Red bean swirl loaf

This Red bean swirl loaf takes a Japanese spin on the cinnamon raisin swirl loaf we all know and love. The bread is light and fluffy soft with a hint of sweetness from the red bean paste and is definitely one of the favorites in my household and hopefully yours as well!

It’s been a while since I’ve made anything with red bean because we just haven’t had any left in the fridge after using the last of it up to make oh so delicious red bean buns!

At first I was debating as to whether or not I wanted to make red bean donuts or red bean pancakes (dorayaki), but we didn’t have anymore bread at home so I decided to make this loaf instead 😛

When I first took this scrumptious loaf out of the oven, mother deer thought that I baked up a swiss roll cake because it looked so similar to one.

And after I explaining to her that it was actually a red bean swirl loaf, she was a little disappointed because she’s been on a dessert binge lately but upon trying it out, she was more than happy to have another slice or three of the fluffy loaf!

Now that was when lil’ bun and brother deer both charged into the kitchen to get a slice of their own. And within a good 10 minutes…we were already done an entire loaf!

Good thing this recipe yields two loaves huh?

Now before I let you have at the delicious recipe, I want to share with you all something I learned lately about making bread dough that’s helped me immensely when it comes to trying to figure out when your dough is ready for proofing.

When you start to knead the dough, make sure you only add enough flour for the dough to just come together and no longer stick to the mixing bowl and/or your hands. It might still feel a little damp but don’t add anymore flour because you will end up with very dry bread this way!

You can also always tell if your bread has been kneaded enough by stretching a piece of it out and it should have a window pane effect where you can almost see through it.

What about you lovelies, what do you like swirled into your loaves?

Lil bun’s favorite is cinnamon raisin swirl. That girl could probably eat an entire loaf of that in a day and she’s been convincing me to bake her up a loaf so look forward to a recipe for that real soon!

-Cynthia

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Ingredients

• 1/4 cup warm water
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon yeast
• 3/4 cup warm milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup coconut oil (or butter)
• 1 1/2 cup red bean paste

Instructions

1. Combine water, yeast and sugar in a small bowl. Stir and let sit for 10 minutes until foamy
2. When the yeast has bloomed, pour it in a large bowl. Add in the milk, vanilla, salt, eggs and coconut oil. Whisk until combined.
3. Stir in the flour a cup at a time until a dough forms. The dough should just come away from the sides of the bowl. STOP adding when the flour stops being incorporated. The dough should be slightly damp to the touch but not sticky.
4. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 10-15 minutes until it is soft and springs back when poked in the middle. If you are using an electric mixer with a dough hook, this should take about 5 minutes.
5. Transfer the dough into a greased bowl and cover it with plastic wrap or tea towel. Let the dough rise in a warm place for 2 hours or until it’s doubled in size.
6. Punch your dough down and divide it into two even pieces. Roll one of the pieces of dough out into a 1/2″ thick rectangle and spread 3/4 cup of the red bean paste inside.
7. Roll the dough up into a log starting from the shorter end. Pinch the seams to seal the dough log together. Repeat with the other loaf.
8. Place the dough into a greased loaf pan. Cover the loaf with a tea towel and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes. Preheat your oven to 375F during this time.
9. Bake your risen loaf for 30 – 45 minutes until golden and it sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool and slice.

 Notes: If you don’t have red bean paste you can substitute with any sweet spread of your choice (ex. chocolate hazelnut, jam, etc)

For an added Japanese spin, add a tablespoon of matcha powder into the dough when you are mixing the dry ingredients