Cinnamon Swirl Bread

I seriously love nothing more than cinnamon crunch or coffee cake or cinnamon swirl or whatever you want to call it muffins/bread/cake. I found this delicious recipe while preparing care packages to send to friends who are still in school. I knew immediately that I would have to double the recipe to keep some at home.

Recipe adapted from Mangio da Sola

Bread ingredients:
1 and 1/3 c. sugar
1 heaping Tbsp. cinnamon
2 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
1 c. milk
1/3 c. oil

Glaze ingredients:
1 c. powdered sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. water
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Bread

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x3x13 loaf pan.
2. Mix 1/3 c. sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside.
3. Mix flour, remaining sugar, baking powder and salt in another bowl.
4. In another bowl, beat egg. Add milk and oil. 
5. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Batter will be lumpy. Do not overmix.
6. Pour half of the batter into the pan. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar on top. Pour remaining batter on top and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar.
7. Bake 40-50 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.

Glaze

1. Mix all ingredients together.
2. Pour over the top of bread.

Cinnamon Vanilla Swirl Bread

I love homemade bread so much. This is light and fluffy. Moist and just sweet enough where you don't need butter. It's perfect for a breakfast or brunch and you don't need a bread machine! I double the inside part to make it cover better.

(Image above from Rachel Cooks)

Recipe adapted from Rachel Cooks

Ingredients

1 c milk
12 T unsalted butter, divided
2.5 t active dry yeast
2 whole eggs (plus egg for egg wash, see below)
1 c sugar, divided
3 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 t salt
4 T ground cinnamon
2+ T vanilla Extract
egg and milk whisked together for egg wash
extra softened butter for pan

Directions

1. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter with the milk. Heat until hot but not boiling. Remove from heat and cool until still slightly warm. Sprinkle yeast over the top, stir once and set aside for ten minutes.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together flour and salt.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine 1/3 cup sugar and eggs using a paddle attachment. (I don’t have a stand mixer so I used a spoon and then kneaded by hand. I’d suggest the stand mixer if you have one.) Pour in milk mixture and combine. Add half of the flour and continue to beat on medium speed until moistened. Add the rest of the flour and beat until combined.
4. Remove paddle attachment and switch to dough hook. (Or dump it onto the counter for ten-ish minutes.) Knead dough on medium speed for ten minutes, adding 1/4 cup of flour if necessary, kneading for five more minutes.
5. Heat an empty glass bowl in the microwave for about 15-30 seconds just so it is warm. Pour in a little bit of canola or vegetable oil and toss the tough in the oil so it has a thin coating. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm place for two hours or more.
6. Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine cinnamon, 2/3 cup of sugar and vanilla extract. Add in 3 tablespoons of cold butter. (Sometimes I'm a bad girl and I double this.) Using a fork, work together this mixture together until the butter is in pea-size pieces.
7. On a floured or oiled work surface (I used oil), roll dough into a rectangle the width of your loaf pan and 18-24 inches long.
8. Evenly spread butter/sugar/cinnamon/vanilla mixture over rolled out dough. Starting at the far end, roll up dough, keeping it as tight as possible. Pinch seam to create a seal.
9. Coat the loaf pan in softened butter and place roll, seam side down, in the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for two more hours.
10. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
11. Create an egg wash by mixing an egg with a little bit (1-2 T) of milk and brush over the top of the loaf. Bake for 40 minutes on the middle or lower rack of your oven.

(this image from Rachel Cooks)