Kalacs (Hungarian Cinnamon Swirl Bread)

My husband’s aunt passed along this super-easy recipe for this Hungarian sweet bread, and I made a couple of revisions to my family’s taste. Cinnamon, poppy seed, or walnuts are a traditional filling. Her recipe is for cinnamon, but one of my favorite ways is to break from tradition and use a cocoa/sugar/butter/vanilla mixture. It’s delicious, especially when the leftovers are toasted and buttered!

Step: 1

Place flour, white sugar, salt, and yeast into the bowl of a stand mixer. In a bowl, whisk together egg, melted butter, warm milk, and vanilla extract; pour into the flour mixture. Using dough hook attachment, mix on low until the flour is moistened and a dough forms, then increase speed to medium, and continue kneading until smooth and elastic, 4 to 5 minutes.

Step: 2

Place dough into a greased bowl, cover, and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.

Step: 3

Punch down dough, turn out onto a floured work surface, and divide into 2 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 1/3 inch thick rectangle. Brush each square with melted butter. Mix together cinnamon and brown sugar in a small bowl, then sprinkle evenly over the two rectangles.

Step: 4

Roll each firmly into a log, pinch the ends closed, and tuck them underneath. Place each into a greased, glass loaf pan. Cover, and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.

Step: 5

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Step: 6

Brush the tops of the loaves with melted butter, then bake in preheated oven until loaves are golden brown, and sound hollow when tapped, about 30 minutes.

Per Serving: 198 calories; protein 4.5g; carbohydrates 32.7g; fat 5.3g; cholesterol 24.6mg; sodium 190.4mg.

The best flavour of the flour could make a real difference to your bread. Different brands do vary. Extra-strong or Canadian flours, which are naturally higher in gluten, may give you a best rise than standard dough flours – especially if you’re make wholemeal dough , which doesn’t always getting bigger as well as white bread.

To made this in a dough , add all the ingredients to your breadmaker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

A dough’s first rising can be make in the fridge 24 hours . This slows down the time it takes to rise to double its size, giving it a deeper flavour. It’s also a great timesaver , as you can work it yesterday , then finish it off the next day.