Bread is magical. Do you agree? The smell, the taste, everything about it. Pure magic. Sure it takes a fair amount of effort and patience to make, but it’s worth it. This bread has a wonderful, glazed crust on the outside and a soft, sweet inside with cinnamon and sugar running throughout. And can we talk about how beautiful it is? It’s a showstopper, for sure. I hope you love this recipe as much as my family does ♥
- Dough
- 2 1/4 teaspoon yeast
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 cup whole milk, slightly warmed
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 4 cups flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg for egg wash (to brush over the top of the braid before baking)
- Filling
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- Glaze
- 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the warm water and 1 tablespoon sugar. Sprinkle the yeast over the top and allow the yeast to activate for about 10 minutes.
- Add the milk, butter, eggs, and vanilla to the activated yeast and mix to combine.
- With the dough hook, mix in the flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and salt. Knead for 6-8 minutes (this can also be done by hand).
- Place the dough in a large, greased bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm area for 1 hour.
- After an hour, punch down the dough and allow to rise for an additional 10 minutes.
- Mix the sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl.
- On a floured surface, roll out the dough into a large rectangle (about 12×14″). Cut into 3 equal sections.
- Brush the top of each section with the melted butter. Then sprinkle the tops with the filling mixture.
- Tightly roll each section into a long cylinder (this process will make each section a little longer than 14″ because you’ll want to squeeze as you go).
- With a sharp knife, gently cut a long line in each cylinder (see pictures below). This exposes the cinnamon and sugar in the braid, which looks pretty.
- Place the 3 sections on a lined baking sheet.
- <span class=”mceItemHidden” data-mce-bogus=”1″><span></span>Press the 3 sections together at the top and then carefully braid. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes. Toward the end of the 30 minutes, <span class=”mceItemHidden” data-mce-bogus=”1″><span class=”hiddenSpellError” pre=”” data-mce-bogus=”1″>preheat</span></span> oven to 375 degrees.</span>
- Brush the top of the braid with an egg wash. Place in preheated oven and bake for about 25 minutes. The braid will puff up and turn golden brown. Remove from oven and cool a bit.
- Mix together the glaze ingredients until smooth (you can alter the powdered sugar/milk proportions to get the glaze as thick or thin as you desire).
- Drizzle over the top after the bread has cooled (if your bread is too warm, the glaze will soak into the bread). Slice and enjoy! The braid tastes great at room temperature, but is even better when slightly warmed. I found that a slice of bread warmed in the microwave for 18 seconds was perfection 🙂
Sprinkle the yeast on top of warm water and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Allow the yeast to activate, this takes about 10 minutes.
Ready to mix in the warm milk, melted butter, and eggs.
Oh, don’t forget the vanilla!
Once the wet ingredients are combined, mix in 1/4 cup sugar, flour, and salt.
Use the dough hook to knead for 6-8 minutes.
Place the dough in a large, greased bowl. Cover and let rise for about 1 hour. Then punch dough down and rise for an additional 10 minutes.
Prepare the filling by mixing 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon.
Ready to roll (on a lightly floured surface).
Roll the dough into a large rectangle (about 12×14″). Cut into 3 equal pieces.
Brush the top of each section with melted butter.
Sprinkle on the filling.
Tightly roll each section.
Use a sharp knife to cut the top of each section. This will help expose the cinnamon/sugar mixture when you braid, which looks pretty 🙂
Ready to braid!
Press the tops of the three sections together to start your braid. I highly recommend doing this step on your lined baking sheet.
Braid away. Press the ends together and gently tuck underneath the braid.
Cover and let rise for about 30 minutes. Brush the top of the braid with an egg wash.
Bake at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.
Mix the glaze ingredients together.
Look at that beautiful bread.
Drizzle the glaze over the top and enjoy! The bread tastes good at room temperature, but even better when slightly warmed (pop a slice in the microwave for roughly 18 seconds for perfection).
