Easy Cinnamon Bread

For the bread:
Combine the flour, granulated sugar, yeast, cinnamon, salt and baking powder in a large mixing bowl; whisk to mix well.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the warm milk, melted butter, egg, vanilla and butter extract until well combined.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Beat on medium speed with an electric mixer until the batter is smooth.

Stir in the cinnamon chips. Cover the bowl and let the batter rest at room temperature for 1 hour.

For the topping, combine the superfine sugar and cinnamon until well mixed. Set aside.

When the hour is almost up, preheat the oven to 350 F.

Grease an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan. Measure the pan on the inside at the top edges to make sure your pan is the right size. If the pan is too small, the batter will overflow when baking.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the top of the loaf evenly with the cinnamon/sugar mixture.

Bake at 350 F for 35-50 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. I find this bread takes about 45-50 minutes in my oven. I place an aluminum foil “tent” lightly on top of the loaf at the 30 minute mark of baking time. That also helps keep the top from getting overly brown when adding extra time in the oven. Remove from oven once done.

Let the bread rest in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge, remove the bread from the pan and allow it to rest on its side on a wire rack until cool. This helps prevent the bread from getting a lot of cracks on the top and sometimes the sides.

Important note: Do not slice this bread when it’s warm. Allow it to cool completely for better slicing. I usually wait until the next day to slice the bread.

This is great as is or grilled in a pan with a little butter on it. I use a spray butter. Makes 1 loaf.

Slightly adapted from King Arthur Flour.