Braided Cinnamon Bread

Move over cinnamon rolls! This braided cinnamon bread is perfect for breakfast or brunch. The braiding technique may look complicated, but it’s easy enough – we promise. Fresh berries and fruit jams are wonderful complements to this bread, but nothing beats a simple pat of butter on a warm slice.

Servings:
Prep Time: 4 Hours 40 Minutes
Cook Time: 20 Minutes
Total Time: 5 Hours

Ingredients

For the Bread

For the Filling

Instructions

For the dough

1. Heat milk, sugar and salt in saucepan over medium-high heat.
   1. Stir until sugar melts and a few small bubbles appear at the edges of pan.
   2. Remove from heat and let cool while you prepare the other elements.
2. Dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water (90°F to 110°F) in bowl of stand mixer.
   1. Stir mixture with paddle attachment (or wooden spoon) until well-blended.
   2. Let stand 10 minutes.
3. Beat eggs into yeast mixture.
   1. Stir in cooled milk mixture (it should be lukewarm, 98°F to 115°F) and switch to dough hook.
   2. Add in flour a little at a time until dough is elastic.
   3. Add melted butter and mix again; add in more flour until dough is elastic and pulls away from sides of mixer.
   4. You may not have to use all the flour: do not add so much flour that dough does not stick to your hands; it should be slightly tacky.
   5. Knead dough for five minutes in mixer with dough hook, or knead with hands on a floured surface.
4. Place dough in buttered bowl and turn over to coat entire surface. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place about 1 hour or until doubled.
5. Punch down dough and turn out onto lightly floured surface. Knead a few times and cut into two pieces. Roll out each piece to 12x9-inch rectangles.
   

   For the filling

6. Generously brush rolled dough pieces with melted butter.
   1. Sprinkle each with half of cinnamon sugar mixture and roll them up jelly-roll style.
   2. Cut rolls down center lengthwise and carefully braid the pieces together by crossing them over one another.
   3. Using spatula or bench scraper, carefully lift braided loaf into buttered 9-inch loaf pan; repeat with remaining loaf.
   4. Cover pans with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
7. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake loaves until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes, or until internal temperature is 190°F.
8. Serve slices of bread warm from pan, or let loaves cool for 10 minutes before turning them out onto wire rack to cool fully.

https://goboldwithbutter.com/recipes/braided-cinnamon-bread