Cinnamon Swirl Bread

OH my goodness this was so yummy! I have had this recipe in my kitchen drawer for over a year now (along with many others) and keep forgetting about it. I don't make bread a lot, but I love cinnamon french toast, and I'm tired of being disappointed at the selection of cinnamon bread at the store. This bread is super yummy by itself, but it was PERFECT for french toast! Especially when you cut the slices really big and serve with some strawberries. Yu-um!

The instructions are really detailed, but I liked that since I'm not the greatest bread maker!

Cinnamon Bread

Recipe adapted from King Arthur

makes 1 loaf

Dough:

1/4 ounce packet "highly active" dry yeast; or 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast; or 2 1/2 tsp instant yeast

*7/8- 1 1/8 cups lukewarm water 

2-3 cups flour

1 1/4 tsp salt

3 Tbsp sugar

6 Tbsp butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup nonfat dry milk

1/2 cup instant mashed potato flakes

*use the lesser amount in the summer (or in humid environment), the greater amount in winter (or in dry climate), and somewhere in between the rest of the year, or if your house is climate controlled

Filling:

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp flour

1 large egg beaten with 1 Tbsp water, to brush on dough

Directions:

If you're using "highly active" or active dry yeast, dissolve it with a pinch of sugar in 2 Tbsp of the lukewarm water. Let the yeast and water sit at room temperature for 15 minutes, until the mixture has bubbled and expanded. If you're using instant yeast, you can skip this step. (I used quick rise dry yeast so I did this step)

Combine the dissolved yeast, with the rest of the water (I used 1 cup water including the water I used to proof the yeast), salt, sugar, butter, dry milk and potato flakes together. Mix and knead everything together- by hand or mixer adding the flour until you have made a smooth dough. Adjust the dough's consistency with additional flour or water as needed; but remember, the more flour you add while you're kneading, the heavier and drier your final loaf will be. If you're kneading in a stand mixer, it should take about 7 minutes at second speed and the dough should barely clean the sides of the bowl, perhaps sticking a bit at the bottom. (I used the 1 cup water and only used 2 cups of flour and it was barely sticky at all. Also make sure you knead it for the amount it says ...my bread use to never turn out until I started timing the kneading time!)

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl (I just pick it up out of my mixer bowl, spray it and put it back in). Cover the bowl with a towel or greased plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise, at room temperature, until it's nearly doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Rising may take longer, especially if you've kneaded by hand. Give it enough time to become quite puffy.

While the dough is rising, make the filling by stirring together the sugar, cinnamon and flour.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and pat it into a 6" x 20" rectangle (I actually measured it with a tape measure, again because I always mess up bread)

Brush the dough with the egg/water mixture, and sprinkle it evenly with the filling.

Starting with the short end, roll the dough into a log

Pinch the ends to seal, and pinch the long seam closed.

Transfer the log, seam-side down, to a lightly greased 8 1/2" by 4 1/2" loaf pan.(measuring the top of the pan if it's slanted) and tent the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap.

Allow the bread to rise till it's crested about 1" over the rim of the pan, about 1 hour. Make sure it's 1" over the rim of the pan, even if it takes longer than an hour. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350. (If you bake this bread in a 9" x 5" loaf pan, it'll be flatter and not as nicely domed and will have to rise to about even with the rim, not above the rim)

Bake the bread for 40-45 minutes, tenting it lightly with aluminum foil after the first 15 minutes. The bread's crust will be golden brown, and the interior of the finished loaf should measure 190 degrees on an instant read thermometer.

Remove the bread from the oven, and gently loosen the edges with a spatula or knife. Turn it out of the pan, and brush the top surface with butter. Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing.