The Dessert Menu: Cinnamon Bread

inspired by my childhood favorite: Greenlee's Bakery Cinnamon Bread

You’re receiving this edition of The Dessert Menu one week late because this Cinnamon Bread was actually supposed to be Cinnamon Rolls.

Here’s what happened:

Everything was drafted and ready to be sent out, but I wanted to refine the Cinnamon Roll recipe (I also still needed to photograph, film, and post a corresponding video to ensure there was a ‘video demo’). Despite my best efforts, every attempt fell short.

Trial #1
I tried to make a batch of just two cinnamon rolls. They were far too complicated to make (they’d require halving an egg, which, in my opinion, felt wasteful).

Trial #2
I burnt the cinnamon rolls. I forgot about them while they baked in a convection oven (which is about 25ºF hotter than a standard oven). When I went to check on them, the tops were, let’s just say…extremely toasted.

Trial #3
The dough didn’t bake as expected after refrigerating overnight. While they tasted delicious, they looked sad.

While nibbling on the burnt cinnamon rolls from the second trial, a memory hit me: this Cinnamon Challah (by Semifreddi’s) my mom used to buy when I was younger. When she wasn’t using it to make French toast, I’d cut up a thick slice, place it in the toaster, toast until golden brown, and spread a thin layer of butter on top. It was delicious.

Then I remembered its rival (in our house): Greenlee’s Cinnamon Bread. Its bottom was glazed with a thin layer of icing and topped with a salty, crumbly streusel, and the crevices were filled with cinnamon sugar. It was my dream cinnamon bread.

We’d switch off the weeks in which we’d get Semifreddi’s Cinnamon Challah and Greenlee’s Bakery Cinnamon Bread. My brother and I loved Greenlee’s, while my parents preferred the Semifreddi’s.

But when I went to college, I stopped eating them since they were both only available locally. Yet, in the midst of my failing cinnamon roll saga, memories of the two cinnamon breads that once filled my life came rushing back and I was inspired to recreate my all-time favorite: Greenlee’s Bakery Cinnamon Bread.

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CINNAMON BREAD

Makes 1 Loaf | Prep Time: 2 ½ hours | Cook Time: 30 minutes

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Printable Recipe

Cinnamon Bread

119KB ∙ PDF file

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@zoebarriesodetook me 3 tries but was worth it 🙂 #cinnamon #bread #baking

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Ingredients

Dough

• ⅓ cup (80 g) Water, warmed (100ºF-105ºF)

• 3 Tbsp (30 g) + a pinch of White Cane Sugar

• 1 ¼ tsp (4 g) Active Dry Yeast

• 1 Egg

• ¼ cup (45 g) Canola Oil

• 2 cups (275 g) Flour 

• ½ tsp Kosher Salt

Cinnamon Filling

• 4 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, softened

• 3 Tbsp White Cane Sugar

• 2 Tbsp Cinnamon

• Kosher Salt

Streusel Topping

• 2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, softened

• ¼ cup Flour

• 2 Tbsp White Cane Sugar

• ¼ tsp Kosher Salt

Icing

• ½ cup Powdered Sugar

• 1 Tbsp Milk (2% or Whole work fine)

• ½ tsp Vanilla Extract

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Instructions

Make Dough

1. In a large bowl, combine warm water, yeast, and a small pinch of sugar. Allow the mixture to sit for 3-5 minutes until the yeast shows proof of life (it will appear foamy on the top).

2. Add egg, oil, and 3 Tbsp of sugar; whisk until thoroughly combined. Stir in flour and salt; mix until a dough begins to form. Turn the dough out onto your counter and knead it for 8-10 minutes until soft, pliable, and smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and allow the dough to sit in a warm place until it slightly doubles in size (around 1 ½ hours).

Prepare Cinnamon Bread

1. Prepare the cinnamon filling in a small bowl: combine butter, sugar, cinnamon, and salt and mix until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

2. Transfer the dough to an empty kitchen counter and roll it out into an 8-in x 8-in square. Spread the cinnamon filling evenly over the dough. 

3. Fold the bottom half of the dough up–meeting the top–to create a rectangle. Fold the left side over to the right, creating a smaller square. Knead the dough 7-9 more times to incorporate the filling and create small nooks and crannies of cinnamon butter (photos below).

4. Shape the dough into a log and transfer it to a greased loaf pan*. Cover with a kitchen towel and allow the dough to rest for 25-30 minutes. 

5. In the meantime, prepare the streusel topping: combine butter, flour, sugar, and salt in a small mixing bowl. Mix until combined and small, pea-sized clumps of flour and butter remain. Set aside. 

*for a more cinnamon-flavored bread, lightly dust the greased loaf pan with ¾ to 1 tsp of cinnamon. 

Bake the Cinnamon Bread

1. Preheat your oven to 375ºF.

2. Uncover the cinnamon bread dough and top with the streusel topping. 

3. Bake for 28-30 minutes or until the center reaches 200ºF. 

4. Allow the bread to cool for 10-15 minutes.

5. In the meantime, prepare the icing: whisk powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract in a small bowl until smooth and glossy.

6. Place the cinnamon bread on a wire rack, streusel-side facing down, and evenly coat the bottom of the bread with the icing. Allow icing to harden before slicing.

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Instructional Photos

Spread Cinnamon Filling & Fold (before kneading one last time)

For Serving

• Slice and eat as is (fresh out of the oven)

• Slice and enjoy throughout the week (reheat for 8-10 seconds in the microwave or toast in a toaster oven until slightly crispy)

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You can watch me make it here.