Baking Pumpkin Swirl Bread and Cinnamon Dessert Bread Recipe (Perfect for Fall and Winter!): ‘Tis the season for over-sized chunky sweaters, crankin’ that heater, and cozying up to a scrumptious treat near the fire. With fall in full swing and winter on its way, baking a loaf of sweet bread might just be the perfect way to settle into the cold weather seasons. Enjoy a slice in the morning with a warm cup of coffee or tea. Enjoy as a midday pick-me up snack. Or, better yet, enjoy entertaining family and friends as an after-dinner treat. The sweet treat in the middle if a fun surprise for all.  In fact you may want to make a little extra, as it's good on top too! Whatever your occasion, the following fall and winter sweet bread recipes will have you slaying the baking game this season.  BUT FIRST: Be sure to check out our bakeware section for all the essential tools you will need. FALL - Pumpkin Swirl Bread Pumpkin spice is no longer basic, ya hear?! This gorgeous recipe contains dates, nuts, and pumpkins that contribute to its perfect golden hue. A creamy cheesecake-like swirl in the middle allows this recipe to truly outshine its competitors. MAKES: 3 loaves. PREP TIME: 25 mins. COOK TIME: 65 mins + time for cooling. WHAT YOU NEED:

• For the Filling:
  • 2 (8 oz.) packages of softened cream cheese
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp whole milk
• For the Bread:
  • 3 cups of sugar
  • 1 (15 oz.) can of solid-packed pumpkin
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup oil
  • 1 cup water
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour or Almond flour pending your preference
  • 4 1/2  tsp. Pumpkin pie spice
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp ground nutmeg
  • ½ tsp ground cloves
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1 cup raisins or cranberries pending preference
  • ½ cup chopped dates
• Topping:
  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2-3 tbsp 2% milk
  • Additional chopped walnuts

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour three Le Creuset loaf pans . Add your filling ingredients to a bowl and stir until smooth.
2. In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients thoroughly.  In another bowl, add sugar, eggs, pumpkin, oil and water and stir to combine.  Slowly add the dry ingredients into your smooth pumpkin mixture. Next, add your walnuts, raisins and dates to liking.  Some folks prefer the purist approach and will leave these out altogether.
3. Pour half your batter evenly into each Le Creuset loaf pan. Add filling on top of batter to each pan, then cover filling in each pan completely with remaining batter.
4. Bake for 65-70 minutes; and the back-up test for “done” is inserting a toothpick and removing it without batter, it’s ready!  Cool for 10 minutes before removing from your Le Creuset pans and placing on the perfect cooling racks; the Johnson-Rose cooling racks. Wrap your breads in foil and refrigerate until serving.
5. For topping (to be made right before serving): in a small bowl mix the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and just enough milk so that a drizzling consistency is met. Top off bread and sprinkle with your additional chopped walnuts.

Recipe Altered from Taste of Home. WINTER - Cinnamon Dessert Bread With Icing by the spruce Eats Icing wins the game again with this cinnamon-roll-like recipe. It is suggested you can swap out the dried raisins for another dried fruit like dried figs, cranberries, or apricots and even throw in some chopped nuts if your little bread making heart desires. MAKES: 1 loaf. PREP TIME: 2 hours and 10 mins. COOK TIME: 30 mins. WHAT YOU NEED:

• For the Bread:
  • ½ cup milk
  • ¼ cup warm water
  • 1 tbsp melted butter
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tsp activated dry yeast
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • OPTIONAL: ⅓ cup raisins or other dried fruit of choice
  • 1 ½ cups bread flour
• For the Icing:
  • ¾ cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tbsp milk
  • 1 tbsp melted butter
  • ⅓ tsp vanilla extract

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:

1. Add the wet ingredients and butter into a bowl and stir to combine. Add the dry ingredients and stir until well combined. Then, add raisins or other dried fruit, if you choose! Stir in as well.
2. Add a 1/2 cup of your bread flour at a time to your mixture. Mix as you do this to slowly form the dough.
3. Throw dough out onto floured board and knead for 5 or so mins. IMPORTANT TO NOTE: Add extra flour 1 tbsp at a time ONLY if dough is still super sticky.
4. Add your non-sticky dough to a well-greased bowl and turn over so the top of the dough gets greased. Place dough into a warm area, covered with a clean cloth, and allow it to rise for 45 mins or so. Your goal is for the dough to double in size.
5. Now, get your anger out by punching the dough right in the center! No joke, this is really a step. Fold the edges of the dough into the center, forming it into a ball.
6. Place dough onto your [still] floured board and knead it for 3 minutes. Now you can shape the dough into a nice, even loaf.
7. Grease your Le Cresuset loaf pan. Place you newly shaped loaf into the pan, cover with clean cloth, and allow it to, yet again (sense some deja vu?), rise for about 30 minutes. Your goal is for it to double in size. Yes, again.
8. Bake in the oven for 30 mins at 350° F.
9. Remove the loaf from your Le Creuset pan and let it cool on a Johnsnon-Rose rack. (Don’t cool completely, rather, get it to a warm temperature.
10. In a medium bowl, mix together your icing ingredients: confectioners sugar, milk, 1 tbsp of melted butter, and vanilla extract….mmm, mmm, mmm.
11. Spread that icing all over your warm (NOT cool) bread.

Slice for serving and store remaining bread well wrapped and in the refrigerator.   BONUS: missing summer? Spread with marshmallow fluff, chocolate pieces, and crushed graham cracker for that campfire s’mores taste. Better yet? Bake in a round dish for for a more pie-like twist. Recipe Adapted from The Spruce Eats