This Cinnamon Swirl Bread is soft and fluffy, with a layer of sweet cinnamon swirled throughout the bread. A slice of this cinnamon bread is a delicious way to kick start the day!
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, whisk together the flour, yeast, ¼ cup sugar, and salt.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the milk, butter, and water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the butter has melted and the mixture reaches 130°F.
With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture. Add eggs. Increase mixing speed to medium and knead dough until soft and elastic, about 10 to 12 minutes.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and shape into a ball. Place the dough ball in a large, lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover and place in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter a 9x5-inch loaf pan or spray with baking spray.
Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a 9x15-inch rectangle.
In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ¼ cup of sugar and the cinnamon. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the dough, leaving a ½-inch border at one short end. Starting at the short end opposite the border, roll the dough up into a log.
Place the log seam-side-down, into the prepared loaf pan. Cover and place in a warm place until the dough has almost doubled in size, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Bake for 1 hour or until the bread is very browned and the center is cooked through (195°F if you have an instant-read thermometer) loosely covering with foil in the last 15 minutes to prevent over-browning if needed. Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack. Let cool completely.
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Notes
The time it takes for your dough to rise depends on the temperature of your kitchen. The ideal temperature for dough rising is 75 to 78F. It may take over an hour for the dough to double in size. If your kitchen is cold, place the dough inside an OFF oven with the light turned on.
Avoid adding too much flour by measuring your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake leading to dense bread. The best way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don’t have one, then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
Eggs need to be at room temperature and not fridge-cold as they’ll incorporate better into the bread dough. Place the eggs into a bowl of warm water for a couple of minutes to quickly bring them to room temperature if you have forgotten to take them out of your fridge ahead of time.
I recommend using a light-colored metal pan such as aluminum as they heat up and cool down quickly. If you use a glass or ceramic loaf pan, the bake time may have to be adjusted.
An instant-read thermometer is handy for this recipe to check the temperature of the milk and butter as well as checking the bread for doneness. If the liquids are too hot (above 130°F), you risk killing the instant yeast.
If you want to add raisins to this cinnamon swirl loaf, you can sprinkle it on the cinnamon sugar.