NO MORE GAPS in Your Swirl Breads!
Can you relate to this? You pull your loaf of cinnamon swirl bread out of the oven, wait for it to cool a little, and then slice into it, excited to see a gorgeous, tight swirl. Instead, gaps all over the place. Sigh.
Yes, the bread will still taste delicious, no doubt about it. But when you’ve put in the time and effort, you want your loaf to look just as good as it tastes. Right?
Luckily, there are a few tricks you can use to avoid any further disappointment when making swirl breads. And we can thank the pros at King Arthur Flour (www.kingarthurflour.com) for coming to our rescue.
#1: Add a stabilizer to your filling. Some cinnamon-swirl bread recipes call for a simple filling of only cinnamon and sugar. Don’t do that.
Why not? It’s about science. Sugar is hygroscopic (it attracts water). As the dough proofs, the cinnamon-sugar filling encased inside, melts and liquefies. If there’s not another ingredient mixed into the filling, the liquid seeps out of the swirl, leaving behind a gap and pooling in the bottom of your pan.
The simple solution is to add either all-purpose flour or Instant ClearJel to your filling. This will keep it in place and prevent the sugar from completely liquefying. You don’t need much—about 4 teaspoons of flour (if using Instant ClearJel, you'll only need 2 teaspoons).
#2: Blitz the fruit. Many swirl bread recipes call for adding raisins (or another dried fruit) to the filling. Recipes sometimes suggest adding the dried fruit by sprinkling it liberally on top of the cinnamon-sugar filling before rolling up the dough. Not so fast.
Raisins can be relatively large, and they’ll create pockets in the swirl. As the dough proofs and bakes, the raisins can cause the dough to sink in spots, leaving behind those undesired gaps in the finished product.
To avoid this, simply pulse the cinnamon, sugar, stabilizer, and dried fruit in a food processor until the fruit is in 1/4” pieces (or smaller). These dried fruit bits will still provide flavor and texture without leaving any gaps in the swirl or making shaping difficult.
The ideal filling consistency is like rough sand with small chunks of dried fruit evenly distributed throughout the mixture. At this point, you’re almost ready to sprinkle your filling atop your dough ... but there’s one key step to take first.
Tip #3: Brush with an egg wash. Unless your dough is 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 as much binding power as egg wash (1 large egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water).
Brush the dough with a thin layer of wash before sprinkling your filling. As the loaf bakes, the egg wash will help keep the layers of dough tightly tucked together. The result will be a no-gap swirl.
#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 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 creates the perfect swirl.
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.
But don’t roll too tightly, either. If it’s too tight, the dough 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. Aim to be Goldilocks: not too loose, not too tight, but just right.
#5: Let cool completely. The pros say this might be the most difficult tip to execute when it comes to reducing the gap in swirl breads — it requires patience and self-control! When removing from the oven, turn it out of the pan and let it cool on a rack COMPLETELY. It's important to wait until the structure of the loaf has set and the cinnamon filling has cooled slightly.
If you cut into it while it’s still warm, you’ll end up with slightly smushed, misshapen slices, and the integrity of the rest of the loaf will be compromised. Patience pays off: it'll be easier to slice and hold its shape better if you can convince yourself to wait!
Using these tips, you can say goodbye to holding your breath when you slice into a loaf of cinnamon-swirl bread, wondering what the inside will look like. No more worries about gaping holes and flimsy slices that fall apart in the toaster. You’ll end up with seamless slices that look just as impressive as they taste.
Finally, these trustworthy tips apply to all kinds of swirl breads: fruit-filled and savory breads included.
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Yes, the bread will still taste delicious, no doubt about it. But when you’ve put in the time and effort, you want your loaf to look just as good as it tastes. Right?
Luckily, there are a few tricks you can use to avoid any further disappointment when making swirl breads. And we can thank the pros at King Arthur Flour (www.kingarthurflour.com) for coming to our rescue.
#1: Add a stabilizer to your filling. Some cinnamon-swirl bread recipes call for a simple filling of only cinnamon and sugar. Don’t do that.
Why not? It’s about science. Sugar is hygroscopic (it attracts water). As the dough proofs, the cinnamon-sugar filling encased inside, melts and liquefies. If there’s not another ingredient mixed into the filling, the liquid seeps out of the swirl, leaving behind a gap and pooling in the bottom of your pan.
The simple solution is to add either all-purpose flour or Instant ClearJel to your filling. This will keep it in place and prevent the sugar from completely liquefying. You don’t need much—about 4 teaspoons of flour (if using Instant ClearJel, you'll only need 2 teaspoons).
#2: Blitz the fruit. Many swirl bread recipes call for adding raisins (or another dried fruit) to the filling. Recipes sometimes suggest adding the dried fruit by sprinkling it liberally on top of the cinnamon-sugar filling before rolling up the dough. Not so fast.
Raisins can be relatively large, and they’ll create pockets in the swirl. As the dough proofs and bakes, the raisins can cause the dough to sink in spots, leaving behind those undesired gaps in the finished product.
To avoid this, simply pulse the cinnamon, sugar, stabilizer, and dried fruit in a food processor until the fruit is in 1/4” pieces (or smaller). These dried fruit bits will still provide flavor and texture without leaving any gaps in the swirl or making shaping difficult.
The ideal filling consistency is like rough sand with small chunks of dried fruit evenly distributed throughout the mixture. At this point, you’re almost ready to sprinkle your filling atop your dough ... but there’s one key step to take first.
Tip #3: Brush with an egg wash. Unless your dough is 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 as much binding power as egg wash (1 large egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water).
Brush the dough with a thin layer of wash before sprinkling your filling. As the loaf bakes, the egg wash will help keep the layers of dough tightly tucked together. The result will be a no-gap swirl.
#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 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 creates the perfect swirl.
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.
But don’t roll too tightly, either. If it’s too tight, the dough 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. Aim to be Goldilocks: not too loose, not too tight, but just right.
#5: Let cool completely. The pros say this might be the most difficult tip to execute when it comes to reducing the gap in swirl breads — it requires patience and self-control! When removing from the oven, turn it out of the pan and let it cool on a rack COMPLETELY. It's important to wait until the structure of the loaf has set and the cinnamon filling has cooled slightly.
If you cut into it while it’s still warm, you’ll end up with slightly smushed, misshapen slices, and the integrity of the rest of the loaf will be compromised. Patience pays off: it'll be easier to slice and hold its shape better if you can convince yourself to wait!
Using these tips, you can say goodbye to holding your breath when you slice into a loaf of cinnamon-swirl bread, wondering what the inside will look like. No more worries about gaping holes and flimsy slices that fall apart in the toaster. You’ll end up with seamless slices that look just as impressive as they taste.
Finally, these trustworthy tips apply to all kinds of swirl breads: fruit-filled and savory breads included.
Sources:
- www.kingarthurflour.com
- www.ctinstyle.com
- www.epicuricloud.com
Alice Osborne
Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2006
Email the author! alice@dvo.com
