Cinnamon Bread

Description:
My husband loves cinnamon bread, but without the raisins. Its not always easy to find good cinnamon bread without raisins in stores and bakeries, so this weekend I decided to make him one from scratch. It came out very yummy!

Ingredients:
1 packet of yeast (I used Bob's Red Mill brand) or 2 t dry yeast
3 1/2 to 4 C of flour
1 C milk
1/4 C butter
1/4 C sugar (white)
1 t salt
1 egg

1/4 C brown sugar
2 t cinnamon

Directions:
Mix the yeast with 1 1/2 C of flour in a large mixing bowl

Place the milk, butter, sugar and salt into a small stove top pan and warm gently, stirring to melt the butter. Heat this mixture to 115-120 degrees.

Mix together the warm milk mixture with the flour/yeast mixture and add in the egg. Allow the mixture to sit and rest for 15 minutes.

Next add in the rest of the flour and knead to make a soft dough, adding flour as needed, just to make the dough not sticky. When I use my kitchenaid mixer with the dough hook, I add flour until I see the dough pull away from the sides of the bowl and ball up around the dough hook. Knead for about 5 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic.

Move the dough to a lightly greased bowl and loosely cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise for one hour or until doubled.

Punch down the down and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.

Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon.

Press out the dough to 15 X 7 inch rectangle. Brush the dough lightly with water. Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon over the dough.

Roll up the dough, jelly roll style and pinch the end seam closed. Place the dough into a greased loaf pan and allow to rise for 35-45 minutes in a warm place, loosely covered.

Preheat oven to 375

Sprinkle the top of the bread with more cinnamon sugar if you like and bake for 35-40 minutes, covering the top of the bread with foil the last 15 minutes of baking.

If you like, ice the bread after it cools a bit. Mix together 1/2 C powdered sugar with 1/4 t vanilla, 2 T milk. Drizzle over the warm bread.