Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread
A soft and fluffy whole wheat loaf with a delicious cinnamon filling and juicy raisins. It's amazing on its own or toasted with some butter. Best of all, it's so easy to make. Try it with peanut butter - like a fancy PB&J!
Servings: 1 loaf
Ingredients
For the dough
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast 1 package
- 1 cup lukewarm milk around 100ºF
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 1 egg
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour or sub whole wheat flour
- 3/4 cup raisins
For the filling
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
Instructions
Make the dough
- In a large bowl, mix the yeast and warm milk. Let rest for 3-5 minutes. Add the granulated sugar, salt, butter, and egg. Whisk until combined. Add the whole wheat flour and all purpose flour. Use a large wooden spoon or dough whisk to mix everything together until it forms a rough dough. Dump the dough onto a generously flour a work surface. Knead for 10 minutes. The dough should be stiff and slightly tacky. If it is too sticky, knead in additional flour a little at a time.
- Grease a large clean bowl with butter or oil and add the dough. Turn the dough around in the bowl so that all surfaces are greased. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lid and blace in a warm spot until doubled in size, around 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
- While waiting, soak the raisins in a bowl of steaming hot water and cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil for 20 minutes. This will make them super plump and juicy. Also grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
- Once dough has doubled in size, dump it out onto a floured work surface. Flatten the dough into a large circle. Drain the raisins and spread them over the dough. Press down so they stick into the dough and gather the dough into a ball. Knead the dough for 3 minutes. Then return to the greased bowl and cover. Let rise for 30 minutes.
Prepare filling
- In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and ground cinnamon.
- Once the dough has risen, turn it onto a lightly floured work surface and roll it into a 16x8 inch rectangle. Brush the dough with some of the melted butter (you will not use all of it). Scatter the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over the dough. Then roll the dough tightly into a log, starting with the short side. Gently fold the exposed ends underneath and place seam side down into the greased loaf pan. Brush the top of the log with some more melted butter. Cover the loaf pan gently with plastic wrap and let rise until puffy, around 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400ºF. Test if the loaf is well proofed by gently poking it. The indent should stay (if it springs back, let it proof for longer). Once the dough is ready, bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Then decrease the oven temp to 350ºF (do not open the oven) and bake for an additional 20 to 30 minutes. Once done, the loaf should be well browned and sound hollow when tapped. The internal temp should be 190º-200ºF.
- Remove the loaf from the oven. Turn the loaf out onto a wire rack and brush the top with the remaining melted butter. Let cool to room temperature before slicing. Enjoy!
Notes
Feel free to use all whole wheat flour for this recipe.
Resist the urge to add too much additional flour while kneading. I recommend adding up to 1/2 cup at the most.