Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Breakfast Baking: Cinnamon Swirl Bread

The abominable weather in the Northeast is really derailing my sewing posts - it's been impossible to photograph anything. My blue welt pocket trousers are finished, and the Craft Lounge is currently covered in a light layer of fluff from the ongoing construction of my faux fur cape. But you'll have to settle for more baking on this frigid day.

Without realizing it, I seem to have shifted the focus of my baking from dessert to breakfast this month.  I suppose it's because of my previously mentioned recuperation from holiday indulgences. Whatever the case, I'm really enjoying breakfast lately.

One of my goals is to become a better bread baker. I'm fine, just not proficient. I just don't have a long enough bread baking history to have experience on my side. So, when I was thinking about another tasty, somewhat sweet but not extravagant breakfast item to bake, I landed on Cinnamon Swirl Bread.




Naturally, I turned to King Arthur Flour. This recipe is one that also appears in their Baker's Companion Cookbook, which is my go-to cookbook for baking.

This is a yeast raised bread, and the blocks of time when you are letting the dough rise, rise again, bake and cool are perfect for sewing. And, oh my gosh, I don't think the house has ever smelled quite as amazing as when this was in the oven. Cinnamon overload! 

The very helpful thing that I learned about bread with this loaf is about doneness. Most yeast risen loaves are done when the internal temperature reaches 190F. I like tricks that eliminate guess work.


Cinnamon swirls!


Look at how swirly it came out! I'm really happy with how it looks and tastes. Toasted with a little butter or served with a schmear of peanut butter or nutella, this bread is exactly what I wanted. It's delicious and not terribly sweet, but still feels like a treat. My only change to future loaves may be to add some raisins to the dough instead of just to the swirl.

Do you multitask when you have a whole day free to sew, bake or whatever other hobbies you enjoy?

7 comments:

Clio said...

when I have a what? to what? I multitask constantly- which is why yoga classes are so crucial to my sanity. 'you have nowhere to go and nothing to do. breathe in. breathe out.' But man, that bread looks delish. well done! stay warm!

Clio said...

Ha. Yeah, I guess I should have said "if" instead of "when". I forget that my life/career is organized in intense bursts of busyness followed by lulls. yoga does wonders - I love my practice.

Clio said...

Ok that's it. I'm making that this weekend. How yum does that look - how could I resist.

Clio said...

It looks lovely. Alas, I am following the Wheat Belly way of eating now, so no more bread for me. The great part is my joint pain is greatly reduced in only 6 days. I think it just might be worth it,

Clio said...

Mmm yum. I can smell that cinnamon goodness! A whole day free to indulge in hobbies? If I did it would be a mix of baking and sewing. In real life it's a mix of chores and sewing

Clio said...

Mmmm, cinnamon. The swirl is so pretty!

Clio said...

I am on a similar diet (AIP/Autoimmune Protocol) right now and have also found much reduction in joint and back pain. I have been gluten free for almost 2 years - the first month of no bread is really hard, but it gets easier. I have only been AIP a few weeks so far, and now I feel like I am spending all my time cooking and not sewing...