Peanut Butter Chocolate Swirl Bread

This isn’t your every day cinnamon swirl bread, but maybe it should be. Peanut butter bread with a chocolate swirl is a serious game changer.

This might be my first ever swirl bread guys. And by might I mean it is (well other than Potica). But this is no ordinary cinnamon swirl bread, in fact there’s no cinnamon at all. So what is that beautiful swirl you ask? CHOCOLATE. But you know I didn’t stop there. If the day of the week is any hint (or you know, the title of this post), your first guess should be that there is peanut butter in there somewhere and you would be right! I present to you, peanut butter chocolate swirl bread!

When you’ve been blogging for almost 7 years, about half of them featuring #PBChocSat posts during football season, and the other half just full of peanut butter and chocolate on the regular, you start running out of peanut butter and chocolate recipe ideas. Or do you? I actually have a file saved of all my random ideas that I think of and now is the time for them to be unleashed!

This was actually one of my more recent ideas and all it involved was taking a recipe for cinnamon swirl bread, adding powdered peanut butter to the dough and substituting the cinnamon for cocoa powder. While the flavor profile ends up being more subtle than you would initially suspect, it’s still a knockout and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. Well, ok I wish I had rolled my dough up a little tighter to avoid the gaps, but that’s being nit picky.

If you’re feeling like there isn’t enough peanut butter and chocolate going on, feel free to smear them with some peanut butter or chocolate-hazelnut spread. Or both, no judgement. It is #PBChocSat after all. Use the leftovers to make French toast? Heck yea! As for football, today the Buckeyes are played Army West Point. Here’s to hoping it won’t be as painful to watch as last week’s game against Oklahoma.

In other news, Bob and I visited yet another venue this morning and it is high on our list of potentials! Afterwards we went to the Worthington Farmer’s Market before stopping into Worthington Jewelers where my ring is being designed (which happens to be right in the mix of the Farmer’s Market). It’s finalized guys! Bob got approved for financing to pay for half of it so now they can get to making the real thing, not just computer images. Wee!!!

Two years ago: September 2015 Stitch Fix #11

Three years ago: Corn Spoon Bread

Six years ago: Baklava Mousse Cups

PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE SWIRL BREAD

Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients:

BREAD

1 cup milk

6 Tbsp unsalted butter

2-1/2 tsp active dry yeast

2 eggs

1/3 cup sugar

3-1/2 cups bread or all-purpose flour

2/3 cups powdered peanut butter

1 tsp salt

FILLING

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1/3 cup sugar

2 Tbsp cocoa powder

BRUSHING

1 egg and 2 Tbsp milk, beaten together

Directions:

1. In a small sauce pan, melt the butter in the milk. Heat until very warm, but don’t boil. Allow to cool until still warm to the touch, but not hot (110-110 degrees F). Sprinkle yeast over the top, stir gently, and allow to sit for 10 minutes or until foamy.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, powdered peanut butter, and salt.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix sugar and eggs with the paddle attachment until combined. Pour in yeast mixture and stir to combine. Add half the flour and beat on medium speed until combined. Add the other half and beat until combined.
4. Switch to the dough hook attachment and beat/knead dough on medium speed for 10 minutes. If dough is overly sticky, add 1/4 cup flour and beat again for 5 minutes.
5. Heat a metal or glass mixing bowl so it’s warm. Drizzle in a little canola oil, then toss the dough in the oil to coat. Cover bowl in plastic wrap and set it in a warm place for 2 hours or until doubled.
6. Turn dough out onto a floured work surface. Roll into a neat rectangle no wider than the loaf pan you’re going to use, and about 18 to 24 inches long. Brush with melted butter. Mix sugar and cocoa, then sprinkle evenly over the butter-smeared dough. Starting at the far end, roll dough toward you, keeping it tight and contained. Pinch seam to seal.
7. Coat loaf pan with softened butter or nonstick cooking spray. Place dough, seam down, in the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 2 hours.
8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
9. Brush the top of the loaf with the egg-milk mixture. Bake for 40 minutes on a middle/lower rack in the oven.
10. Remove from the pan and allow bread to cool. Slice and serve, or make cinnamon toast or French toast with it.

Source: Adapted from The Pioneer Woman.