Cinnamon Bread (or Rolls, or Pockets)

Cinnamon Bread (or Regular Rolls or Cinnamon Rolls or Pockets)

- 1/2 C. butter
- 1/2 C. sugar
- 1 Tbsp (packet) of Yeast in 1 C. lukewarm water
            Make sure the water is hot enough, should be fairly warm to your wrist.  The yeast will
            change the water to a tan-ish color if it dissolves properly.  Wendy puts the yeast in the
            measuring cup first, seems to help activate it.
- 2 eggs - best if they are at room temperature, so they don't kill the yeast- and make sure to add
            them after you've stirred the yeast water into the sugar and butter.)
- 4 C. bread flour (+1/2 C. to knead)  King Arthur's seems to be the better brand, if you can
            find it- it raises better than the other one.
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 C. brown sugar (roughly)
- 3 Tbsp. cinnamon (yes, its a lot)

Mix butter and sugar, then add eggs. 

Add dissolved yeast and stir in as well as you can- it is OK that the mixture has weird buttery things in it. 

Add flour and salt and stir with the spatula until it looks about right.

Add about 1/2 C. of extra flour to your counter and knead the dough into a ball, probably 30-40 times, folding it in on top of itself, so it is always sort of a ball shape.  The dough should be sort of stiff, not like cookie dough.

Add some flour to the bottom of the pan (so it doesn't stick) and let it rise for about an hour, or use the "proofing oven" trick below.

After it has doubled in size, then roll it in ONE direction into a rectangular shape.  You only need to roll one direction because as soon as you start rolling, it is the right width for a bread pan.  After you have the shape you like, flip it over one last time, so the more floured side is on top.

For cinnamon rolls or bread, roll out dough, brush lightly with water making a good paste (with the flour that is already on the bread) and then combine brown sugar and cinnamon.  Rub mixture into dough before rolling up to form loaf. Most of it should rub in to the bread and sort of stick to it- you don't want too much extra.

As you roll the dough, pull it before rolling so that it makes a nice, tight spiral when you cut it later on.  Use a little bit of water to "glue" the edges shut as well, and then put it in the pan with the edge side down.  

After you place it in a greased bread pan, let it rise for another hour. 

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes (rolls) or 30 minutes (bread).


Proofing Oven Trick:
Preheat oven to 350, then turn it off a minute or so before it reaches it.  Super important that the heating element is OFF.  Boil about 2 C. of water in the microwave (3 minutes in a glass Pyrex is my recommendation) and then place an 8x8 pan on the bottom shelf of your oven.  Pour the boiling water in (you can actually grab the handle, its not hot!) through the oven grates if you need to, and then place the dough (also in a glass pan, not metal) into the oven on the shelf above it.  The moisture from the boiling water should add steam, and the warm oven should help the bread to rise faster.  In the winter months, it might take a little longer than normal.

Makes 24 rolls, 12 cinnamon rolls or 2 loaves of bread.