Cinnamon Sugar Swirl Bread

Directions

Grease 2 loaf pans and set aside.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, dissolve yeast in warm water.  ( You can run the tap water until it gets very warm, or put it in in the microwave for about 25 seconds).  Add the warm milk, 1/2 cup sugar,  eggs, butter, salt and 2 and 1/2 cups flour.  With a dough hook, if you have one, mix together all of these ingredients.  Slowly begin adding the other 3 cups of flour.  The dough should pull together and form a shaggy looking ball at this point.  Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for about 3-4 minutes.  Clean out that same bowl, then butter it well.  Place your ball of dough in the bowl and turn it over once so it’s buttered all over.  Cover with plastic wrap and put in a dry warm place to rise for an hour.

The dough will double in size when it’s ready to shape, (see photo).  Punch down the dough and on a lightly floured surface, roll into a rectangle approximately 18″x8″, (see photo).  Sprinkle heavily with your cinnamon sugar.  Roll up with the long side, and place seam side down in your prepared pans.  Cover the pans with plastic wrap and place in a warm, dry place.  Let rise for another hour and a half.   In the last 15 minutes of rising, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Place pans into your preheated oven.  Bake for 25 minutes and check for doneness by tapping the top of the bread.  It should sound hollow.  You may need another 5 minutes.  The finished bread should be a nice deep golden brown color.

Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then take out of the pans and cool on a wire rack.  Slice and enjoy!!