Tag: cinnamon swirl bread

Cinnamon Swirl Bread II

cinnamonswirlbreadCinnamon swirl bread recipes are a dime a dozen, especially on the internet. I’ve made it before and blogged it many years ago in this post – and it was certainly delicious. But this recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction is better, in both taste and texture. I think the sour cream – which makes the bread really tender and almost fluffy – is the key ingredient.

This bread made its way to my dear friend Carrie in State College for her birthday a few weeks ago; I made two batches at once so I was able to try it and took the rest of the second loaf to the office, where it was a very big hit.

Ingredients

For the cinnamon swirl

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon

For the bread

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/3 cup sour cream, at room temperature
  • 2/3 cup whole milk, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 5 loaf tin with baking spray.

To make the swirl, combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. In a large glass measuring cup or medium bowl, whisk together egg, sugar, vegetable oil, sour cream, milk, and vanilla extract. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir to combine – don’t over-mix. You just want all the dry ingredients to be absorbed into the wet ingredients.

Pour about half the batter into the loaf tin; reserve two tablespoons from the swirl mixture and sprinkle the rest over the batter. Carefully top with the remaining batter, and sprinkle the remaining swirl mixture on the top. Using a knife, make a large swirl down the loaf – you don’t need to swirl too much.

Bake for 50 – 65 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Check your bread around 40 minutes and cover with foil to prevent over-browning. Remove from oven and cool in the tin for about one hour, then remove from the tin and let cool completely on a wire rack. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature for 3-4 days.

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

cinnamonswirlbreadPeople often tell me that they don’t bake because it’s not as fluid and creative as cooking, where you can add a dash of this or a pinch of that and still end up with a tasty, successful result. While it’s certainly true that baking relies on the right ratios of dry and wet ingredients, you can definitely be more creative than most people think, especially when it comes to flavors and spices.

Many experienced bakers tweak recipes all the time, which is what I did with this cinnamon swirl bread I found on Taste of Home. I added vanilla extract in the batter and a dash of nutmeg to the cinnamon-sugar mix, and I’m pleased to say that it turned out very well. Next time, I’ll probably add a streusel topping for some additional crunch, and I might bake two smaller loaves in 8 x 4 pans instead of one larger 9 x 5 one. While I didn’t stray too far from the original recipe, this successful quick bread is proof that you can spice things up – pun intended – with baking too.

Ingredients

For the bread

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup sour milk* (or buttermilk)
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the cinnamon sugar

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 3 teaspoons cinnamon
  • Dash of nutmeg

For the glaze

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
  • About 3 teaspoons water

*To make sour milk, place 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice in a measuring cup and add enough milk to equal one cup, then stir. Let stand for 5 minutes before using.

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom only of a 9 x 5 loaf pan.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a large glass measuring cup, combine sour milk, egg, vegetable oil, and vanilla; add to dry mixture and stir until just combined. Batter will still be lumpy, and that’s fine – don’t over mix.

For cinnamon sugar, combine sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl, mixing well,

Spoon half of the batter into your loaf pan and cover with half of the sugar mixture, then repeat with remaining batter and sugar. Cut through the batter with a knife and gently swirl.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. You may want to cover your bread for the last 10 minutes of baking to avoid over-browning on the top.

Cool in the loaf pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

To make drizzle, combine powdered sugar, cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon of water, stirring to combine. Add additional water to reach a thicker drizzling consistency, then drizzle over the loaf.

Wrap loaf in foil and store at room temperature.