Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Recipe below

Ways to Reduce the Gap in Cinnamon Swirl Bread
from https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/

Luckily, there are a few simple tricks you can use to avoid ending up with a dreaded gap in your cinnamon swirl bread. These techniques will help drastically reduce the size of any gaps or eliminate them altogether.

Tip #1: Add a stabilizer to your filling

Some cinnamon-swirl bread recipes call for a simple filling of only cinnamon and sugar. While you might be tempted to try this straightforward approach, the shortcut isn’t worth the results. Why not? It goes back to science. Sugar is hygroscopic, meaning it attracts water. As the dough proofs, the cinnamon-sugar filling encased inside starts to melt and liquefy. If there’s not another ingredient mixed into the filling, the liquid begins to seep out of the swirl, leaving behind a gap and pooling in the bottom of your pan.

The solution is simple. Add a stabilizer like all-purpose flour or Instant ClearJel to your filling to keep it in place and prevent the sugar from completely liquefying. You don’t need much of the stabilizer — our Cinnamon Swirl Bread recipe calls for just 4 teaspoons of flour (and if you use Instant ClearJel, you'll only need 2 teaspoons). That's enough to do the job right.

Tip #2: Blitz the fruit

Cinnamon and raisin is a classic combination. Many cinnamon-swirl bread recipes lean into this delicious duo by calling for raisins (or another dried fruit) to be added to the filling. Raisins can be relatively large, and they’ll create pockets in the swirl. King Arthur pulses the filling with the fruit in a food processor. I would just add the fruit to the dough.

Tip #3: Brush with an egg wash (or water or milk)

Unless your dough is quite sticky, you’ll need to brush it with some sort of liquid in order to make the cinnamon-sugar filling adhere. While some recipes call for brushing the dough with butter for extra richness, avoid this slippery option. It'll make the layers separate during baking and leave you with (you guessed it) a gap in your cinnamon-swirl bread.

Brushing your dough with water or milk are acceptable options, but they don’t provide quite as much binding power as an egg wash (1 large egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water). Brush the dough with a thin layer of egg wash before sprinkling your filling on top. As the loaf bakes, the egg wash will help keep the layers of dough tightly tucked together. Any leftover egg wash can be used on the top of the loaf before putting it in the oven to give it a nice shine after baking.

Tip #4: Roll the dough tightly

Shaping a loaf of cinnamon swirl bread is the most important factor in determining if you end up with a gap in your spiral. When you're ready to roll, start with the short end of the dough facing you. Fold about 1/2" inch of dough over onto itself to begin the roll. Then use your fingertips to gently coax the dough forward, pulling the roll back towards you after each forward roll. This backward tension is the secret to success — it makes the dough perfectly swirled.

Think about rolling up a sleeping bag. If you lazily roll the bag forward without any tension, you’ll end up with a sloppy final product. You want to apply some pressure while rolling to end up with a neat and tidy loaf. A word of caution: don’t roll too tightly. If the shaped loaf is too tight it won’t have the ability to rise and expand during the final proof. The loaf should have some surface tension — when you touch it with your fingers, it should feel bouncy but it not so tight that it feels like a rock.

Tip #5: Let cool completely

If you ask me, this might be the most difficult tip to execute when it comes to reducing the gap in cinnamon-swirl bread — it requires patience and self-control! When the loaf has finished baking, turn it out of the pan and let it cool on a rack completely. Really. You’ll be tempted to cut into the loaf while your kitchen is filled with the tantalizing aroma of cinnamon sugar, but it's important to wait until the structure of the loaf has set and the cinnamon filling has cooled slightly.

Cinnamon Swirl Bread Recipe
from https://www.tasteofhome.com/

I like raisins added to the dough, like Pepperidge Farm Cinnamon Swirl Bread.

2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
1/3 cup warm water (110° to 115°)
1 cup warm 2% milk (110° to 115°) [I would use regular milk]
1 cup sugar, divided [1/2 cup in dough, 1/2 cup in filling]
2 large eggs, room temperature
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
5-1/2 to 6 cups all-purpose flour
[1 cup raisins if using]
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon [add 4 teaspoons of flour to the cinnamon & sugar mix - see Tip #1]

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add milk, 1/2 cup sugar, eggs, butter, salt and 3 cups flour; beat on medium speed until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour [and raisins if using] to form a soft dough.

Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover; let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Mix cinnamon and remaining 1/2 cup sugar [and flour]. [See tips above for keeping the bread from ending up with a gap between the filling and the bread.] Punch down dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Roll each portion into an 18x8-in. rectangle; [another website says to brush with milk, then] sprinkle each with about 1/4 cup cinnamon sugar to within 1/2 in. of edges [, pressing down to moisten the flour and sugar as much as possible]. [Tightly] Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a short side; pinch seam to seal. Place in 2 greased 9x5-in. loaf pans, seam side down.

Cover with kitchen towels; let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/2 hours. Preheat oven to 350°.

Bake until golden brown, 30-35 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

Makes 2 loaves (16 pieces each)