Whole Wheat Cinnamon Swirl Bread

today, i’m participating in a fun blogger event — the secret recipe club. how does it work? every blogger is secretly assigned another blog + chooses a recipe from that blog to make. on reveal day (today!), all of our posts go up at the same time, + everyone gets to see who was assigned to their blog, which recipe they chose, + how it turned out. fun, huh?

this month, i was assigned Casey’s blog Beautiful Disasters, a fantastic blog full of delicious-looking food. while tons of recipes stood out as potentials to try, one looked + sounded particularly irresistible – whole wheat cinnamon swirl bread. i grew up eating pepperidge farm cinnamon raisin bread + Casey’s version reminded me how much I used to love it. so, i decided to give hers a try!

so, how did it turn out? truly wonderful! the house smelled absolutely scrumptious while it baked + i could barely wait to slice into it. i served it toasted + topped with a generous slathering of butter + sweet fancy moses, it was amazing! since it uses whole wheat flour, it has some healthy perks, offering more protein, iron + fiber than if you only used white flour. food that’s good for you *AND* tastes great? always a favorite of mine.

thank you to Casey for introducing me to this delicious bread, + to the secret recipe club for connecting me, yet again, with fantastic bloggers + amazing recipes!

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Swirl Bread

makes 1 loaf, serves about 8-10, adapted from eat, live, run as seen on beautiful disasters

ingredients

for the bread:
1/2 cup warm milk (i used 2%)
1/2 cup warm water
1 (1/4th oz.) package yeast
2 teaspoons + 1/3 cup granulated sugar, divided
1 c whole wheat flour
2 c all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons softened unsalted butter
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg plus 2 tablespoons warm water

for the cinnamon swirl:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

directions

combine warm milk, water, yeast, + 2 teaspoons sugar in a measuring cup + let sit for 10 minutes until foamy. the temperature of the milk/ water should be warm but NOT scorching hot.

while the yeast is resting, combine the flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons softened butter, salt, + 1 tablespoon cinnamon in the bowl of a stand mixer. using the paddle attachment, start to mix on slow. then, drizzle in the water/milk mixture while the machine is running, until the mixture just starts to come together.

switch to the dough hook, + increase speed to high. mix for about 6-8 minutes, until the dough is smooth + elastic. (if you want to work the dough by hand instead of using a stand mixer, just add the water mixture to the dry ingredients + knead on a floured surface for 10 minutes until smooth. get into it!)

spray a large bowl with cooking spray + place the dough ball in it. cover with a cloth + let rise for 1.5 hours in the warmest spot of the house.

while the dough is rising, mix together the remaining 3 tablespoons butter with the extra 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon + 1 tablespoon sugar in a small bowl until smooth. after the dough has risen to double its size (about 1.5 hours), roll out on a floured surface to about an 1/8th inch thickness into a long rectangle. smear the butter mixture over the top of the rectangle + roll up tightly.

place the rolled dough in a greased loaf pan, cover with a cloth + let rise an additional hour in a warm spot.

preheat oven to 350 degrees F. whisk together the egg + 2 tablespoons warm water + brush all over loaf. bake for 40 minutes or until golden-brown on top. let cool + slice.

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