Cinnamon Swirl Soft Bread

This cinnamon swirl soft bread was on my list for long time, now I am regretting that i haven’t tried to bake it earlier. It is perfect for breakfast, it remains soft for a couple of days and it is so delicious when lightly toasted with some butter or cream cheese on top.

Ingredients

Sourdough Starter 

• 7g sourdough starter
• 35g water
• 35g bread flour

Dough

• 300g bread flour (100%)
• 150g milk (50%)
• 1 large egg 
• 30g sugar(10%)
• 50g soft butter (16.6%)
• 60g starter (20%)
• 6g salt (2%)
• 0.5 g dry yeast (optional, to reduce sourness)

Cinnamon Filling 

• 2 teaspoons cinnamon 
• 4 tbs sugar
• 1 tsp all purpose flour
• 1 egg mixed with water, for using to stick the filling to the dough.

Directions 

Day 1

Starter

• 10 pm add starter to the water and whisk together, add flour, mix well, cover loosely, let it sit at a room temp 74-78F for about 8-10 hours until starter reaches its peak (at least triples in volume).

Day 2

Dough

• 8 am mix milk, egg, sugar, sourdough starter (60g on its peak, use the rest for future feedings), add all the flour, let it autolyse for 1 hour.

• During the autolyse process the flour becomes fully hydrated. This activates gluten development.
• 9 am mix the dough on low speed of your mixing machine for 2-3 minutes, or KitchenAid on speed 3 for 3-4 minutes until well incorporated.
• Add salt, mix for a couple more minutes. The dough should come up together.
• Add soft butter, mix for 10-15 more minutes until the dough is well incorporated and comes up together.

• Perform a windowpane test. Wet your hands and stretch the dough. You should be able to stretch it very thin, that’s a sign of a well developed gluten, and that your final product will have a soft and light structure.
• Cover and let it proof for 3-4 hours at 76-80F/ 24-28C.
• During that time perform 2 stretches and folds.
• The dough should become slightly puffy.
• 1 pm transfer the dough to the fridge for cold fermentation for 6-8 hours
• 9 pm Remove the dough from the fridge.
• Prepare the cinnamon filling by mixing all the dry ingredients together.
• Shape the dough as a rectangle, the smaller side of it should be the same width as your baking/loaf pan.
• Spread egg wash all over the dough, then evenly spread the cinnamon filling.

• Roll the dough into a log, try to roll it tight.
• Place the loaf into a lined baking pan.

• Let it proof overnight at 68-72F/ 20-22C
• Next morning it should double or more in volume.

• Preheat the oven 375F
• Bake it for 30-35 min until golden brown.
• Remove it from the oven, spread melted butter on top.
• Let it cool down.

Enjoy your cinnamon swirl bread!

Cinnamon Swirl Soft Bread

2401kcal

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Prep 45 minutes mins

Cook 40 minutes mins

Rise & Rest Time 23 hours hrs

Total 1 day d 25 minutes mins

This recipe delivers an exceptionally soft, pillowy, and fragrant loaf with a striking cinnamon-sugar spiral running through every slice. By utilizing an enriched milk dough base combined with a long, gentle overnight countertop proof, you achieve a wonderfully uniform crumb structure and a delicate sweetness that makes it the ultimate breakfast toast.

Cuisine American

Ingredients

Sourdough Starter Levain (Night Before)

• ▢ 7 g Sourdough starter culture
• ▢ 35 g Water
• ▢ 35 g Bread flour

The Enriched Soft Dough

• ▢ 360 g Bread flour (100%)
• ▢ 216 g Whole milk (60%)
• ▢ 60 g Active sourdough starter levain (16.6% – From the stage above)
• ▢ 36 g White sugar (10%)
• ▢ 54 g Soft unsalted butter (15%)
• ▢ 6 g Salt (2%)
• ▢ 0.5 g Active dry yeast (Optional – Used exclusively to minimize sour profiles)

The Sweet Cinnamon Spiral

• ▢ 50 g Brown sugar or white sugar
• ▢ 1.5 tbsp Ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1 tbsp Melted butter or milk (Reserved for brushing the dough sheet to stick the sugar)

Equipment

• ▢
  9×5 Inch Loaf Pan (Essential for mapping out the clean vertical volume expansion of this soft bread)
• ▢
  Stand Mixer (Crucial for handling the high-speed mechanical mixing required to properly emulsify the butter into the dough)
• ▢
  Rolling Pin (To cleanly press out air pockets and roll the dough into a tight, uniform sheet)
• ▢
  Pastry Brush (For smoothing on the milk or egg wash before baking)
• ▢
  Kitchen Scale

Method

Prevent Sleep ModePrevent Sleep Mode

Night Before – Levain Optimization

1. 10:00 PM – Starter Build: In a small glass jar, add your 7g of starter culture to 35g of water and whisk together cleanly. Stir in 35g of bread flour. Mix thoroughly, cover loosely, and let it sit at room temperature 74–78°F (23–26°C) overnight for 8 to 10 hours until the starter reaches its peak and at least triples in volume.

