Braided Cinnamon Bread
Like a homemade cinnamon roll in loaf form, this braided cinnamon bread is sweet and spicy, with pockets of ooey gooey cinnamon butter.
Servings: 1 loaf
Equipment
- 9x5 inch loaf pan
- Stand mixer with dough hook
Ingredients
Sweet Roll Dough
- 2 tablespoons salted butter melted
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast (1 package)
Cinnamon Filling
- 4 ounces salted butter very soft
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
For the dough:
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Add the milk and cook over low heat just until warm to the touch. Remove from heat. Whisk egg and vanilla into mixture.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour, brown sugar, salt, and yeast.
- Add butter and milk mixture; stir well with wooden spoon to combine.
- Place dough hook on stand mixer and knead of medium speed for about 5-7 minutes, adding a little flour if needed (1 tablespoon at a time). Dough should be elastic and slightly sticky. When its ready, the dough should begin to release from sides of bowl but still stick a little bit to the bottom.
- Place dough in a well-greased bowl; turn over to coat. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm area to rise until doubled - about 1 hour or so.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a rectangle, about 12 x 15 inches (it doesn't have to be perfect).
For the filling:
- Mix together butter, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg until thoroughly mixed.
- Dot butter mixture evenly over dough. Use the back of a spoon or a small spatula to spread filling over dough evenly, leaving about a 1/2 inch around the edges.
To assemble:
- Roll up, beginning at long end of rectangle, as tightly as possible. Pinch seams together to adhere.
- Using a bench scraper or sharp chef's knife, slice roll lengthwise. Roll each half slightly so that the insides are facing up. Place one half on top of the other, creating an 'X'.
- Gently braid by twisting the two halves over each other repeatedly. At the end, pinch the pieces together and tuck up underneath the braid slightly to form a nice rounded end.
- Lift carefully and place braid into a greased 9-inch loaf pan (you can lay parchment on the bottom and sides of the pan for easier removal after baking). Cover again with plastic and let rise until doubled, about another hour.
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Bake until deeply golden brown and baked through, about 45-55 minutes. If the bread begins to brown deeply before it's finished baking, cover it with foil. If you're unsure if your bread is done, use a meat thermometer to take its internal temperature - the bread will be perfectly baked at around 190° F.
- Allow the cinnamon bread to cool at least 15 minutes before removing from pan. Let it sit for about an hour before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Optional: dust the loaf with powdered sugar once it's completely cool.
Loaf will keep at room temperature, wrapped in plastic, for 3-4 days (if you don't eat it all first!).