CINNAMON CHESTNUT SWIRL BREAD

If this specific semi-conscious portion of my brain that has been misbehaving since my return from outer space could be accessed by means of a Welcome10 (or if I hadn't said no to fun and hacking tutorials), I would no doubt log in and schedule one of those universally dreaded Outlook-style reminder windows to pop up in my head, accompanied by a force-twelve ear-splitting alarm bell and re-occurring until further notice, to read in monster font size: YOU ARE IN CANADA NO MORE; as behaviours such as spending evenings in basements attempting to scan aerial shots of Vancouver in life size, travelling North of the river (!) to acquire pumpkin spice latte and sweet potatoes and pumpkin miso soup, purchasing maple water and pumpkin beer, trying to replicate recipes of every single food item I consumed during my nine-day Canada trip, pouring half a liter of maple syrup into my maple tea that I will exclusively drink out of my Vancouver mug, unconsciously adopting the American spelling, being upset about the availability of Jamaican cream soda only (it’s not the same. Not the same), and starting the overwhelming majority of my conversation exchanges with overexcited when-I-was-in-Canada’s cannot be deemed appropriate or well judged.

One day, I’m sure, I will finally come to terms with the actuality that all is left of my trip is an inhuman amount of tea, a still very spotty face, and photos with one light leak too many; and in fact, you’ll be relieved to know that I have already been working on re-directing these escapist tendencies of mine to 1. fictional worlds, going on solitary day trips to admire Victorian stone sculptures of extinct animals as it would make a very adventurous chapter in an imaginary book that would have the coolest cover and would be titled ‘Amongst The Dinosaurs of Crystal Palace’; and for the sake of sanity and social acceptance 2. other places on this very planet, booking stupidly expensive flights to Italy and going on a Chinese mooncake ingredient hunt, being mistaken for a Swede (and taking it as a compliment and appreciating the importance of capitalisation), working on the perfect vegan Yorskhire parkin for Bonfire Night, and last but not least seeking baking inspiration in Australian food magazines (which I was given in Canada but don’t tell anyone). And it is the latter, ladies and gentlemen, that brings me here today with a recipe for the best sticky fluffy swirly cinnamony tea-time bread with the creamiest chestnut and walnut filling (and only a negligible amount of maple syrup, leave me alone) you can possibly find this side of the pond or the other.

I’ll let you know how I get on with my pursuit of a cure for Canada-lessness (or hacking lessons, and mental health), but for right now rest assured that I’ll be all content with my delicious swirly bread, because who wouldn’t be, eh?

CINNAMON CHESTNUT SWIRL BREAD

120ml (1/2 cup) lukewarm soya milk or other non-dairy milk

1¼ teaspoon active yeast

3 tablespoons sugar

120g (1 cup) plain flour

120g (1 cup) wholemeal flour

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons sunflower oil or other flavourless oil

Filling:

250g (8.8oz) chestnut spread

40g (1/2 cup) porridge oats

60g (1/2 cup) walnuts

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon sunflower oil or other flavourless oil

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix lukewarm milk, sugar and yeast together in a bowl and let sit for 5 minutes or until it bubbles up. In a separate bowl, combine flours and cinnamon, then add oil and the yeast mixture, bringing it all together into a dough. Knead on a lightly floured surface for about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover and let rise for an hour or until doubled in size.

In the meantime, prepare the filling blitzing oats, walnuts, maple syrup, oil and cinnamon in a blender until combined, and lightly grease a 22cm/9” cake tin.

Once the dough has doubled in size, roll it out into a thin rectangle of about 25x35cm/10x14”. Spoon the chestnut spread evenly onto the dough, then sprinkle the walnut mixture over the dough. Starting from the long end, roll the dough up into a log, then pinch both ends to seal it. Place into the prepared tin joining the ends together. Using a pair of scissors, make small cuts all around the top and brush with soya milk. Cover and let rise for another hour or until doubled in size.

Bake in a preheated oven at 175°C/350°F for about 40 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Place on a cooling rack, brush with maple syrup, and wrap it up for your excursion to the land of dinosaurs.