.  Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

5.  Grease a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and press into a 20 by 8-inch rectangle with the short side facing you.  Spray the dough lightly with water, then sprinkle evenly with the remaining cinnamon sugar, leaving a 1/2-inch border at the far edge.  Lightly spray the cinnamon sugar with water until it is damp but not wet.

6.  Loosen the dough from the counter using a bench scraper (or metal spatula), then roll the dough into a tight cylinder and pinch the seam closed.  Place the loaf seam side down in the prepared pan.  Mist the loaf with vegetable oil spray, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until nearly doubled in size and the dough barely springs back when poked with a knuckle, 45 to 75 minutes.

7.  Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Brush the loaf lightly with melted butter, sprinkle with the reserved cinnamon sugar, then spray lightly with water.  Bake until golden, 40 to 60 minutes, rotating the loaf halfway through baking.  Cool the loaf in the pan for 15 minutes, then flip out onto  a wire rack and let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours, before serving.