The best cinnamon bread ever! White pillowy bread, filled with cinnamon sugar, and topped with sweet cinnamon butter.
Ingredients
1 tablespoonplus 1 teaspoon yeast, I use SAF or "Instant" yeast
2cupswarm water, at least 100, not more than about 120 degrees
4tablespoonssugar, divided
2cupsmilk (whole is best)
5tablespoonsunsalted butter, soft
1tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt
8-10cupsflour, approximately*
Filling for cinnamon swirl bread and cinnamon butter:
1cupgranulated sugar
1/2cupbrown sugar (light or dark)
3tablespoonscinnamon
Sweet Cinnamon Butter:
1cupunsalted butter, room temperature
1/2cupleftover sugar and cinnamon filling from bread
Instructions
Sprinkle yeast over 2 cups warm water in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add 1 tablespoon sugar. Set aside.
Warm 2 cups of milk in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir in 5 tablespoons butter, remaining 3 tablespoons sugar and salt. Stir until the butter melts. Remove from the heat and cool to lukewarm.
Add 6 cups of flour to the bowl containing yeast and water. Mix on low. Add warm milk and butter mixture. Add flour, one cup at a time, until dough is no longer sticky. Switch to dough hook, or if making by hand in bowl, knead, until smooth and satiny.
Place dough in an oiled bowl and cover with small towel. Place bowl in warm spot. Let rise until doubled in bulk or about 1 hour.
After one hour, punch down dough and fold a few times onto itself. Turn the dough upside down so the bottom of dough is now on the top of the bowl and let rise again until dough is raised almost double, about 30-60 minutes,
Grease three 4 1/2 by 8 1/2 inch pans generously with butter or cooking spray.
Divide dough into three pieces. Roll out into 3 rectangles, approximately 8x10 inches each. Spread each rectangle with cinnamon sugar mixture (about 1/3 cup of sugar mixture per loaf). You should have about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the sugar mixture left over to make the cinnamon butter. Roll each piece of dough starting at short end, tucking ends under when placing in pan.
Brush the loaves with a beaten egg (optional) and sprinkle with sugar if desired.
Let rise again, about 30-45 minutes . Preheat oven while dough is rising in pans.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and pans and let cool on a wire rack.
Sweet Cinnamon Butter: Mix softened butter and 1/2 cup cinnamon sugar mixture together in medium size bowl. Spoon into crock and serve at room temperature with bread.
Notes
This recipe may be made with all-purpose and/or bread flour. Either type or a combination work! If using all bread flour, usually only 8-9 cups of flour total are needed.
When adding the warmed milk mixture to the water/yeast mixture, make sure the milk is warm and not hot. If the milk is hot, it will kill the yeast and the bread will not rise. This is an extremely important step.
For the top of bread, if sprinkling with sugar, use granulated sugar not coarse sugar for best results while baking. The coarse sugar tens to burn more easily.
This bread is wonderful sliced thick, toasted, or used for French toast the next day. The dough also works well for cinnamon rolls!