Homemade Cinnamon Bread

I can’t believe I’m going to confess this, but when I was in graduate school I used to reward my good grades with store bought cinnamon bread (without raisins) Ha! Thinking back on this makes me laugh and even funnier is that when I was talking to my little kitchen helper about our 4 year Make & Taste blog anniversary he suggested Homemade Cinnamon Bread to be the feature recipe. How could I say “no”.

Happy 4 year Make & Taste Anniversary!

It’s hard to believe that four years ago I clicked publish to my first post on Make & Taste, and now I’m here writing my 260th post. Today also marks the opening day of pick-your-own season here in CT and it was the first experience there with my son and I that sparked the idea for this blog. I love that his first instinct now is, “let’s make it” vs “can we buy …” He has also tried his hand at food photography along the way. When we started he was home with me full time then half-days once he entered preschool. We had the whole day to fill with playing and baking. Now that he is school age, baking time has moved to the weekends. Hopefully this summer will be filled with more recipe adventures.

Let’s Celebrate!

Homemade Cinnamon Bread (without raisins :)) was a great idea to celebrate our four years of recipe baking, memory making and continuing family traditions. This single loaf recipe can be accomplished within a day and will fill your home with the sweet smell of cinnamon. I found this recipe on Sally’s Baking Addiction and it’s pretty amazing. This is now my go-to cinnamon bread recipe. I have the list of ingredients you will need and the schedule we follow along the way. See below for ingredient amounts.

Here is the break down of our baking schedule.
Step 1: 5 Minutes (blooming the yeast)
Step 2: 5 Minutes (cut in butter, add flour and salt and mix until it pulls away from the bowl and smooth)

Step 3: 1-2 hours (Place the ball of dough into a greased dish and allow it to proof until it doubles in size) We use a proofing box to ensure the correct environment. I have linked the one I’m using but research the one best for you and your kitchen needs. You could also place it in your oven.

Step 4: 5 Minutes (Degas the dough and roll it out to 9×18″) Add the cinnamon and sugar to the rolled out dough and leave a 1″ border. Roll the dough and add it to the greased loaf pan. Note: I add a piece of blue painters tape and mark the 9×18″ for both my kitchen helper and I can keep track of our rolling.
Step 5: 1 Hour (Proof rolled loaf in the pan for 1 hour) Preheat oven to 350° degrees, place rack to the lower part of the oven, butter the top of the loaf before baking for 35-45 minutes. The golden brown color is what you are looking for.

Allow the bread to cool a bit before cutting the first slice. We couldn’t wait to dive in. Look at all those swirls!! Thank you for celebrating with us and coming along for this delicious ride.