Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Jump To Recipe by Cindy @mycountrytable

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Made with simple ingredients, this Cinnamon Swirl Bread is soft with sweet cinnamon swirls running throughout each slice. Once you bake a loaf you’ll be making it frequently. It’s so much better than store bought, and you’ll love the aroma wafting throughout your house while it’s baking.

This is a yeasted bread recipe, but don’t let that intimidate you. Made with simple pantry ingredients, it’s easy to make, and not overly sweet. You can enjoy this delicious bread for breakfast or for an afternoon snack. You can even use it to make french toast after a couple of days, but you probably won’t have any left.

Sure you can buy a loaf of cinnamon bread at the grocery store, which by the way is outrageously expensive these days, and is properly 2 to 3 days old by the time you buy it. On the other hand, you can make your own loaf of cinnamon bread with just a little bit of hands on time in the kitchen for probably less money, and it will be fresh out of the oven.

If you’ve never worked with yeast I’m here to tell you, it’s easy. The yeast does all the work. You simply have to make sure that your yeast is not expired. Just wait until you bake something made from yeast and smell that aroma. However, if you don’t feel like playing with yeast, you can always opt for my quick and easy recipe for Cinnamon Bread without yeast. It’s also delicious.

Ingredients for this recipe

Flour: I highly recommend using bread flour for this recipe. However, you can use all-purpose flour. Bread flour results in a chewier crust.

Milk: We need a warm liquid to help activate the yeast. I prefer to use milk, for the little bit of added fat. Try to use whole milk or not less than 2%.

Sugar: Sugar feeds the yeast, making it more active. It also helps tenderize the dough.

Butter: Butter adds flavor and softness to baked breads. We don’t use a huge amount, just enough for some buttery flavor. I prefer softened butter.

Salt: Salt brings out the other flavors.

Yeast: I used Red Star platinum instant yeast in this recipe. You can use active dry yeast, but the rise time will take longer. You can add instant yeast right into the dry ingredients without proofing it, but I like to proof it anyway to make sure the yeast has not expired.

Egg White: The egg white is brushed on the rolled out dough before sprinkling the cinnamon & sugar over it. This makes the cinnamon/sugar mixture adhere to the dough. This in turn, keeps the cinnamon swirl from separating from the baked bread. A great tip from King Arthur Baking.

HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE

Proof the yeast: Start by proofing the yeast. I do this step regardless of whether I’m using instant or active dry yeast. Proofing is simply making sure the yeast is still good. In this recipe, simply add the yeast, some sugar and warm milk to a large mixing bowl. The milk needs to be around 110 degrees. Allow it to set for about 5 minutes or until the top looks bubbly and foamy like in the picture below. This is called “blooming”. This means the yeast is still good. If the yeast doesn’t bloom, it’s because of one of 3 things…

the milk wasn’t warm enough to activate the yeast
the milk was too hot and killed the yeast
the yeast was expired

If the yeast doesn’t bloom, you need to discard the mixture and start over.

Add the hook attachment to the mixer. Using your fingers, break the soft butter into small pieces and drop it into the mixing bowl. Add the salt and one cup of the flour. Turn the mixer on low for about 20 seconds, then stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the second cup of flour and beat on medium speed until the flour is almost incorporated. Add the third cup and beat for a few seconds. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Continue to beat on medium speed until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about one minute.

Knead the dough: Knead the dough on medium speed for 8 to 9 minutes until the dough freely pulls away from the sides of the bowl and it feels just slightly tacky, (not too sticky to handle and not too dry). It’s important to not extra flour unless the dough is simply too sticky to handle and won’t release from the sides of the bowl. Too much flour = dry dense bread.

If you’re not sure the dough is has been kneaded enough, slightly poke it with your finger. If the indent slowly goes away, it’s ready. If the indent remains, it’s not ready yet.

You can also do the window pane test to see if the dough has been kneaded enough.

First rise: Form the dough into a round disc and place it in a greased bowl, turning it over to coat all sides. Cover the bowl with a towel and allow the dough to rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. I preheat my oven to 160 before starting this recipe and turn it off. I place the bowl in the slightly warm oven and leave the door slightly ajar. By the time I place the bowl in the oven it has cooled down to where it’s just slightly warm.

Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down, using your fist or fingers. This deflates it and removes all of the air bubbles.

Roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 8 x 20 inches. The corners will be rounded. That’s fine. Try to make sure the width is no wider than 8 inches if you can. Once the dough is rolled up, it will have to fit into a 9 inch pan.

Using a pastry brush, brush the dough with the egg white, going all the way to the edge. This is the glue that holds the cinnamon and sugar in place. A great tip from King Arthur Baking. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the dough, stopping about 1/4 inch from the edge. Use your hand to slightly pat the cinnamon sugar into the egg white.

Starting with the short (8 inch) end, roll the dough up into a tight roll. Try stretching the dough towards you as you roll it up, so it will be tight. Also, watch the ends as you roll it, and don’t let the dough unravel out of the ends. Pinch the seam together, and pinch the end pieces lightly to keep the cinnamon sugar from falling out. Place the loaf in a greased 9 inch loaf pan, seam side down.

Second rise: Place the bread in a warm draft free area. Cover it loosely with a greased piece of plastic wrap. Allow the bread to rise until it’s about 1 inch higher than the edge of the pan. This takes about 1 hour. Using a pastry brush, very gently brush the top with melted butter, being careful to not deflate the dough. During the last 15 minutes, go ahead and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Bake the bread on a lower oven rack for about 40 to 45 minutes, until it’s golden brown on top. It should sound hollow if you thump the top with your finger. You can also use an instant read thermometer to check it. It should read anywhere between 195 to 200 degrees when the bread is done. If the bread starts to brown too much while baking, place a tent of foil over it.

Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Run a knife around the edges and invert the bread onto a wire rack to finish cooling. Allow the bread to cool to lukewarm before slicing it with a sharp knife.

Tips for baking with yeast

Dissolve the yeast in warm water or milk that is between 105 and 115 degrees. If you’re milk is not warm enough it will not activate the yeast. If it’s too hot it will kill the yeast.
Measure your flour correctly. Spoon it into your measuring cup, and level it off with a knife. If you use too much flour, your bread will be dense and dry.
Knead the dough long enough. Kneading develops the structure of the bread. It’s super easy to let your stand mixer do the job for you. However, if you decide to knead this bread by hand, you should take the far end of the dough and fold it towards you, then using the heel of your hands, push the dough away with you. Turn the dough a quarter turn and repeat until the dough feels elastic. The surface of the dough should appear to be smooth and blistered.
If your kitchen is cool, or for quicker rise time, preheat your oven to 160 degrees and turn it off before you begin the recipe. When the dough is ready for the first rise, place a towel over the bowl, and place the bowl in the slightly warm oven. Make sure it’s not too warm. You can leave the door slightly ajar by placing a wooden spoon in the door opening.
Make sure to punch down the risen dough with your fist or fingers. This releases the air bubbles in the dough and results in a finer texture.
Bake loaves of bread on a lower oven rack to prevent the tops from over browning. If the tops start to brown too much, tent them with a piece of foil.
Use a metal loaf pan if possible and make sure it’s a 9 X 5 inch pan. If you use a glass or ceramic loaf pan, reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees. It will also take about 10 minutes longer to bake.
For a perfect round loaf, wrap the dough very tightly as you roll it up, stretching the dough towards you as you roll it. Make sure to pinch the seams together, pinch the ends turning them under, and place the roll seam side down in the loaf pan.

FAQ’s

Why does my cinnamon swirl separate from the bread?

This is a common problem with cinnamon bread. That’s why in this recipe we brush the dough with the egg white before sprinkling the cinnamon sugar over it. Then we slightly pat the mixture into the egg white. It can also separate if you don’t roll it tight enough. Some bakers also spritz the cinnamon sugar with water.

Can I use all-purpose flour for this recipe?

You can use all-purpose flour. However, bread flour makes for a chewier crust.

Can I freeze this bread?

Yes. Make sure to wrap the baked loaf in plastic wrap, then heavy foil. You can also slice it an place slices in freezer bags. Freeze no longer than 3 months and thaw overnight in the refrigerator or on a counter. Cover or wrap to reheat.

If you make this recipe please rate it, and leave a comment below on how you liked it. I love hearing from you!

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