Cinnamon Swirl Bread

​I think if I had to pick a favorite spice (Is it weird that I have a favorite spice?) it would be cinnamon.  I just love the warm, spicy smell of cinnamon.  Especially when it's oozing from a loaf of fluffy white bread.  Cinnamon rolls and cinnamon bread - forget it - resistance is futile.  I don't make cinnamon rolls or bread for breakfast very often because most recipes take a minimum of 2 hours of rising time.  (Oh yea, and because I would eat them ALL.)  I ran across this recipe from Pinch of yum and it has only 1 rising time instead of 2 which means that I can make them in just under an hour and a half.  (Totally doable on a Saturday morning.)  I better start working out twice a day if I'm going to be eating this every weekend. 

Homemade Cinnamon Swirl Bread
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup warm water
2½ teaspoons yeast
2½ cups high gluten bread flour (add extra as needed)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons cinnamon
½ cup white sugar

Mix the sugar with the warm water in a very large bowl. Add the yeast and do not stir. Let it sit until creamy, about 5 minutes.

Add the oil, salt, and flour. Mix, adding more flour as necessary until the dough forms a large, soft ball. Knead the bread for 5-10 minutes.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and brush the top with a little extra oil (I typically just use olive oil for this).

Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 hour. It should be very puffy.

​Divide the dough in half and punch it down.

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​Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll each half into a large rectangle. For more tight rolls in the bread, roll the dough thinner. For thicker softer rolls in the bread, roll thicker.

​It’s up to you and it tastes great either way. Mix the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl and sprinkle over each loaf. Be generous.

​​Roll up the loaves tightly and let rest for a few minutes before putting in the oven.

Bake on a cookie sheet or baking stone for 30 minutes, or until it sounds hollow. 

​Slice diagonally and eat plain,

toasted or french toasted.

​The general conciseness was that this bread is perfectly french toastable.  We all really enjoyed the warm gooey, cinnamony, buttery french toast. (Not so sure cinammony is a word but lets just go with it.)

Ciao!

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