Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Some days I really feel like baking bread.  I love the process of taking some simple ingredients and turning it into something as spectacular as bread.  Really, bread making is a science experiment, and it is so fun to watch.  I love watching the yeast foam and bubble and when my bread actually rises and doubles in size I feel like I have truly accomplished something.  I also cannot think of a better smell to be wafting through my house.  I love to bake bread with my kids.  Mine are absolutely captivated by the whole process.

This bread is definitely not an everyday bread.  It is a white bread with a lot of butter and sugar.  In other words, divine.  It is a treat for sure.  This bread recipe has been sitting in a folder of things that I want to make for quite some time.  It was a yucky day outside and we needed a good activity to get us through a particularly challenging afternoon.  Bread baking is good for this.  It is interactive and takes time.  Will saw this recipe in the folder and requested it.  I was more than happy to oblige.

1 Tablespoon rapid rise yeast
3 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees)
2 Tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
2 Tablespoons honey
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons melted butter
1 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cinnamon

This recipe was adapted from Jaime at babble.com

I made my bread in the mixer but you can do this easily by hand, I am sure that you could adapt this for your bread machine as well.  In the bowl of the mixer with the dough hook attachment, mix together the yeast and flour.

Pour in the water, oil, honey, and salt.  I put it all together in a measuring cup and pour it in.

Mix the dough on low speed for about 10 minutes.

The dough will be smooth and elastic.  If your dough is really sticky, you can add up to one half cup of additional flour.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead by hand a few times.  Put the dough in a lightly oiled dough.  Cover with plastic wrap.

Put the dough in a warm place and let double in size.  Mine took about an hour.  If you poke your dough and it looks like the picture above, you are all good.

Flour your board and roll out your dough roughly the width of your loaf pan.

Using a pastry brush, brush the dough with the melted butter.  In a bowl, mix together the cinnamon and sugar.

Sprinkle the mixture on the buttered dough.

Roll up the dough and pinch the ends closed.

Put the dough in a lightly buttered loaf pan.  I butter it when I am buttering the dough.

Cover the loaf with a towel and let rise for 30 minutes or until it looks like this.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Turn the bread out of the pan, and let cool.  If you can let it cool before you cut it, more power to you.

As my youngest son would say, “yeah, baby!”

Cinnamon Swirl Bread is a big hit in this house.  I bet it will be in yours as well.  I cannot even imagine how amazing this bread would be for french toast or a bread pudding.  Hmmm….