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Cinnamon Swirl Loaf

This whole wheat bread is such a great loaf for toasting or just enjoying fresh. The subtle flavor of molasses and cinnamon swirl screams comfort and cozy.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
2 hours
Total Time2 hours 55 minutes
Course: Bread
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cinnamon swirl bread, hard winter wheat, molasses bread, whole grain bread, whole grain recipes, whole wheat bread, whole wheat recipe ideas
Servings: 15 servings
Author: Amy Sandidge

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 cup warm milk if you have a dairy intolerance, warm water will work here as well.
  • 2 tablespoons molasses
  • 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar light brown or even granulated will work as well.
  • 2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast, or one packet
  • 3 eggs
  • ¼ cup oil
  • 2 tablespoons orange juice I learned this trick from King Arthur's whole grain baking book many years ago. It seems like an unusual ingredient, but it helps to cut the bitterness som people experience from the wheat flour.
  • 3 cups whole wheat flour My family prefers the flavor of white wheat as opposed to the traditional red winter wheat. It has a milder flavor we prefer. If you prefer a red wheat, certainly use it!
  • 1- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted This is not made like cinnamon rolls, the 2 tablespoons will be plenty. You really just need enough for the cinnamon to stick to.
  • 1-2 tablespoons cinnamon this will be a personal preference. I like a little more, so I used the 2 tablespoons.

Egg wash

  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoons water or milk

Instructions

  • Activate yeast. To do this, you add your yeast, warm water, molasses and brown sugar to bowl. Mix with a fork just for a few seconds then set aside. Depending on the temp of the milk, other ingredients and house, this should take between 5-10 minutes.
    Add the activated yeast mixture to stand mixer. Add all other ingredients in as well. On the all purpose flour, only add 1 cup to start.
    Turn mixer on medium and mix for a few minutes to determine whether more flour is needed. Your dough should be a little sticky (or tacky is what we call it in the baking world), but not overly sticky. Whole wehat bread dough is a little different from an all white dough as the wheat absorbs more liquid, for this reason, dough is always more tacky.
    If dough is where you want it, continue to mix another 6 minutes on medium. Cover and allow to rise until doubled. It usually takes about 45 minutes in my house.
    Prepare pan. You can either use pan spray or melt a little butter and brush it on.
    Turn dough out onto surface. Roll to a 9x12 in rectangle. Brush lightly with butter. I like to leave about a 1 inch gap on the bottom. That way you can pinch and close the roll.
    Now, roll up in a roll, as shown in photo. You will want to roll the 12 inch length, not the 9 inch width.
    Place loaf into pan. I like to cover with a little saran wrap, but you can also use a kitchen towel.
    Allow loaf to double. A good way to tell if it is ready is to lighlty poke the side. If the indention sticks, it is sufficiently risen, the indention will stay. If it isn't risen as it should be, it will push back out.
    While it is at the end of it's rise, preheat oven to 350 degrees and mix together your egg wash.
    Before placing in the oven, brush with egg wash.
    Place in oven. Bake for 35-50 minutes. If your loaf starts to get darker then what you want, you can always tent a piece of tinfoil over the loaf. My favorite way to check for doneness is to turn loaf out of pan onto your hand covered with a hot pad. Tap the bottom of the loaf and listen. If it sounds hollow, you are good.
    Remove from oven. Carefully turn out of pan and place on cooling rack.
    You can slice it right away, because it is really hard to resist. It is prettier if you wait though, and so much easier to slice.
    Now, sit back and enjoy. You deserve it!