The Mmm.Mmm.Good Bread Machine Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Last year, my boss gave me her barely used bread machine. I was stoked to have been given such an awesome gift! I've used it to make some wonderful cinnamon rolls but have been too lazy to research recipes for anything else. My mom absolutely adored cinnamon swirl bread for breakfast. She bought Pepperidge Farm's Cinnamon Swirl bread every few months as a special morning treat. I sought high and low for the perfect bread machine cinnamon swirl recipe and have found it! I hails from The Bread Lovers Bread Machine Cookbook. I changed it slightly because I didn't have all the ingredients she was calling for, but I tell you this bread made me nearly burst into song as I ate.

The dough itself is faintly sweet but pops of cinnamon sugar goodness swirl through your mouth as you eat. The best part? The bread machine takes almost all the work out! You measure everything into the bread pan, press the dough cycle and let it do its thing. Then it's simply rolled out, brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with cinnamon and brown sugar. One final rise is accomplished and then its baked into a picture perfect golden masterpiece.

The recipe calls for vital wheat gluten which isn't bread flour so be sure to use the product called "vital wheat gluten". Basically vital wheat gluten is a protein that helps bread rise higher and taste fluffier. It's a dream substance. I ordered mine on Amazon because I couldn't find this item in the food store.

Bread making can be a bit scary if you're new to it. Trust me, if I can do it, you can do it! I've put some bread making tips below to take the "scary" out of making a loaf of bread for the first time. I've also put some photos after the recipe to help you see what the loaf looks like once it's rolled and in its pan as well as what it looks like after the second rise and upon being baked. I really hope you enjoy this one!

TIPS:

• Follow your bread machine's guidelines about what order to put your ingredients in. If you misplaced the instructions, a general rule is to put wet ingredients and salt in first, then add dry ingredients on top. A well is made in the dry ingredients to house the yeast. 
• I sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the sugar (take it out the recipe amount) into the yeast well to assist the yeast in its rising.
• For bread machine baking, invest in some bread flour. 
• I didn't want to purchase a huge box of powdered milk (couldn't find powdered buttermilk, which the original recipe called for) so I used powdered coffee creamer and some white vinegar. 
• I used warm water (test the temperature by putting a couple fingers into the water. If you can put them in the water and the water feels warm but you don't need to yank your fingers out, you're good to go!)
  
  

RECIPE:
This made one 9x5 inch loaf. This recipe was for a 1 1/2 pound bread machine loaf.

INGREDIENTS:
Usually these go in first but check your bread machine guidelines:
1 cup water (warm but not scalding hot, water temperature should be similar to what you wash your hands in)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (I let mine come to room temperature)
1/4 teaspoon white vinegar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt

On top of wet ingredients:
1/4 cup granulated white sugar (reserve 1 teaspoon for yeast)
3 cups bread flour
1/3 cup dry nonfat coffee creamer (can use dry buttermilk powder or nonfat milk powder)
1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten

2 teaspoons red star active dry yeast

For Cinnamon Swirl:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Add the ingredients to your bread machine in the order recommended by the machine's manufacturer. I like to make a well for my yeast and add 1 teaspoon of the recipe's sugar in with the yeast. Select the dough cycle. Once the dough is finished, preheat the oven to 170 degrees F. (or your oven's lowest setting possible) and once heated, turn it off. Meanwhile coat a 9x5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray, sprinkle flour on a work surface and roll dough into a 8x12 inch rectangle. Drizzle the rectangle with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon; leaving 1 inch from all the edges to avoid seeping. Roll the bread from the short end into a jelly roll. Pinch the edges to seal, tuck under the ends and place into loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place in warmed oven or in a warm place to rise until doubled (approximately 45 minutes). Once doubled, remove from the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Bake in preheated oven for 35-45 minutes or until medium golden brown. I baked mine for 35 minutes and needed to cover the loaf with a loose aluminum foil tent for the last 10 minutes.

Once cooked, let bread cool in pan for 20 minutes and then take out of pan and cool completely before slicing. I liked mine best the next day! You can also slice bread thickly for french toast or tear into pieces for bread pudding.

Here's how it looks when it goes into the loaf pan.

The final rise (I put mine in a preheated oven).

Golden Goodness.