Whole-Grain Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Total Time
Approximately 4 hours
Prep Time
Approximately 2 hours (including resting and proofing time)
Cook Time
40 minutes
Rating
4.8 out of 5 stars
(150)
Ingredients
2 sandwich bread loaves
- 5 cups (635 grams) white whole-wheat or regular whole-wheat flour
- Approximately 1 1/4 cups (160 grams) mixed whole grains (see suggestions in notes)
- 2 teaspoons (14 grams) table salt or 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons (about 50 grams) granulated or brown sugar, or 2 1/2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup (55 grams) vegetable oil or melted butter, cooled to lukewarm
- 1 1/4 cups lukewarm water (about 95 degrees; err on cool side if you don’t have a thermometer)
- 1 1/4 cups (300 grams) lukewarm milk
- 1 1/2 tablespoons (about 13 grams) instant yeast
- Filling:
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup (85 grams) raisins or currants
- 2 teaspoons (5 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water
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Preparation
Step 1
Make bread dough: In a large mixing bowl, combine water, milk, and sugar or honey, then whisk in yeast until dissolved. Add egg and oil and whisk until combined.
Step 2
In a separate bowl, whisk together flours, grains, and salt, then add this to the yeast-egg mixture. Mix with a machine using a paddle attachment at the lowest speed for 1 minute or by hand using a large spoon for 1 minute. The dough will be wet and coarse. Let it rest for 5 minutes.
Step 3
If using a mixer, switch to the dough hook and mix the dough on medium-low for 2 more minutes. By hand, do the same with your spoon. The dough will seem firm and more smooth, ideally supple and sticky. If it's still very wet, add more flour, a spoonful at a time. If excessively stiff, add a little more water. Continue to mix with dough hook or by hand for 4 minutes.
Step 4
Scrape dough out onto a lightly floured counter. Knead a few times, then form the dough into a ball and let it rest, covered by the empty bowl upended over it, for 10 minutes. Repeat this process—kneading a few times, then resting for 10 minutes—two more times.
Step 5
Proof dough: Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl with room for dough to at least double. Cover with plastic wrap and let proof at room temperature for 60 to 70 minutes, until doubled in bulk. Dough can also be fermented overnight or up to 4 days in the fridge.
Step 6
Prepare filling: Combine the sugar, cinnamon, raisins or currants, and flour in a food processor or blender, processing until the fruit is chopped.
Step 7
Fill bread and form loaves: Turn dough out onto a floured counter and divide it into two equal pieces. Roll each into a long, thin rectangle, about 16-x-8 inches. Brush the dough with the beaten egg and water mixture. Sprinkle half the filling evenly over the egg. Roll the dough into a log, starting with a short edge. Gently press the side seam and ends closed, and place the log in a lightly greased loaf pan. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
Step 8
Proof bread again: Cover the pan with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the bread to rise for about 1 hour at room temperature, or until it has crowned about 1-inch over the rim of the pan, about 45 to 60 minutes. About halfway through, heat oven to 350°F.
Step 9
Bake bread: For about 40 minutes, rotating the loaf once for even color. When done, it will sound a bit hollow when tapped and the internal temperature will read 190°F.
Step 10
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Chef's notes
This whole-grain sandwich bread is a versatile recipe that can be made without the cinnamon swirl for a plain loaf perfect for sandwiches.
King Arthur's baking blog suggests using egg instead of melted butter to adhere the cinnamon filling to help the spiral stay together once sliced.
Whole wheat versus white whole wheat flour:
Either can be used here. White whole wheat comes from a paler, more delicate variety of wheat, leading to less gritty, more delicate baked goods.
Peter Reinhart suggests a variety of grains for the mixed portion, such as rye flour, rye meal, rye flakes, cornmeal, cooked grits or polenta, rolled oats or oat flour, amaranth, uncooked ground quinoa, cooked whole quinoa, quinoa flakes, whole or ground flaxseeds, cooked brown rice, bulgur, or barley.
For the whole-grain portion, a 7-grain cereal mix can be a convenient way to include multiple grains without purchasing several separate ingredients.
To halve the recipe and make one loaf, halve each ingredient. The egg can be divided by beating it until fluffy and using half in the dough and half for the filling.
To make this bread without milk, substitute water, soy, or rice milk.