Day 2 – The Enriched Autolyse & High-Speed Mixing

1. 8:00 AM – The Enriched Autolyse: In your stand mixer bowl, combine all 216g of whole milk, 36g of white sugar, 60g of your active overnight starter peak, and all 360g of bread flour. If you are opting to use the 0.5g of dry yeast to minimize sour tones, sprinkle it in now. Mix everything together with a spoon just until a rough, shaggy mass forms. Cover and let rest for 1 full hour to completely hydrate the flour proteins and activate natural gluten development.
2. 9:00 AM – Developing Gluten: Attach your dough hook. Mix the autolysed dough on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes (or use a KitchenAid mixer on speed 3 for 3 to 4 minutes) until well incorporated. Add the 6g of salt and continue mixing for a couple of minutes until the dough gathers tightly together.
3. Butter Emulsification: With the mixing machine running, gradually drop in the 54g of soft unsalted butter. Increase the speed to medium-high and mix continuously for 10 to 15 minutes until the fat is completely incorporated, the dough cleans the sides of the bowl, and it passes a clear windowpane test.
4. Bulk Proof with Intervals: Cover the container tightly and let it proof for 3 to 4 hours at a warm 76–80°F (24–28°C). During this window, perform 2 gentle rounds of stretches and folds to build structural tension. The dough should look visibly lighter and slightly puffy.
5. 1:00 PM – Cold Fermentation Retard: Slide the entire covered proofing container directly into the refrigerator to rise slowly for 6 to 8 hours of cold fermentation retard until evening.

Day 2 (Night) – Rolling the Spiral & Overnight Proof

1. 9:00 PM – Assembly & Swirl Rolling: Remove the chilled dough from your refrigerator. Tip it onto a lightly floured work surface. In a small bowl, whisk together the 50g of sugar and 1.5 tablespoons of ground cinnamon until uniform.
2. Shaping the Log: Using a rolling pin, roll the chilled dough out cleanly into a long, flat rectangle roughly 1/4-inch thick, ensuring the width matches the length of your loaf pan. Use a pastry brush to sweep a thin layer of melted butter or milk across the top of the sheet, leaving a clean 1/2-inch border at the top edge. Scatter your cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over the wet surface.
3. The Overnight Counter Rise: Starting from the edge closest to you, roll the dough up tightly away from you into a tight, uniform log. Pinch the final seam firmly to seal the cinnamon sugar inside. Grease your loaf pan or line it with parchment paper, and place the log inside, seam-side down. Cover loosely and let it proof overnight on your counter for 8 to 10 hours at a stable room temperature of 70–72°F (20–22°C) until next morning. The dough must completely double in volume.

Day 3 – The Golden Cinnamon Bake

1. Next Morning – Baking: Preheat your home oven to 375°F (190°C). Brush the top crown of your beautifully risen loaf lightly with a splash of milk or an egg wash for a glossy finish. Slide the pan onto the middle oven rack and bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the top turns a deep golden brown.
2. Cooling: Remove the pan from the oven, slide the soft loaf out carefully onto a wire cooling rack, and allow it to cool completely before slicing to reveal the internal cinnamon swirl!

Nutrition

Calories2401kcalCarbohydrates384gProtein60gFat69gSaturated Fat40gPolyunsaturated Fat5gMonounsaturated Fat16gTrans Fat2gCholesterol181mgSodium2020mgPotassium946mgFiber16gSugar60gVitamin A2101IUVitamin C1mgCalcium514mgIron5mg

Notes

• Preventing the Dreaded Cinnamon Swirl Separation: A common issue when baking cinnamon swirl bread is a large, hollow air gap forming between the dough layers and the cinnamon sugar. To prevent this separation, make sure you roll the dough log as tightly as possible during step 9. Additionally, brushing the dough with a thin layer of milk or melted butter before scattering the sugar creates a sticky paste that holds the layers together firmly as the bread expands in the oven.
• Why the Final Pan Rise Happens Overnight on the Counter: Enriched doughs packed with milk, sugar, and butter ferment significantly slower than standard lean flour-and-water artisan loaves. Giving the shaped pan loaf a slow, 9-hour room temperature proof on your kitchen counter overnight allows the wild yeasts to work steadily over many hours, ensuring a gorgeous, towering oven spring by the time you wake up.
• Achieving an Ultra-Soft, Non-Sour Crumb: For a classic, sweet breakfast profile that appeals to children, keeping the sourdough acidity low is essential. Utilizing a sweet milk autolyse and capping the bulk proofing times ensures the bread remains mild and pillowy. If you want to eliminate any hint of natural sourdough tang completely, adding the optional 0.5g of active dry yeast acts as a perfect flavor balancing safeguard.

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