First, you will want to measure 660 grams of wheat berries. I like to use 473 grams of hard white and 187 grams of Khorasan. If you don’t have Khorasan, you can use all hard white. Hard red wheat berries are another great option.
Next, you will mill the wheat berries through your grain mill on a fine setting. Once you have the flour freshly milled, add 11.5 grams (2 tsp) of salt and 26 grams (¼ cup) of dry milk powder to the flour and gently mix with a spoon. Then set aside.
Tip: If you don’t have milk powder, you may omit it, but you will need to substitute the water for milk.
After that, measure 418 grams of water and warm until it’s approximately 95° F to 105°F. Add warm water, 39 grams of olive oil, 85 grams of honey, and 1 room temperature egg to a stand mixer. Mix the liquid ingredients. Start out at a low speed and then slowly increase the speed to medium until all the wet ingredients are well mixed.
Once the wet ingredients are mixed, gradually add the freshly milled flour mixture. Mix on a low to medium speed just until all the flour is no longer dry. It should only take one to two minutes. Don’t over mix at this point. You’re just trying to get the flour wet at this stage.
Next, cover and let rest for 1 hour.
After the dough has autolyzed for one hour, add 2 1/2 tsp instant yeast. Then, knead in your stand mixer until you have reached a windowpane. Trust the process and DO NOT add any extra flour at this point.
Next, lightly oil your proofing container to prevent sticking. Then, transfer your dough to the proofing container. Cover and let rest in a warm place until it increases by about 80%.
While you are waiting for your dough to ferment, prepare two, 4.5 x 8.5-inch loaf pans by generously greasing it with butter. I find that cast iron loaf pans produce a much better loaf of bread made with freshly milled flour.
In a bowl add 105 g (1/2cup) sugar and 17 g (2 Tablespoons) cinnamon. Mix with a spoon and sit aside.
Once the dough has risen 80%, turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface and cut in half. Next, lightly oil your rolling pin. Then, take 1 half of the dough and roll out into an 8.5-inch-wide x 14-inch-long rectangle. Try to make sure the dough is rolled out as evenly as possible.
Next, mix the egg wash by whisking together the white from one egg and 1 tsp of water. Mix vigorously with a whisk until the water and whites are well incorporated producing a thin liquid. Brush a thin layer of the prepared egg wash across the rolled out 8.5x14-inch dough. Reserve the remainder of the egg wash for the final step before baking.
Then, spread 61 grams or half the cinnamon sugar mixture across the dough. Leave approximately ½ inch of the top edge exposed with no cinnamon sugar. This will allow enough dough to pinch together after rolling.
Next, start at the bottom of the rectangle and roll the dough up toward the top as evenly as possible. You want the roll to be firm but not overly tight. When you reach the top of the dough, pinch it together across the log.
Place in a greased 4.5 x 8.5-inch cast iron loaf pan.
Repeat steps 8-10 with the second half of the dough. If you don’t want to make 2 loaves of cinnamon swirl bread, you can shape the other half of the dough into soft sandwich bread, a dozen soft dinner rolls, or one of my other basic dough recipes.
Now that both loaves are in the cast iron pans, cover and let them sit in a warm place to rise. Toward the end of the proofing time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Once fully risen, remove the cover from the loaves. Take the remainder of the egg wash and brush a thin layer on top of the bread. Finally, place in the oven and bake at 350° for 40 minutes. Cover lightly with foil after 25 minutes to avoid the top from over browning. Once fully baked, the internal temperature should be at least 195°. Remove from pan and allow it to completely cool before slicing. This should take about 1-2 hours.