Cinnamon Swirl

This is based off my delicious cinnamon swirl bread recipe. This time I tried something interesting with the cinnamon sugar going with powder sugar rather than brown sugar. The result was a much lighter dough with a softer sweetness throughout. Full recipe below. Dough: 500g Bread Flour 260g Milk (Room Temp)10g Instant Dry Years 50g Unstaled Butter (Soft) 50g Egg (about 1 large egg) 10g Salt 150g Raisins 100g Crushed Walnuts 5g Cinnamon Cinnamon Sugar: 8 Parts Powder Sugar 1 Part Cinnamon Egg Wash: 1 Egg 15g Cold Water Combine milk, butter, egg, salt together and add the flour, yeast, and half of your cinnamon. Mix for 4 minutes on low, and another 4 minutes oh medium speed. Adding half the cinnamon here gives the bread a more well rounded smell and cinnamon taste. Add raisins and walnuts and mix on low for another 2 minutes. Add the final portion of cinnamon and mix until combined. Don't over mix here. You are looking to just incorporate the cinnamon to get a nice swirl throughout your dough. Cover and proof the dough for 60 minutes. If you find your dough isn't getting enough lift the dough temperate may not be getting high enough. Using room temperature milk is critical for achieving a good rise. You can also use my oven proofing hack to get more body in your rise. Just boil a small pot of water and place that in your oven along side your dough. The heat and moisture from the steam let off by the pot of water will help proof the dough. Fold the dough into a basic ball shape and allow it to rest, covered, on a counter top for 20 minutes. Take this time to prep your eggwash and cinnamon sugar. Roll your dough out into a 30cm x 20cm rectangle. Brush with egg wash and sift the cinnamon sugar mixture over the entire surface of the dough. Be generous at this stage. Beginning on one of the 30cm sides, roll the dough up into a tube shape. Roll this out between your palms gently to lengthen the dough. You want to make sure the thickness as as even as possible across the entire length of the dough. Now for the twist! This step is entirely optional but will give your bread a beautiful set of twists on the top and throughout the dough. It is a real eye catcher and you will blow your friends away with how cool it looks. With a sharp knife or dough cutter, gently cut the dough lengthwise. This will give you two long thin halves of the rolled dough. Start on one end, firmly press the tips of the two pieces of dough together and twist them around each other. This is a basic two strand braid. Once you are satisfied with your braid, place the dough in a baking pan. Make sure to pinch the two ends of the braid together to create a nice and even seam. Brush the dough generously with egg wash and allow to proof again in the pan for 60-90 minutes. Preheat your oven to 350F / 175C. After the second proof, brush the dough again with egg wash and bake for 35-50minutes. Your oven time may vary, but you are looking for a rich golden brown top and an internal temperature of 205F / 97C. Once baked, remove from the pan and allow to cool on a rack for a few hours before digging in. Dust with more cinnamon sugar. Thanks for reading and if you try this recipe make sure to send me a picture!

Check out my preferred baking pan here.

I highly recommend this bad boy. It has been one of my go to pans for bread making. It is a stoneware pan which helps it heat evenly every time. I use directly on my oven wracks and sometimes on top of my baking stone. I only share things with you guys that I trust and believe in. If you are interested in following along with my recipes and want to give a little back, please use this link to pick up a few items. I work hard creating these recipes - it is a labor of love, but every little bit helps. See you guys soon with the next one!