Cinnamon Orange Swirl Bread - Part Three

As you can see, the loaves came out beautifully. The recipe suggests that you frost the loaves with a mix of 1 cup confectioner's sugar, 1 tsp grated orange peel and 4 tsp of orange juice. I like the bread just the way it is and never frost it.



Below you can see a mild version of what happens when you don't seal the loaf well. At the corner of this loaf you can see the cinnamon sugar mixtures that has leaked out all over the corner.


All in all I was very pleased with this bread and am excited to give it away. Every year at my office we draw names and I always give the same present: a collection of holiday baked goods - usually two kinds of bread or a loaf of bread and sweet rolls, honey from my beehives, apple butter that I made from local apples, and Christmas placemats and napkins.

Cinnamon Orange Swirl Bread: Part Two

Rolling the cinnamon bread is always a challenge. If you don't seal the bread well, it will "leak" cinnamon sugar. This takes away from the appearance of the bread, causes difficulty (sometimes) in getting the bread out of the pan, and wastes all that delicious taste that isn't any longer part of the loaf by virtue of leaking out!


The demo loaf is a small bread pan sized loaf (about a 6 inch by 2 1/2 inch pan). With each turn of the roll, put pressure at the seam to help seal the loaf.

When you have complete the roll, pinch the seam closed from end to end. Then using the side of your hand, press down as if chopping but moving slowly to completely seal the ends of the loaf.

Below you can see the bread rising. I made several pan sizes of this recipe - some are 8 1/2, some are 7 inch pans and one is a 6 inch pan.

For Christmas: Cinnamon Orange Swirl Bread: Part one

This year I decided to make Cinnamon Orange Swirl Bread for gifts this year. The recipe I used is from The Better Homes and Gardens Bread Cook Book published in 1963. I've had this cookbook forever.... one of my first cookbooks. Obviously the book isn't in print any more but you can probably find a copy here. At least at the time of this posting there were several copies available for $4.00!

Here's the recipe (my changes are in blue):

1 pkg active dry yeast
1 cup scalded milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 T grated orange peel
3/4 cup orange juice
1 egg
6 - 7 cups bread flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 T cinnamon

Soften the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water. Mix the next 6 ingredients together. Cool to lukewarm.

Stir in 2 cups flour and beat until smooth. Stir in the yeast and 1 slightly beaten egg. Add enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead until smooth - I used the dough hook on the mixer and then kneaded on the counter. Place in a greased bowl and turn over. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise until double (about 1 1/2 hours).

Punch down. Divide in half and let rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Roll each half into a 15 X 7 inch rectangle, 1/2 inch thick.

Wisk together the sugar and cinnamon. Spread each rectangle with half the sugar mix. Sprinkle with 1 tsp water and smooth with spatula.

Roll. Seal edge well. Place sealed edge down in greased 8 1/2 inch by 4 1/2 inch loaf pan. Cover and let rise until double (about 1 hour). Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

I love to grate oranges with the microplane. It makes perfect grated peel.

Above the orange juice is being poured into the mixing bowl that already contains orange peel, butter and scalded milk.


Here the dough has been rolled out and sprinkled with the cinnamon sugar mix. I used smaller pans so I made the dough into 3 sections and baked it in smaller pans.

Although I sprinkled the cinnamon with the 1 tsp of water, I didn't achieve success with the spatula and simply rolled it up. The water distributed itself as I rolled it.