Wednesday Baking | Oatmeal Cinnamon Bread
I've been teasing you mercilessly with pictures of this bread since Sunday, so I figured it would be a good choice for this week's Wednesday Baking post.
I should probably say right off the bat that I'm not so silly as to think the addition of 1.5 cups of oatmeal turns cinnamon bread into a highly nutritious food. Really, if I'm looking for health food, cinnamon bread is not the first thing I turn to. But, I figure that oatmeal does make a not-so-healthy treat slightly more healthy. The original recipe is from an old Taste of Home magazine, and I altered it ever so slightly.
Here's how to make this tasty bread.
Start the dough by dissolving the yeast in some warm water. Let it sit for a few minutes, while you're gathering the rest of the ingredients.
Add oats, milk, butter, ½ cup sugar, eggs, salt, and 2 cups flour. Mix on low speed until combine, then mix on medium speed for 3 minutes.
Add enough additional flour to make a soft, but kneadable dough. Turn out onto a floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic.
Place in bowl, cover, and let rise one hour.
Punch the dough down and divide it into two pieces. Roll each piece out into an oblong shape (don't you just live for the preciseness of my directions??).
Now it's time to add the cinnamon. Mix ½ cup sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon together.
Before you sprinkle this mixture on the dough, though, you'll want to moisten the dough so that the sugar will stick. I use water for this purpose. You can use butter, but if you do, it's much more likely that your bread will end up with a gappy swirl, like so. It's not the end of the world if it does, but sometimes a gappy swirl causes problems with baking (the part that sags tends to be under-done).
Butter keeps the bread dough from sticking to itself, which means that when the top part rises, the bottom part is loathe to rise with it. Water makes it much more likely that your swirls will stay neat, tidy, and gap-less.
So, use a pastry brush to spread a thin layer of water over the dough...just enough to make the dough tacky.
Then sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar over the dough rectangle.
Starting from the short end, roll the dough up, pinch the seam to seal, and place it in a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan.
Repeat with the other half of the dough, cover both pans with a wet tea towel, and let them rise 30-45 minutes, or until doubled (y'know...approximately!).
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 35 minutes, or until golden brown. Turn the loaves out of the pan, and cool them on a wire rack before slicing.
Most breads are difficult to slice when they're hot, and cinnamon swirl bread is especially difficult to manage when it's hot. So, be patient and let it cool to room temperature before you try to slice it up.
Hopefully when you slice your loaf open, you'll see a nice, tight swirl.
This bread is delightful as is, but it also makes really good toast.
And it freezes nicely, so you can eat one loaf now, and freeze another one for later.
Printable Oatmeal Cinnamon Bread Recipe
Oatmeal Cinnamon Bread-makes 2 loaves
2 packages active dry yeast (4 ½ teaspoons)
½ cup warm water (110 ° to 115 °)
1 ½ cups quick-cooking oats
1 ⅔ cups warm milk (110 ° to 115 °)
½ cup shortening
½ cup sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons salt
5 to 5-½ cups all-purpose flour
Cinnamon Sugar
½ cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1. In a bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add oats, milk, shortening, ½ cup sugar, eggs, salt and 2 cups flour; beat until smooth (if using stand mixer, beat 3 minutes). Add enough remaining flour to form soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
2. Punch dough down. Divide in half; roll each portion into a 16-in. x 8-in. rectangle. Brush with water. Combine cinnamon and ½ cup sugar; sprinkle over each dough half to within ½ in. of edges. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a short side; pinch seams to seal.
3. Place loaves seam side down in two greased 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pans. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30-40 minutes. Bake at 350 ° for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Cover loosely with foil if bread browns too quickly. Remove from pans to cool on wire racks. Yield: 2 loaves.
Wow! That looks so good. I will make that tonight.
Finally cinammon toast without raisins! I loathe cooked raisins. Can't wait to make this today.
And BTW I absolutely love the precisness of your directions, they brought a smile to my face as I was reading, even before your comment, lol!
Thanks again for the inspiration to bless my family.
Jane
lol! I don't really like cooked raisins either, and they seem to sort of spoil the decadence of a cinnamon swirl loaf.
This might be the recipe that inspires me to step away from my handy dandy bread maker and knead for myself!
Oh my - I don't know if my family can take it if I make more bread right now, but this looks fabulous. Also, I sent my husband out this past weekend to get one of those Williams-Sonoma pans so that I can make your yummy breads. I am in love with it! Thank you so much for recommending it!
Aren't they fabulous? love, love, love those loaf pans.
Thanks to you I now know how to knead bread and will be trying this recipe out this weekend! Looks Yummy!!!
This looks so yummy. I have a recipe that is very similar but I think I might try yours since it's healthier...the oatmeal, ya know?
Question: which bread pan bakes better? glass or metal? i see that you have metal and wondering if either makes a difference. your opinion please.
