Cream Cheese Swirl Bread

This week the Dorie pick was the Raisin swirl bread. I have been looking at this recipe since I bought the book, I knew I wanted to make some changes. Aaron and I had cream cheese bread on our honeymoon and it was awesome. I keep looking for recipes for it, but I haven't found anything. When I saw this recipe I started thinking I just can just leave out the sweet stuff and replace it with the cream cheese. I'm glad I did:)

It is really good, but still not like what we had on the honeymoon. I will just keep trying. The recipe below is the Dorie recipe and what's in red is what I did.

For the Bread
1 packet active dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar, plus a pinch more
1 1/4 cups just barely warm while milk
1/2 stick butter, softened to room temperature
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest of 1/2 orange (did not add)
Pinch of nutmeg (did not add)
3 3/4 to 4 cups flour

For the filling (this is what I just replaced with 2 Cream Cheese 8 oz packages)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons cocoa powder (unsweetened)
1 cup moist raisins (steamed and dried if necessary)
3 tablespoons butter softened so it's spreadable.

Put the yeast in a small bowl, add a pinch of sugar and 1/4 cup of the warm milk, stir it together and let it rest for 3 minutes. It should soften.

In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, combine the rest of the 1 cup milk, the butter and the 1/4 cup sugar. Mix on low speed until combine, then add the salt, egg, vanilla, zest and nutmet and continue to stir on low for another minute. Add the yeast mixture and stir for one minute more.

With the mixer off, add 2 3/4 cups flour and begin mixing again on low speed until the flour is just worked in. Switch to the dough hook and with the mixer on speed setting 2 beat the dough for a few minutes. The dough should begin coming together off the sides of the bowl. If it doesn't add up to 1/4 cup flour on tablespoon at a time until it does. Kneed the dough for 3 minutes more until it is smooth and shiny. The dough should be very soft.

In a large buttered bowl, turn out the dough and cover tightly with cling wrap. In a warm place, allow the dough to double in size, about 1 1/2 hours. Once fully risen, turn the dough out onto a large piece of cling wrap and either refrigerate overnight,
or freeze for 30 minutes.

For the filling: Combine the sugar cinnamon and cocoa powder. Remove your dough from the refrigerator/freezer and on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to a 12/18 inch rectangle. Using your fingers, spread the butter on the bread, then sprinkle with the cinnamon/sugar mixture and finally spread the raisins in an even layer.

Butter a 9x5" loaf pan. (I did not use loaf pan) Roll the dough snugly, beginning with a short end. Place the dough seam-side down in the loaf pan and tuck the ends under. Cover with a sheet of parchment or wax paper, put in a warm place and allow to rise for another 45 minutes or so.
Preheat the oven to 375. Once the dough is risen, brush the final tablespoon of melted butter over the top, place on a baking sheet and put on the center rack in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, then place a piece of tinfoil over the loaf and continue to bake for about another 25 minutes.
Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack and bring to room temperature.

I think next time I will use more cream cheese. The bread as it cooked soaked up some of the cream cheese, but the bread is very moist.