Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Cinnamon Swirl Bread is soft and fluffy with cinnamon swirled throughout and topped with a sweet glaze. It is perfect for breakfast or as a sweet treat after dinner. It is also an excellent gift to give your neighbors or friends. It is perfect when you’re looking for a cinnamon-filled fall treat. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Yield: 12

Prep Time: 55 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes 35 seconds

Additional Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 3 hours 35 minutes 35 seconds

Fluffy, moist bread filled with cinnamon flavor, all topped with a sweet glaze.

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Ingredients

• 3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoon yeast
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 whole egg + 1 yolk
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 tablespoon milk

Instructions

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine 1 1/2 cups flour with the yeast. In a small saucepan, heat the milk, 2 tablespoons sugar, butter, and salt until warm (110-115 degrees Fahrenheit) and the butter has almost melted.
2. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and combine. Add the egg and egg yolks, beat 30 seconds, then scrape down the sides. Beat for another 3 minutes at high speed. Stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can mix in with a spoon.
3. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes total (dough should feel slightly sticky but should not stick to your hands. Form into a ball.
4. Place the ball of dough in a lightly greased bowl, turn once to grease the surface. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double (1 to 1 1/2 hours). Punch down, then let rest, covered, for another 10 minutes.
5. Roll out the dough into a 15x7" rectangle. Brush the entire surface lightly with water. Combine the 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and cinnamon. Sprinkle over the surface of the dough, avoiding the outer 1/2" of the edges.
6. Starting at the narrow end, roll up the dough jelly-roll style. Pinch and seal the edge and the ends. Place with the sealed edge facing down in a greased loaf pan. Cover lightly and let rise until nearly double (30-40 minutes).
7. Bake in a 375 degree Fahrenheit oven for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool for 5 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool on a wire cooling rack.
8. Once the bread is completely cool, combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, and enough milk to make a glaze thin enough to drizzle (be careful not to make it too thin). Drizzle over the top of the bread, allowing the glaze to drip down the sides. Cut and serve.

Notes

If needed, you can use aluminum foil to cover the bread during the final 15 minutes of baking to prevent over-browning.

You can also microwave the milk mixture; just make sure to do it in very short bursts (15-20 seconds), stirring each time. The main concern is to avoid getting the milk too hot. I recommend using a thermometer to check the temperature of the milk regardless of the method used to heat it

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 637Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 213mgCarbohydrates: 130gFiber: 4gSugar: 18gProtein: 17g

Nutrition information is an estimate only.

Storage

Cinnamon Swirl Bread is best served within 1 to 2 days of baking; the fresher, the better. It tends to dry out if not eaten soon after baking. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. I recommend avoiding using a zip-top bag as the glaze tends to stick to the bag.

If freezing, wrap in plastic wrap, then place in a tightly sealed container. This bread maintains quality 2-3 months after freezing. If you are going to freeze your Cinnamon Swirl Bread, freeze it without the glaze then drizzle with glaze after thawing the bread. Check out this article on the best way to thaw bread.

The Best Temperature for Yeast

If you’re wondering whether there is an ideal temperature for fermenting yeast, the answer is yes! Yeast actually a fungus and it is critical for leavening bread (helping bread rise). The living yeast ferments, creating bubbles of carbon dioxide. These bubbles are trapped by the gluten (protein strands) in the bread. This is what makes the bread rise, giving it its unique fluffy texture.

So to avoid a flat, dense loaf of bread you need to treat that yeast right to help it give your bread the best rise possible. One big piece of this is adding the correct temperature liquid to the yeast. Too hot and it will kill the yeast, too cool and it won’t activate the yeast and allow it to ferment.

So what is the ideal temperature for yeast? Probably cooler than you think! The best temperature for milk or water that is being added to yeast is 110-115 degrees Fahrenheit (approximately 43-46 degrees Celsius). So next time you’re making bread you may want to break out your favorite thermometer.

If you made this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Please leave a review or a comment letting me know how things turned out. Happy baking!