I have strong memories of coming home from school to freshly baked bread which my mom would often make on rainy days. The college I went to had a bakery where they would sell mini individual loaves of fresh wheat bread with honey butter, and I would often stop and pick one up on cold or rainy days. Now, making bread for my kids brings back those same memories.
This cinnamon swirl bread is one of our favorite. It has little heartiness from white wheat flour, and with a hint of sweetness from honey and the cinnamon sugar filling. My kids always love slicing a fresh loaf to see how the swirl turned out, too.
This recipe makes 3 loaves, which is a lot, but if I am going to be making homemade bread, I like to make extra to keep in the freezer. The baked and cooled loaves freeze very well to enjoy later.
- For the bread:
- 3 cups warm water (warm to the touch but not scalding)
- 5 teaspoons active dry yeast
- ⅔ cup honey, divided
- 3½ cups bread flour
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 5 cups white wheat flour (approximately)
- Salted butter for topping (optional)
- For the filling:
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 4½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons flour
- Water
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix together warm water, yeast, ⅓ cup of honey, 3½ cups bread flour, and salt until just combined. Let sit for about 30 minutes, until mixture has expanded and bubbled up. Add remaining ⅓ cup honey, olive oil, salt, and 3½ cups of white wheat flour. Turn mixer on low to medium low and mix until combined. With mixer on low-medium, continue to mix, adding additional flour, a few tablespoons at a time, until dough comes together. It should be tacky but not too sticky, and should be just starting to pull away from the mixer. Increase mixer speed to medium or medium high, and allow dough to knead for about 4-5 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Transfer to a greased or oiled bowl and cover with a tea towel. Allow dough to rise in a draft-free, warm spot in the kitchen until doubled, about 1 hour.
- When dough is risen, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray three 9x5 inch loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray. In a small bowl stir together sugar, cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons flour to make the filling.
- Punch dough down. Divide into thirds. Roll out one of the dough pieces into a long, thin rectangle about 8-9 inches along the short side. Sprinkle or brush with a small amount of water to make dough surface slightly wet. Sprinkle with ⅓ of the filling mixture, leaving about ¼ inch around the edges. Beginning with the short edge, roll up into a tight log. Pinch seams at the end and tuck under the bottoms to seal. Place in one of the prepared loaf pans, then repeat with remaining two dough pieces so you have 3 loaves formed. Cover pans loosely with a tea towel and allow to rise for about 30-45 minutes, until nearly doubled.
- Remove tea towel and place loaves in preheated oven. Cook for about 25-30 minutes, until tops are golden brown. Remove from the oven. Let cool about 5 minutes until still warm, then rub tops with salted butter. Cool completely before removing and serving. Extra loaves freeze well.
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