I bake on occasion..when I have the time, the resources, the wits about me etc. Its a process right? Theres the corralling of the ingredients and the mixing and the proofing and the rising and the resting and the kneading and finally, good God finally theres the baking…followed by everyones favorite part which is the eating. As much as its a process I also view it as an odd sort of kitchen meditation. It can be so very different from cooking…baking transforms my space into this quiet, warm, sweet smelling cocoon whereas cooking breeds a circus (a fun circus mind you but chaos nonetheless). I need to bake more often…much much more often because damn does it make the house smell lovely and hell if theres anything better than hot bread fresh out of the oven.  

Speaking of which…I baked some Cinnamon Sweet Bread. This bread is like a cinnamon roll but better since its loaf form allows for slicing & toasting.  Pretty eh? Ill have it for breakfast if I dont end up eating it all tonight. Im sure one can add nuts, raisins, what have you to the mix. However, I like to think of myself as a purist so Ill stick with just the cinnamon straight up- besides fruit & nuts can potentially distract from the obscene amount of butter Ill be layering on and you know I cant have that.

Bread-

1 3/4 tsp dry active yeast

1 TBSP sugar

1/4 cup lukewarm water

4 cups bread flour

2 TBSP sugar

2 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 cups cool water

Spice mix-

4 TBSP sugar

3 tsp cinnamon

1 small pinch nutmeg

1. Grease a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan.

2. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast & sugar in the lukewarm water (water should be warm but not too hot so when tested on your wrist it shouldnt burn you). Set aside to proof (ahem, for newbies- “proofing” is the process of activating yeast by mixing it with liquid & sugar).

3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl mix the flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon together. Create a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the proofed yeast mixture + 1 cup of water. Mix with your hands until combined and add a little bit more water if your dough feels on the too dry side.

4. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and begin kneading. Knead for 1 to 2 minutes until there are no more dry bits and the flour is fully incorporated into the dough. Set aside and let rise for 5 minutes.

5. Wash out the bowl you used to combine your dry ingredients in. Dry it out really well and lightly oil it. 

6. After the dough is done resting, knead it for 5 more minutes or until its smooth, elastic and not sticky. If it is sticky- add a little bit more flour. Now form the dough into a ball and place it in the oiled bowl, swishing it around in there once to get the surface of the dough ball a little oiled as well. Cover it lightly with oiled plastic wrap and set it somewhere warm to rise for about 3 hours. 

7. When the dough is done rising it will have almost doubled and it will dent when you poke it instead of just springing back. 

8. Pour the dough ball out onto a lightly floured surface. Punch it down with your fist and press and stretch it into a 12 by 15 inch rectangle. Sprinkle the dough evenly with the spice mixture. Now, starting from the short side, roll the dough into a thick log. 

9. Place the dough log seam side down into the greased loaf pan, cover with oiled plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for an hour.

10. Preheat your oven to 425. Place the dough in the oven and use a spray bottle to mist the top of the loaf. Spray again in 2 minutes (this whole spraying bit gives the bread a nice crust). Bake for 10 minutes then turn the heat down to 375 and bake for another 20-25 minutes. If the top seems to be browning too quickly you can cover it lightly with aluminum foil. The bread is ready when the loaf is golden brown and has a hollow sound to it if you knock on the breads bottom. 

11. Remove the baked bread from the loaf pan and allow it to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.