I'm a cinnamon gal. No, I'm THE cinnamon gal. It is my favorite spice in the world! I love a dash of it in my vegan pancakes, a sprinkle of it in my coffee and a douse of it in my applesauce :) Our bakery's cinnamon bread would quickly sell out at the farmer's markets, and I think you'll see why. It is moist and light on the inside and has a topping reminiscent of a cinnamon crunch bagel from Panera. It's a great bread for something beyond typical breakfast or anytime with a cup of coffee or tea.
What You'll Need:
-Two 8x4" bread pans
-Rubber spatula
-Stand mixer with paddle attachment
-Mixing bowls
Dry Ingredients:
-2 cups flour
-1 Tbsp baking powder
-1 Tbsp cinnamon
-1/4 tsp salt
Wet Ingredients:
-1/4 cup shortening (or coconut oil)
-3/4 cup granulated sugar
-2 Tbsp cold water
-1 cup rice/soy milk
Topping:
-1/4 cup shortening (or coconut oil)
-1/3 cup sugar
-1 Tbsp cinnamon
-1 tsp water
Oven: 375°F, Time: 50-60 min.
Mix dry ingredients together in a medium bowl with a wire whisk and set aside.
Add wet ingredients shortening and sugar together in the stand mixer. Mix on high speed. Slowly add chilled water until all ingredients are fluffy and creamed.
**Tip: Creaming the fat and sugar together will add air to the bread, help it rise while baking and yield a light, moist consistency. If the fat is too warm, it will break down and release the air acquired during the creaming process. Make sure your water is cold! This will help keep the ingredients cool because heat is created from friction within the mixing bowl during the creaming process. How do you know it is perfectly creamed? It should be cool to the touch, grainy and stick to the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl evenly. It should also have ridges in it from the paddle attachment blending it and should be slightly sticky when scraped from the bowl with a rubber spatula.**
If you haven't already, scrape the sides and bottom of mixing bowl with a rubber spatula and turn the mixer on low. Begin alternating the dry ingredients into the mixer with the milk, allowing them a few seconds each time added in order to be incorporated slowly. When all the ingredients have been added, scrape the sides and bottom of mixing bowl and return to low setting for 30 seconds.
Grease and flour both bread pans. Divide batter evenly between both pans. In a small bowl, add topping ingredients and stir together with a fork. Spread evenly on top of the batter and place bread in the oven for 25 minutes. Once done, rotate loaves to opposite sides and turn them to face the opposite direction. This will ensure they bake evenly. Allow them to bake another 25 minutes.
How to test the bread: after 50 minutes of baking time, stick a toothpick in the middle of each loaf. If it comes out clean, the bread is done. If there is still batter on it, keep the bread in the oven and re-check with another toothpick every 2 minutes until it comes out clean.
Do not operate heavy machinery while consuming this bread. It deserves a moment of your time to savor, and you deserve to savor adding this sweetness to your life. Enjoy!