Christmas Cinnamon Bread Recipe

By James Maddock

Published 03/06/2011

There are few things in cooking that are as satisfying as baking your own bread. It takes a fair amount of practice to be proficient in bread making - I spent years trying before I found a technique of kneading that more often than not results in a well-risen loaf. Once I had mastered the normal white loaf I was keen to try different breads. I was given this recipe by my grandmother and ever since I have made it at Christmas. I love the smell of cinnamon and it really helps lend a Christmasy feel to the house. For me Christmas begins when I have made my first cinnamon bread of the year.

Ingredients

• 1lb strong soft grain white flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons porridge oats
• 1 sachet quick action yeast
• warm water
• 2 tablespoons softened butter (reserve a little butter for brushing bread before baking)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Method

• To begin put the flour, the sugar, the salt, the porridge oats and the yeast into a suitable mixing bowl (see picture 1).
• Next add enough warm water to make a soft dough (see picture 2). Just add a little water at a time until the dough has come together (see picture 3). If you add too much water you can add more flour to dry the mixture out but try to avoid this if possible.
• Knead the dough on a floured board. This is the most important part of the process - you really do want to spend enough time working the dough because the more you work it the more elastic it will become and thus the better rise you will get. If you knead it for ten minutes that should be enough.
• When the dough feels smooth and elastic, roll it into a rectangle (see picture 4).
• In a bowl mix together the butter, sugar and ground cinnamon until you get a spreadable paste.
• Then spread the dough with the butter mixture, leaving a little gap from the edges (see picture 5).
• The final stage is to roll the dough into a tube shape (see picture 6). Seal the edges with a bit of water. I usually shape the bread into an 's' shape but it could be left straight as well..
• Brush the dough with the remaining butter and place onto a greased baking tray(see picture 7) .
• Find a warm place for the bread to rise - hopefully it will double in size!
• Bake in a preheated oven 190 degrees C. for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Prep Time: 120 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 1 loaf