The idea of homemade bread makes most people smile.  Unfortunately, the thought of having to do it yourself is enough to make you cringe.  I know, it’s not a quick process, but the results are definitely worth it!  Over the weekend I was up early with some extra time on my hands – the result: two warm, delicious loaves of cinnamon bread.  This bread also tastes great when you add 1 cup of raisins or currants to the filling.

Makes 2 loaves

Ingredients

Bread:

ready to roll

• 5 to 5  1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 packages of active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 extra-large eggs

Filling:

• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons melted butter

In a large mixer bowl, combine 2  1/2 cups flour, yeast, sugar and salt, mix well. On the stove, heat milk, water and butter to 120°F - 130°F (butter may not melt completely, which is fine).  Add these wet ingredients and the eggs to the flour mixture.  Mix at low speed until moistened; increase speed to medium and beat for 3 minutes.  By hand, gradually stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a firm dough.  Knead on a floured surface until smooth and elastic, 5 to 8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning to grease top of dough.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until light and doubled, about 1 hour.

To prepare the filling, simply mix the sugar and cinnamon and set aside.  This is also a good time to grease and line two 9″ x 5″ bread pans with parchment paper.

Once the dough has doubled, punch it down and divide into 2 parts.  On a lightly floured surface, roll or pat each half to a 14″ x 7″ rectangle.  Brush with 1 tablespoon of melted butter to within 1″ of the edges; sprinkle half of the cinnamon mixture over the buttered dough.  Starting with the shorter side, roll up tightly pressing dough into roll with each turn.  Pinch the edges and ends to seal.

Cover the bread again and let rise in a warm place until an indentation remains after lightly touching the side of the loaf, about 45 minutes.  Bake at 350°F for 40-45 minutes until golden brown.  Remove from pans immediately and allow to cool.