Cinnamon Bread

Post no. 1. Oh the pressure. I wanted to make a type of bread for this special occasion. A cake might've been more appropriate, but I'll save it for later.

Norway is freezing cold at this time of year. It's down to 0 Fahrenheit....gosh, I think I might die soon. I get cold way too easily to live this far north... I end up wearing ten layers of clothes, at least, and waddling around the house grunting and complaining. Still, there are little things I enjoy, too. Like the fire crackling in the fireplace, and the snow glittering in the sun. It sounds like the perfect cliché, and it is, but at the same time it is beautiful. (I keep reminding myself of this when the temperatures drop to low..."you LIKE this, Merete. It is NICE, right?")
I believe all of you know the satisfaction of eating a piece of warm bread in the morning when it's too chilly outside. One should bake bread on cold mornings. I heeded this call; I decided on making a cinnamon bread. It is light and slightly sweet - perfect for a snack or afternoon coffee. Or breakfast. Or comfort food. What is more, the smell of bread in the oven is the best. Aaagghh, just thinking about it.

This cinnamon bread is a low fat bread. You can regulate the amount of sugar as well. I found 60 grams to be just perfect. It is definitely not sweet like a cinnamon bun, just sweet enough to work perfectly with black coffee.


1 packet of dry yeast
2.5 dl milk
60 grams sugar
375 grams flour
0.5 ts salt
30 grams butter

Sugar
Cinnamon
Egg/milk

Heat the milk to slightly above room temperature. It will cool down when pouring it into a bowl. Add the yeast and 1 teaspoon of the sugar into the milk and stir well. Let it stand for 10 minutes. The yeast is supposed to skim and you should see a reaction there. If not, the yeast is dead, and you need to start over.

Mix the flour, salt, and the rest of the sugar in another bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces and add it to the flour. Crumble it and mix well. Make a crater in the flour and pour the yeast&milk into the middle. Stir to a dough. Knead the dough. You might have to add a little more flour, but be careful or the bread will be too dense.

Rub some oil in a bowl and put the dough in it. Cover it with a moist towel and let it rise until it's twice as big.
When ready, take out the dough, knead it for a couple of minutes. Use a rolling pin and roll it out to a 20x40 cm square. Cover it with cinnamon and sugar. Roll it from the short side (so you'll have a 20 cm long roll).

Butter a baking tin for bread (one that's approximately 21x8 cm). Put in the bread. Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius while letting the bread rise under a moist towel for 30 minutes. Brush on some egg or milk on the top of the bread before putting it in the oven.

Bake it in the oven for about 30 minutes. Take it out and let it cool down in the tin for 5 minutes before taking it out. If you have buttered the tin well, it should come out nicely when you turn it upside down. Let it cool down for 15 minutes more.

Serve as it is, or with a thin layer of butter, cheese or jam.