Cinnamon choc chip swirl bread

After cookies and cakes, Susan and I decided it was time to play around with yeast – we both wanted to bake from John Barricelli’s beautiful book and the cinnamon swirl bread caught our eyes (and our stomachs). :)

The bread is tender and delicious; the dough is easy to work with – not sticky! – but my idea of using chocolate chips instead of raisins turned out to be less than genius: I used dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids) and in the end it was a bit too bitter for the bread. :(

So ignore my version and make the bread with raisins, or raisin-free as Susan did – her loaf looks fabulous!

Cinnamon choc chip swirl bread
slightly adapted from The SoNo Baking Company Cookbook

Dough:
¾ cup (180ml) warm whole milk
1 ¾ teaspoons active dried yeast
3 ¼ cups (455g) all purpose flour
½ cup + 1 ½ tablespoons (85g) whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons caster (superfine) sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
6 ½ tablespoons (91g) unsalted butter, cold, chopped
½ cup + 2 tablespoons water
2/3 cup dark chocolate chips (or use raisins as the original recipe called for)

Filling:
2/3 cup (133g) caster (superfine) sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 large egg, beaten, for egg wash
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Start by making the dough: in a small bowl, mix the warm milk and the yeast with a fork and set aside until foamy, about 5 minutes.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, salt and butter on low speed until butter dissolves into the dry ingredients. Add the yeast mixture and the water and beat on low speed until well combine – the dough should be tacky but not sticky when touched; if the dough is too dry, add water by the tablespoon.
Turn the dough onto an unfloured surface and knead until dough pulls together in a ball and becomes less tacky. Knead for 7-9 minutes or until dough is smooth and springy. Pat the dough into a 23cm (9in) round, sprinkle with the chocolate chips (or raisins), and knead briefly to incorporate. Form a ball with the dough, place into a lightly oiled large bowl, turn so both sides are coated, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place (at least 21°C/70°F) until increased in bulk by 1 ½ times and very soft, 1 to 1 ½ hours.
Deflate the dough: using a plastic pastry scraper, turn the top of the dough down and the bottom up. Turn the dough so that the smooth side faces in. cover with plastic wrap again and let rise in a warm place until increased in bulk by 1 ½ times, about 1 hour.
Make the filling: in a small bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon together. Measure out 1/3 cup of the mixture and reserve it separately.
Turn the dough onto an unfloured surface, gently stretch it to make a 15x35cm (6x14in) rectangle, then brush with the egg wash. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture, allowing 2.5cm (1in) borders at top and bottom. Rolling from the top, roll the loaf as tightly as you can into a log. Gently press the seams together. Place the loaf seam side down in a buttered 21x11cm (8 ½ x4 ½ in) loaf pan.
Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until increased in bulk by 1 ½ times, 30-45 minutes.
Set the oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 260°C/500°F.
Place the loaf on a baking sheet, put it in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 190°C/375°F. bake, rotating about two-thirds of the way through the baking time, until the crust is evenly brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom (using oven mitts, carefully lift the bread from the pan and gently tap on the bottom with your knuckles), 40-45 minutes. Remove from the oven, unmold onto a wire rack and let cool completely.
Brush the cooled loaf with the melted butter and sprinkle with the reserved cinnamon sugar mixture. Place the loaf back on the wire rack and let stand until sugar coating dries, about 30 minutes.

Makes one loaf – I made the exact recipe above and yet got 2 loaves, using 20x9cm and 19x8cm pans