Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Making bread makes me happy!  I like all sorts of bread - when I was little I used to eat Cinnamon Swirl Raisin bread all the time.  Recently I have been on a peasant bread kick but today I was in the mood for a sweet bread.  Thus the Cinnamon Swirl Bread was rising as of 9am this morning!

The recipe is simple - in bread terms - and yields a very yummy tasting loaf!  

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

• 2 1/4 t Yeast
• 3 1/2 c Flour
• 1/2 c Boiling Water
• 3/4 c Cool Water
• 2 T Oil
• 2 T Honey
• 3/4 t Salt
• 1 Egg White
• 1/2 c Sugar
• 1 T Cinnamon
• Butter for the Pan
• Extra Oil

1. Combine the flour and yeast in a bowl.  
2. Combine the boiling water and cool water.  Add the water, honey, oil and salt to the flour and yeast.  Mix with a dough hook until a dough ball is formed - you can add up to 1/2 c more flour if needed.
3. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and knead gently until the dough is elastic.  Return the dough ball to the lightly oiled bowl.  Roll the dough around in the bowl to coat the dough.  
4. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm dry spot to rise.*
5. Allow the dough to rise until it has doubled in size (about an hour).
6. Prepare your loaf pan by buttering and set aside.
7. Preheat the oven to 350 F
8. Once the dough has risen, turn it out on a slightly floured surface and roll out into a rectangle roughly the width of the loaf pan.
9. Mix together the egg white, sugar and cinnamon.  Spread the mixture on the dough rectangle evenly.
10. Roll the dough and pinch the seams and place the roll into the buttered pan, seam side down.
11. Cover the loaf pan with a clean towel and allow to rise again for 30 minutes.
12. Bake the loaf for 25-35 minutes until golden brown.  
13. When you remove the bread from the oven, set the pan on it's side for a few minutes until you can transfer the loaf to a cooling rack.
14. ENJOY!!!

This recipe makes a fairly large loaf that I was perfectly able to cut into 20 slices making each slice about 110-115 calories.  The bread is VERY YUMMY!!  Try it and let me know your thoughts!  I am thinking I want to turn mine into french toast!!!

Update:  This bread makes GREAT french toast.  I am a french toast girl, I will always pick it over waffles or pancakes.  Nothing beats homemade french toast with a touch of butter and some maple syrup!  This morning I made cinnamon swirl bread french toast - no butter or syrup needed.  We ate it right out of the pan as is and boy was it scrumptious!  If you make the bread and are a fan of french toast be sure to whip up a batch, you won't be disappointed!