Perfect for a mother's day brunch, this bread has a gooey swirl and a decadent drizzle of cinnamon icing. The bread machine does most of the work for you, but dividing the dough and baking it in the oven gives you two small, manageable loaves. For detailed instructions and a visual guide on forming your swirled sweet bread loaves, see my tutorial, How to Form a Swirled Sweet Bread.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 3 cups white bread flour
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 3/4 teaspoons bread machine yeast
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1/4 cup raisins or currants
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Preparation:
- To make bread dough, combine egg, water, buttermilk, melted butter, bread flour, brown sugar, salt and yeast in bread machine according to manufacturer's directions. Set machine for "dough" cycle.
- Meanwhile, make the filling. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon and butter, using a fork or your fingers to work the butter into the sugar until it is the consistency of wet sand. Set aside. Spray two 8-inch by 5-inch loaf pans lightly with cooking spray.
- When cycle is finished, remove the dough from bread machine, and if necessary, remove the paddle from the dough. Place the dough on a surface lightly dusted with flour. Using a knife or a bench scraper, divide dough into two equal pieces. Pat dough into rectangles that are about 8 inches wide and 6 inches long. Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture evenly over both pieces of dough, leaving about half an inch uncovered along all edges of the dough. Then, sprinkle the raisins evenly over the sugar mixture.
- Starting with a wide end of the dough, tightly roll dough up jelly-roll style, ending with the edge of the roll on the bottom. Tuck either end underneath, and transfer the roll to a loaf pan, and repeat the process with the other piece of dough. Cover pans with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes, or until loaves are nearly doubled in size.
- About 20 minutes before the loaves will be ready, preheat the oven to 350˚F. Place the loaf pans in a center rack in the oven and bake for 35 minutes, or until golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped with your finger. Remove loaves immediately from the pans and cool on a wire rack.
- Meanwhile, make the icing. In a small bowl, combine confectioner's sugar and cinnamon with a whisk. Gradually whisk in milk, whisking until the mixture is smooth. Whisk in vanilla.
- When loaves are cool, drizzle them with the icing, using the whisk. Allow icing to harden before wrapping loaves in plastic wrap.
Makes 2 8-inch by 5-inch loaves.
