Cinnamon Swirl Chocolate Chip Quick Bread

This Cinnamon Swirl Chocolate Chip Quick Bread makes for a delicious snack any time of the day. And let’s be honest; who doesn’t love cinnamon and chocolate together? This quick bread has it all: it’s soft, tender, moist and has an irresistible ripple of cinnamon, and lots of chocolate chips.

We’ve been having some very cold days lately, and while I can’t stand the cold, it does have its plusses. Like baking up a storm in the kitchen for one! One of my favourite things to do on a dreary Winter’s day is bake up something amazing, then cook a comforting dinner. The whole house smells amazing and the extra heat from the oven doesn’t hurt either!

You really can’t go wrong with cinnamon and chocolate, which is why I love this recipe so much. It’s super simple to put together, and I haven’t met one person (yet!) who doesn’t like it. It uses oil instead of butter and buttermilk, which ensure it’s moisture-rich. The bread is sweetened with both brown sugar and granulated sugar. The bread itself contains almost all brown sugar, and the granulated sugar is mixed with the cinnamon for the delectable cinnamon-sugar, for the swirl and also sprinkled on top of the bread.

One very important note to make is about incorporating the wet and dry ingredients. Once you pour the wet into the dry, be very careful not to overmix. Overmixing causes the gluten to develop and will result in a heavy, tough bread. Not the gloriously light and fluffy bread we are after. Just mix the wet and dry ingredients until ‘just’ combined.

If you’re unfamiliar with the term ‘quick bread’ it simply means it’s a bread made with a leavening agent (such as baking soda or baking powder) with no yeast or rising time. Banana bread, cornbread and muffins are all good examples.

This quick bread barely saw the light of day once it was out of the oven and done cooling. My boyfriend and I made repeat trips back to the kitchen to get ‘just one more slice’, and I also took a few slices into my workplace. So after 2 days, it was already gone! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do.

Cinnamon Swirl Chocolate Chip Quick Bread

Yield: 1 loaf

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli)
1 large egg (at room temperature)
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup buttermilk (see notes)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cinnamon Swirl:
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup granulated sugar

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius). Line a 9×5 loaf pan with parchment paper (with an overhang on the sides) and lightly spray with non-stick spray.

2. Make the cinnamon swirl: in a small bowl combine the cinnamon and sugar and set aside.

3. Make the quick bread: In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and chocolate chips and stir with a wooden spoon. Set aside.

4. In a medium bowl, add the egg, brown sugar and granulated sugar and whisk until combined., making sure there are no brown sugar lumps. Using a handheld or stand mixer, add the buttermilk, oil and vanilla and mix on low speed. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until there are no lumps. Do not overmix, which will result in a tough bread.

5. Pour half of the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Top evenly with 3/4 of the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Pour the remaining batter on top and sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon-sugar. Add a few extra chocolate chips on top if desired.

6. Cover the pan loosely with aluminium foil and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. My bread took 55 minutes exactly. Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the bread. If it comes out clean, the bread is done. Allow to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack and carefully lift out using the overhanging parchment paper. Cut into slices.

   Notes: 1. Buttermilk is one of the main reasons this bread is so moist. If you don’t have buttermilk you can make your own by putting 1 tablespoon of white vinegar in measuring cup, then adding enough milk until you reach 1 cup. Stir, and let sit for 10 minutes, then it’s ready to use. 2. Store bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the bread for up to 2 months.

   *Recipe adapted from sallysbakingaddiction.com