I love cinnamon bread! I never thought of adding oatmeal...That's a great idea. I usually add wheat germ to mine. I figure wheat germ pretty much makes cinnamon bread calorie free.:P
I love your bread recipes! I add oatmeal to my whole wheat bread myself to make it 'healthier' 🙂 I'm going to have to try your cinnamon swirl recipe this weekend.
One question I have about baking bread is: where/how do you buy your yeast frugally? The packets I buy are about $1.60 for 3 packets, making them the costliest ingredeint in my bread. Can you buy yeast in bulk or do you have any tips for spending less on yeast?
Another yummy bread recipe! I adore your recipes - do does dh 🙂
thriftygal - I just started buying mine at Costco but even at Walmart you can get a jar of yeast for @ $6 give or take. It has how much to measure out on it to replace a packet and is worth about 15 packets or more as far as I can tell, I've never tracked to see how much I make out of each jar. Make sure you use it regularly though, one stayed in my fridge well over a year and the last two loafs of bread didn't quite raise right 🙂
Each packet is 2.25-2.5 teaspoons. I use 1 Tablespoon (=3 t.) and haven't had a problem. I keep my dark brown glass jar in the freezer, which allows it to last about forever.
Just wanted to chime in on the yeast front...we recently bought a 2 lb bag of vacuum-packed yeast from our local health food store for $8. A 4-oz jar costs $6.75 at Kroger, to say nothing of the little packets. If you can find a big bag of yeast, go for it! I keep a little bit in the pantry, since we go through it so fast, and store the rest in the freezer.
Oh goodness, yes! Don't buy the little packets...they're SO expensive. Buy the jars from your grocery store, order a big package online, or get some at your warehouse club store. Otherwise, homemade bread gets awfully expensive.
I usually specify the number of teaspoons of yeast in my recipes, because that's always how I use yeast...never in packages.
Uhoh I think I might have a yeast problem! I have a jar in my pantry that I bough about a month or so back. If I put it in the freezer now do you think it will be ok? Do you use frozen yeast the same way you'd use room temp yeast, or do you have to do something with it first?
I love oatmeal! I've been making bread only a few weeks now (thanks to your enthusiasm), but I started substituting oatmeal for small amounts of flour a few loaves ago, and it's been a success so far. I'll definitely try this recipe sometime.
Thanks!
Kristen, I have yet again learned something new about baking from you! I had always used butter in my swirled loaves and now I know why I got those weird gaps and sometimes a soggy bit.
As for the question about yeast: either buy it at a bulk foods store (but check how old it is if it is binned) or get a large vac-pack of baker's yeast, which I can find either at the bulk food store or the really big supermarket. You may have to call around a bit before you venture out; maybe there's a bakery supply place that will sell you a packet. Kept dry in a glass jar once opened, it keeps for weeks and weeks.
Oh, the credit goes to Cook's Illustrated. I forgot to mention that. I grew up using butter in my loaves too, and often had the gappy problem, but my success rate has been much better since I've started using water.
I love cinnamon bread, have always made it without yeast, though. I think I am going to have to try your recipe this evening!
That looks delicious! I like the addition of oatmeal for extra fiber in a cinnamony treat!
Just wondering--why do you dissolve your yeast in water in this recipe and not in your other bread recipes? Ever since I quit proofing my yeast (a step I have come to realize is best used just for checking the freshness of the yeast, and best not used in a recipe), my bread has come out fabulous. I was having some pretty flat loaves there for a while until I started putting my yeast in with the dry ingredients.
That's just how this recipes happened to be designed. I do it both ways, depending on what the recipe calls for, and I've not noticed a difference in the end product either way.
However, if skipping the dissolving works best for you, then go for it! Just combine the dry ingredients (not all the flour, of course....just the initial two cups) in the mixer bowl, add the liquid ingredients, and proceed with the recipe.
I got home, checked my email, saw your recipe, changed my clothes, and now I'm going to it for the kids' snack this afternoon! I'll use a spray bottle rather than a pastry brush for the water part, though.
I buy my yeast at Costco in the vacuum packed bag. I store most of it in the freezer but keep a small jar in the fridge for convenience.
This is going to be yummy!!!
(Later) My kids' response: "Mmmm! This is really GOOOD!" (that was from the most picky child in the known universe) "Is this something you're going to make often? Like all the time?" "The crust is flaky like pastry!" "Can I have the crumbs on the cutting board?" (I'm limiting them to two slices.)
I made one loaf without the cinnamon (I don't like sweet bread as much), and it is so soft and tender! I forgot to moisten the flattened dough before sprinkling the cinnamon-sugar, but it worked fine anyhow.
This is such a winner!!!
lol! That's so cute. And very awesome that they liked it so much. Yay!
I'm making a 2nd batch today--it's a friend's birthday and a loaf will make a great gift!
Yummy! I just might do some baking this weekend thanks to this post. 🙂
Stephanie
I make cinnamon bread or rolls almost weekly and I also add oats.
