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

Author: Pinch of Yum, recipe from Jakky

Serves: 2 small loaves

Ingredients

• 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.














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!