CINNAMON WHITE BREAD

Photography by Michael Long

Have you ever looked at the booklets that come with new kitchen equipment,  Like a mixer.  That kind of thing.  Usually all I do is glance through it to see which knob does what.  And that's about it.  I glanced at the recipe section a little bit sometimes.  Now I've had my mixer for a bunch of years.  And it grinds etc.  Makes funny noises.  " the grand kids say I make funny noises too!"   But anyway,  I started using their bread recipe from the manual.  And I'll say it makes great bread.  I've seen a bunch of recipes from some of the manuals,  And most of them are pretty bad.  But this bread recipe really works well.  And you can make Cinnamon bread with it or white bread, or wheat or what ever.  All you have to do is change a few things and POOF!  It's a done deal. 

So I take the basic white bread recipe and added cinnamon, Splenda white, and some Splenda brown sugar sub. to it and it came out great.  Ok, it doesn't look as pretty as the stuff you buy at the store,  But you know what went into the one your making from scratch.  

So I present you with the Kitchen Aid Basic Bread Recipe: 

Ingredients:

• Half a cup of low-fat milk 
• 3 Tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 3 Tablespoons of butter 
• 2 packs of Active Dry Yeast
• 1.5 cups warm water (105-115)F. 
• 5-6 cups AP flour

 Directions:

1.  Put milk, sugar, salt, and butter in a small saucepan.  Heat over low heat until butter melts and the sugar dissolves.  Then sent this aside to cool to lukewarm.
2. Dissolve the yeast in warm water in a warmed mixing bowl.  This makes your yeast work.  But if you go above the 105-115 temp, you'll kill the yeast.  Add the milk mix to the bowl. And start the machine to slow,  Oh you will need a dough hook for making this bread,  (Sorry! I forgot to tell you this) But anyway, Start the machine on slow, and start adding the flour to the bowl.  Now don't be dumping the whole 5 cups at once, or your going to have a mess.  I mean that stuff will go everywhere.  Even in places that should never be flour.  Believe me, Flour is a mess to clean up.  Let this stuff mix until the dough starts coming off the walls of the bowl.  If it is still clinging to the sides some add a little more flour.  That's an easy fix.   
3. You want your dough to be a little sticky, smooth and elastic.  
4. Now find the biggest bowl you have with high sides.  Such as ceramic bowl.  Put some oil in the bottom.  Not a lot but enough to cover the bottom and a little up the sides.  
5. Now take your mixer bowl and dump the dough in the bowl you just oiled up.  Then take the dough in the bowl and turn it around a few times, and then flip it over in the bowl.  Take that bowl, and either us plastic wrap or a dish towel and cover that puppy up.  Put that bowl somewhere out of drafts, away from heat and cold.  A good place is in the microwave.  Works great.  
6. Go to frig and get one beer.  Set the timer for 1 hour, and go set in front of the TV or computer or whatever.  What's going to happen to your dough it's going to at least double in size within that hour. 
7. After you had your beer, and the hour is up.  Take the plastic wrap off the bowl or dish towel and ram your fist into the dough.  Cool huh! and then dump your dough out on the counter or dough board and shape the dough into a loaf. Note: THIS RECIPE MAKES TWO (2) LOAVES OF BREAD. So your going to have to divide the dough in half. If your just making plan old white bread, just shape your dough to fit in the loaf pan and it's done other than the other stuff you have to do.   But if your making Cinnamon bread, You need to roll out the dough so you can add the good stuff.  Note:  rolling out the dough is something like trying to push a rope.  But it will roll out.  You want the dough to be a little over the length of the pan your going to bake in.  And the length to be what ever you can get.  But leave the dough about a half in or less in thickness.  
8. Then take cinnamon about a half cup and a half cup of Spenda brown and white, and mix all that together, and set that aside and take some melted butter and brush the dough.  Now take the cinnamon mix and spread that over the butter.  
9. Roll that dough up as tight as you can and shape it as you go till you have a log thing.  Place that into the Pam Sprayed baking dish or bread/loaf pan and let it rise again.
10. Go get another beer, and wait another hour for that to rise.  Just put a dish towel over the dough this time, because that thing is going to rise up way above the loaf pan.  When it has doubled in size or an hour or so has passed,  
11. Time to put that puppy in the oven.  Have the oven preheated to 400F and set your timer for 30 minutes.  I did say to put the rack in the middle of the oven!!! 

Another Photo by Michael Long

When your bread is done,  pull that puppy out of the oven and take a knife and run around the outside of the loaf and flip pan and all over so the bread falls out.  Set the bread upright and put on a cooling rack.  

That's all there is too it,  And another fact is if your a guy,  Women love this bread.  You will make points like crazy.  I've got these ladies here at that trailer park just knocking on my door all the time.