It’s October, which means I officially don’t feel bad about pushing pumpkin baked goods. I know some of you fall into the uber-cozy category of humans that thinks things like pumpkin spice lattes, fluffy scarves, fleece socks, and jewel tones are appropriate all year long, but I’ve been holding back on this recipe for weeks in an attempt to salvage the sanity of those who can only tolerate fall-ish stuff sometime after Labor Day. Today’s recipe, this pumpkin swirl bread, certainly falls into the cozy category, and it makes for an excellent baking challenge for those of you who might be willing to roll up your sleeves and attempt a slightly more challenging baked treat. Let me tell you how to make it!

This pumpkin swirl bread is a love child of two of my favorite recipes: pumpkin yeast bread and cinnamon swirl bread. For years, cinnamon toast has been a go-to breakfast favorite in my house, and I decided it was high time we had a fall alternative for our mornings. The dough for this tender bread has pumpkin purée, sweet maple syrup, and flavored pumpkin pie spice. The center is a swirl of cinnamon and brown sugar- just enough to add a smidge of flavor and that beautiful inner spiral, but not so much that it becomes overpowering. I like to serve slices warm and toasted with salted butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar.

How to Make Swirl Bread

To make the bread, we start with the dough. Active dry yeast dissolved in lukewarm water before we add in the remaining liquid ingredients: milk, maple syrup, oil, and pumpkin purée. Once combined, we add in the flour, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. The dough is stirred and kneaded in a stand mixer until stretchy and slightly tacky.

After its first rise, we roll out the dough and layer in the filling: first an egg wash, then a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar. The dough is rolled tight into a loaf and allowed to rise a second time in a prepared loaf pan. After baking, the loaves are golden brown and fragrant with yummy autumnal spice!

This pumpkin swirl bread is a great weekend baking challenge. Bonus: it makes two loaves, so you can keep one for yourself and share the second with someone else! A win-win for everyone! Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think. Happy Baking!

If you like this pumpkin swirl bread, you should try:

Pumpkin Yeast Bread
Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Pumpkin Pull-Apart Bread
Raisin Swirl Bread
Pumpkin Pancakes

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Pumpkin Swirl Bread

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★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

• Author: Kate Wood
• Prep Time: 25
• Cook Time: 35
• Total Time: 240
• Yield: 2 Loaves
• Category: Bread

Ingredients

For the bread dough:

• ½ cup (120 mL) warm (not hot) water
• 2–1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 cup (240 mL) milk, room temperature (I use whole)
• ¼ cup (60 mL) maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons oil (I use canola)
• 1 cup (225 gm) pumpkin puree
• 5 cups (650 gm) all-purpose flour
• 1–1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

For the filling:

• 1 large egg
• 6 tablespoons (75 gm) sugar
• 2–1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon flour

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Instructions

To prepare the dough:

1. Pour the warm water into the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast over top of it. Allow the yeast to dissolve, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the milk, maple syrup, and oil. Add the pumpkin puree and stir to combine. Add two cups of flour, the salt, and the pumpkin pie spice to the wet ingredients and stir until well integrated. Add an additional 2-1/2 cups of flour and, using the dough hook, knead the bread on medium speed for about 5 minutes or until the bread starts to become stretchy. Add additional flour to the bowl during the kneading process to get the dough the right texture. You are looking for a tacky, stretchy dough.
2. Grease a large bowl and place the dough in it, covered with a piece of plastic wrap, to rise until doubled in size, about 1-1/2 hours. If the dough seems to have a hard time rising, move the bowl to a slightly warmer area of the kitchen. I like to let mine rise next to a warm oven.

To prepare the filling:

1. Once risen, remove dough from bowl and separate into two equal pieces. Roll each sheet of dough on a lightly greased work surface into a 6”x20” rectangle. Whisk the egg with 2 teaspoons of water and brush this wash over the surface of each sheet of dough. Reserve the extra wash.
2. Combine the cinnamon, sugar, and flour in a small bowl and sprinkle the mixture evenly over the surface of each piece of dough.
3. Starting at one of the narrow ends, roll the dough snug up the length of the long ends of the rectangle until you’re left with a tube-shaped roll of dough. Pinch the ends to seal the dough closed. Place each loaf roll into their own greased loaf pan (8.5″ X 4.5″ X 2.75″). Cover with Saran wrap and allow to rise again for about 1 hour, or until the dough has risen one inch over the top of the pan. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
4. Once risen, brush a thin layer of wash over the tops of each loaf. Put the loaves into the oven and immediately lower the temperature to 375. Bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until loaves have turned golden and sound slightly hollow when tapped on the top.
5. Allow to cool in pan for ten minutes and then remove to finish cooling on a cooling rack.

Notes

• Beware of using a small pan. This recipe requires a large enough pan to accommodate the dough.
• If your bread is not rising well, place loaves in a slightly warmer spot in your kitchen. I let my bread rise next to a warm oven.
• Allow bread to cool completely prior to slicing.
• Bread will keep on the counter for several days but will keep best in the refrigerator for up to 6-7 days. There’s no preservatives in this stuff so it won’t last as long as your supermarket bread- eat fast!
• Wrapped securely in aluminum foil, bread will keep in a freezer for up to four months.