I figure with farm fresh eggs, honey substituted for the sugar, real butter made from antibotic/ hormone free cream and unbleached flour, it is probably healthier than boxed cereal!
How do you get your swirl so tight???
I just roll it up tightly, and use water instead of butter to moisten the dough before sprinkling it with sugar.
Thank you! I made it and ate 3 pieces already! Delicious! Your recipes have kept me busy and productive during 3 snow storms now!
So, random question, because I have some bananas that need to be used up in the next couple days and was thinking about making banana bread with them...
If I wanted to add bananas to this bread to make Cinnamon banana bread, do you have any suggestions as to how to adjust the ingredients?
Hmm. You don't want to add a LOT of banana to a yeast bread, because it'll make it too heavy. You could maybe add 1/2 cup of mashed bananas in place of 1/2 cup of the milk and see how that goes.
Most of the time, bananas work the best in quick bread. I do have a banana yeast bread recipe that I could share at some point, though.
Yes, please consider an over ripe banana recipe in the near future! You know, to help us not have to include them in our no waste Fridays 🙂
You're killing me with these delicious bread recipes! Banana yeast bread...oh, yum. Please post!
Ok, I think this receipe is going to inspire me to put up my bread maker. I noticed you use a kitchen aid mixer; do you ever use the dough hook attachment or just the flat beater for your breads? Thanks again for the baking inspiration.
This is Saturday morning planned for me then!
Thanks for all the yeast tips guys!
Thank you so much for the recipe... It is sooooo YUMMY!!! I added raisins to the dough to give it a little extra and oh mmmmmMMMmmm so good. My new favorite... Thank You!!
Thank you sooooooooo much for this recipe.....AND for the printable version. That saves a lot of time for me, esp. since I always cut and paste the adddress so I give the credit to you. 🙂
Thank you, also, for using such a bee-YOO-tee-ful font! Pretties up our kitchen!
Yum! Thanks for that recipe!
I have a question. I'm sure the answer is a whole-hearted yes, but I'm wondering if baking your own bread really DOES save money? I feel like I'm constantly buying flour because we go through it so quickly (also because my husband has sourdough and we use that weekly which involves flour to feed it!) Am I really saving money in the long run?
(By the way, I'm about to run to the store to get some flour to bake bread for grilled cheese sandwiches tonight!)
This was AWESOME! Everyone in our family loved it and the fact that the recipe makes two loaves means I can take one to a neighbor tomorrow too.
Thanks so much!
Blessings,
Deb
I substitued applesauce for the shortning and it turned out fine. My husband and I adore this bread. It is so good.
I'm so pleased with myself 🙂 I wanted to make cinnamon raisin bread after reading this post, so I decided last night was the night to attempt! I ended up using a recipe from a cookbook for cinnamon raisin swirl bread rather than this because I hadn't printed the recipe at work.
It turned out fabulous! And I've only attempted yeast breads a few times. No gaps! Funny though, the recipe in the cookbook told me to brush the dough with butter, and then spread with cinnamon/sugar - I actually melted the butter, was about to put in on, and then said WAIT! - this is what makes the gap! And then I switched to water, thanks to you! 🙂
Made this morning and we all love it! Once again, it was all a bit of a rush and my kneading skills need to be improved, next week I will put aside much more time for it all. However, the result was really good. Am looking forward to having it as toast if any is left in the morning.
This is just the BEST recipe for a great tasting bread. It was so easy and I will
be making this often. Thank you for all the excellent tips on making your
breads. I'm going to try them all.
Toast in the morning ..... what could be better on a very snowy Saturday.
Thank you - Thank you .
P.S. You sure did a great job on TV - Your children are beautiful!
Two of my girlfriends each welcomed a little baby into the world on Friday -- and I have two loaves of this in the oven right now! However.... it smells SO good that I'm not sure I can part with it. Think it'd be gauche to bring them, um, pre-sliced, quality-tested, cinnamon bread? Just kidding!
Once again, another great recipe that a newbie like me enjoyed making!!!
So yummy! This will be in my regular bread rotation now. And thanks for the great tip about wetting the dough with water instead of using butter when adding the cinnamon and sugar - this is the first time I haven't experienced the gapping in the loaf.
I made this bread for the first time this weekend, and it was AMAZING! So yummy!! (the loaves came out a little, umm, funny looking since some batter squeezed out the side as it was rising or baking... good thing that doesn't affect the taste!) Love your bread recipes, Kristen, and the pics and tips and step by step instrucions give me the confidence to give them a try. I've never been a yeast bread maker until about 6 months ago when I made your honey whole wheat bread recipe, which I also love, and have made many times since! 🙂 Thanks, Kristen!
Thank you, Pinterest! This looks so good!
This bread was fantastic! I made french toast with the second loaf and it was great!
Thanks for posting this recipe! It looks great. I think I may end up trying it this weekend!!!