Maple Blueberry Granola Swirl Bread

This wonderful loaf of bread keeps in line with yesterday’s theme of combining two different kinds of baked good together.  Today, instead of cupcake on cookie action, we’ve got granola swirled and baked inside a loaf of bread.

I first attempted this loaf while still in college.  Back then, my knowledge of yeast wasn’t as large as it is now, and I used rapid rise instead of active dry.  This resulted in a dense dough that was extremely difficult to knead and didn’t cook through in the middle.  The bread turned out rather hard to cut, and eating it was great exercise for my jaw.

Next time I’m making two smaller loaves.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed every slice of it.  You can imagine my joy at making it this time with the correct type of yeast.  The dough was soft and malleable, and the resulting bread was fluffy and delicious.

But let’s not forget about that granola swirl.  I can’t seem to get enough of carbs.  Using maple syrup, brown sugar and dried blueberries as sweeteners, the granola is amazingly tasty in its own right, and I wish I had made a double batch to keep some around for snacking.

Maybe I’ll go do that now.  Whether you make extra granola or not, this loaf of bread is sure to please.  The added sweetness from the granola makes this a great snacking bread, as well as a good candidate for bread pudding or french toast.

I just want to dive right in…hmm maybe I’ve been watching the Olympics too much…

Maple Blueberry Granola Swirl Bread

Adapted from Sugar Plum

Makes one very large 9×5” loaf*

For the bread:

1 cup warm milk, divided (100°-110°F)
1 tsp+ ½ cup sugar
2 ¼ tsp (1 packet) active dry yeast
4 Tbsp melted unsalted butter, divided use
3 large eggs, at room temperature, divided use
4 Tbsp pure maple syrup, divided use
1 ¼ tsp salt, divided use
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups bread flour
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (or you can use all all-purpose)

For the granola:
¼ cup packed brown sugar
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ cup finely chopped pecans
2/3 cup old fashioned oats
1/3 cup sweetened dried blueberries

First make the dough.  In a large bowl, mix together ½ cup warm milk, 1 tsp sugar and yeast until combined and let sit for 10 minutes or until it’s all foamy. Add 2 Tbsp melted butter, additional ½ cup milk, ½ cup sugar, 2 eggs, 3 Tbsp maple syrup, 1 tsp salt and vanilla to yeast mixture and mix until well combined. Mix in bread flour and all-purpose flour until combined and the dough comes together.  Remove the dough from the bowl and knead for 5 minutes on a lightly floured surface, adding flour as necessary to keep the dough from being too sticky.  Place in a large mixing bowl lightly covered with cooking spray and cover with plastic wrap.  Let rise in a warm area for 1-2 hours or until doubled in bulk.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a small cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Coat the insides of a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.  *I would advise you to prepare two loaf pans if you can.  My loaf ended up being so large I had to form it into an “s” shape to fit it into the pan (see photo above).  Next time, I’ll make two smaller loaves.

Next make the granola.  In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 Tbsp melted butter, the last 1 Tbsp maple syrup, additional ¼ tsp salt, brown sugar and cinnamon until well combined. Stir in pecans and oats until combined. Evenly spread the mixture onto prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until granola is fragrant and golden brown. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in blueberries until combined.

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into an 11×15 inch rectangle. Brush dough with remaining Tbsp melted butter. Sprinkle granola evenly on top, leaving a 1/2” border. Starting at one end, roll the dough up jelly roll style, pinch and tuck ends under, and place in loaf pan. Lightly cover with plastic wrap and allow dough to rise 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Whisk remaining egg together with a Tbsp of water and evenly brush on the surface of dough. Bake for 20 minutes, cover with foil, and bake an additional 35-40 minutes or until internal temperature of bread reaches 180 degrees F and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped. Cool pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes before removing bread to a wire rack to cool completely.

 

 

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