Whole Wheat Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Most of the bread I make is a combination of whole grain and all-purpose or bread flours. I like the nutty flavor and full feeling whole grain provides, but prefer the addition of other flours to lighten the texture. Without a flour blend, whole grain breads can be dense and tough.

I was intrigued when I came across this King Arthur Flour recipe boasting a 100% whole wheat cinnamon swirl bread. While it only includes whole wheat flour, the dough gets its tenderness from the addition of nonfat dry milk and potato flakes.

I made it with traditional whole wheat flour, but it can be made with white whole wheat - which would make it more palatable for kids. Either way, a slice of this bread toasted and topped with peanut butter makes a fast, stick-to-your-ribs breakfast.

Combine starter ingredients and allow to rest at room
temperature overnight or up to 16 hours. This starter rested for 15 hours.

Combine starter with dough ingredients. Knead. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning to grease
the top. Cover and let rise 90 minutes. This dough was mixed and kneaded using
a stand mixer. If kneading by hand, resist the urge to add additional flour.

The dough will double in size (it may take longer than 90 minutes).

Roll the dough to a 16"x9" rectangle. Brush with beaten egg.
Combine filling ingredients and sprinkle over dough.

Beginning at the short end, roll up dough. Pinch seam to seal.

Place rolled dough in a greased 9"x5" loaf pan. Cover and let rise for 90 minutes.

Dough is ready to bake when it's risen 3/4" over top of pan. Bake at 350
degrees for 50-55 minutes, tenting with foil after the first 10 minutes.

Breakfast is served! This bread is great toasted. It would also
make a tasty base for French toast and bread pudding.

100% WholeWheat Cinnamon Swirl Bread

From King Arthur Flour

Starter
1/2 cup cool water
1 cup white whole wheat flour or whole wheat flour
1/8 teaspoon instant yeast

Dough
2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast or active dry yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm milk
1/2 cup orange juice*
5 tablespoons melted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
1/4 cup potato flour or 1/2 cup instant mashed potato flakes
2 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour or whole wheat flour
*Use 2 tablespoons less orange juice in summer (or in a humid environment), 2 tablespoons more in winter (or in a dry climate).

Filling
1 large egg, beaten; to brush on dough
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Make the starter: In a mixing bowl, combine the water, flour, and yeast, stirring until the flour is evenly moistened. Cover the bowl, and let the starter rest overnight at cool room temperature, for up to 16 hours or so; it'll become a bit puffy, and flatten out.

Add the remaining dough ingredients to the starter in the bowl, and mix and knead — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — until you've made a cohesive dough. If you're using a stand mixer, knead at low speed for about 7 minutes. Note that 100% whole wheat dough will never become smooth and supple like dough made with all-purpose flour; it'll feel more like clay under your hands, and may appear a bit rough.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise until it's expanded and looks somewhat puffy, about 90 minutes. Note that dough kneaded in a bread machine will rise faster and higher than bread kneaded in a mixer, which in turn will rise faster and higher than one kneaded by hand. So if you're kneading by hand, you may want to let the dough rise longer than 90 minutes.

Make the filling: Whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, and flour.

Gently deflate the dough, and transfer it to a lightly oiled work surface. Shape the dough into a long, thin rectangle, about 16" x 9". Brush the dough with some of the beaten egg. Sprinkle the filling onto the dough. Beginning with a short edge, gently roll the dough into a log. Pinch the side seam and ends closed. Pat the log gently to shape it into a smooth 9" cylinder, and place it in a lightly greased 9" x 5" loaf pan.

Tent the pan with lightly greased plastic wrap and allow the loaf to rise until it's crowned over the rim of the pan by about 3/4", about 90 minutes. Don't let it rise too high; it'll continue to rise as it bakes. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Bake the bread for 10 minutes. Lightly tent it with aluminum foil, and bake for an additional 40 to 45 minutes, or until the center registers 190°F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove it from the oven, and turn it out of the pan onto a rack.

Run a stick of butter over the top of the hot loaf, if desired, for a softer crust. Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing.

Yield: one 9" x 5" loaf.

Homemade English Muffins

English muffins are one of my favorite breakfast treats - more special (and tastier) than toast. I like an English muffin well toasted with lost of crispy, craggy goodness to catch butter, homemade jam or honey. I started making my own when I found some commercial varieties to be gummy without much flavor.

I like this recipe because it uses a starter with a long (and flexible) rise time, which helps develop flavor. It's also reliable - I've used the recipe several times with consistent results. The muffins can be dry-fried (325 degree ungreased skillet for about 10 minutes per side), but this method sometimes produces a muffin with a doughy center. Baking always produces a fully cooked muffin.

I use muffin rings, available at most baking supply stores or online retailers. Muffins baked in rings are straight sided, easy to cut and fit well in the toaster (and are perfectly round for pretty egg sandwiches). You can make free-form muffins that are just as tasty. They just won't rise as high.

Combine starter ingredients and leave at room temperature for at
least four hours and up to 16 hours. Starter will be bubbly when it's ready.
 This starter sat on the counter for seven hours.

Combine starter with dough ingredients, beating for 6-8 minutes. Cover and let rise 1 hour.

I have a few English muffin rings. While they're not
a necessity, I like uniform muffins with straight sides. 

Grease the rings and place on a lined baking sheet. Fill with scant 1/4 cup batter.
 I've lost a few rings, so some muffins are free form. I should've made 12,
rather than 11 muffins. Some of the rings are too full (see finished product).
After they rise, place a second baking sheet on top of the rings to prevent doming
during baking. Do not place second pan on top of free-form muffins. 

Left to right: baked without the ring (free form); baked with the ring and the
pan on top - notice the excess dough that rose over the top of the ring;
and baked with a ring without a pan on top - the domed top will
have to be cut off to fit in the toaster.

Crispy, craggy and delish. Perfect with a bit of butter or a great base for an egg sandwich.

English Muffins
Adapted from The King Arthur Flour Bakers Companion

Starter
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup water
1/8 tsp instant yeast

Dough
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp butter, melted
3/4 cup warm milk
Cornmeal for sprinkling

Make the starter
Mix flour, water and yeast in a medium bowl to form a smooth batter. Cover and leave at room temp at least 4 hours and up to 16 hours. The batter will be puffy and full of holes when it's ready to use.

Make the dough
In a large bowl, combine starter and all dough ingredients. Mix 6-8 minutes. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Shape
Spray 12 English muffin rings with nonstick spray and place on a parchment lined baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. If you don't have rings, make free form muffins by dropping batter onto pan.

Stir dough and drop scant 1/4 cup of dough into each ring (resist the urge to overfill the rings). Smooth dough with fingers dipped in water. Sprinkle with cornmeal. Cover the pan and let rise until muffins have grown by at least a third, up to 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bake
If you're using rings, place a clean baking sheet atop the muffins to keep muffins flat on both sides so they'll fit in the toaster. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely before toasting.