Cinnamon bread in a hurry: a loaf born of panic.
A blog reader, Sue, posted this comment yesterday. And it sent me running for the kitchen: literally.
“Now a question for you, something I’ve tried to have answered a couple of times before - the recipe for Easy Cinnamon Bread posted on the KA Flour website calls for an 8-1/2 x 4-1/2” pan which I found is too small; a 9 x 5” pan is perfect. I keep checking back to see if the pan size has been changed……..not so far!! Love the Bakers’ Banter and, of course, the great recipes. THANKS!”
I felt a moment of panic. Oh, no… If there’s one thing we pride ourselves on here at King Arthur Flour, it’s that our recipes WORK. Yeah, they taste good, they’re often imaginative, sometimes (though not often, for me) they’re even gorgeous, something you’d be proud to make the centerpiece of an elegant dessert buffet. But most of all—they work. They turn out the way they’re supposed to. THE RECIPE IS ACCURATE. Thus my sinking heart at Sue’s comment.
I found the Easy Cinnamon Bread recipe online. Yup, it calls for an 8 ½” x 4 ½” pan. I see it would take probably just under 2 hours start to finish. I glance at my watch: 3:30 p.m. If I start RIGHT NOW… thus my sprint to the kitchen. (Usually it takes me 21 seconds to get to the test kitchen from my desk, barring any hallway chitchat. This time, it must have taken under 10 seconds…)
I quickly gather the simple ingredients and make the batter.
This bread is interesting, in that it includes both yeast and baking powder. It needs to rest for an hour before baking; so an hour goes by, and now it’s like 4:45. It’s time to stir in the baking powder and cinnamon chips. OH NO! Baking powder, yes. Cinnamon chips, no—the cupboard is bare. “Oh darn,” I say (or words to that effect), and tear down the stairs to our warehouse, which is on the ground floor below the test kitchen.
They warehouse folks have almost all gone home; the usual bustling aisles are silent. Back upstairs I run, to find someone who can tell me WHERE TO FIND CINNAMON CHIPS IN THE WAREHOUSE. A bit of computer noodling from Andrea (my fellow test baker and computer-savvy savior) tells me the chips are in “J1D3.” Back down:
HA! There they are, the little rascals! I grab a bag and sprint back up the stairs.
Into the risen batter go the baking powder and chips.
I select a bread pan from the shelf and, just in case, measure it. Yup; 8 ½” x 4 ½”.
Unless you see them side by side, you can sometimes mistake an 8 ½” x 4 ½” for a 9” x 5”. But this one was the right size. Now, the question: Is it the right size for the cinnamon bread recipe?
I fill the pan, sprinkle the batter with cinnamon sugar—looking good, not too full.
Put it in the oven, and set the timer for 20 minutes. Now it’s past 5 p.m., and everyone’s pretty much cleared out; the kitchen is quiet. Holding my breath, I peer into the oven and see:
Success! The bread has risen beautifully, and hasn’t overflowed. BUT: had I used a pan even 1/2” smaller, I might have been in trouble.
Problem is, oftentimes pans labeled 8 ½” x 4 ½” are actually calling out exterior measurements; a TRUE measurement is taken from the pan’s interior dimensions. So, when a manufacturer calls it a 9” cake pan, it might actually be 8 ½”; or a 9” x 13” pan might really measure 8 ½” x 13”. Good thing to remember, when you’re buying pans: measure the inside.
Another good thing to remember: here at the Baker’s Catalogue, we very carefully measure pans. What we say is what you’ll get.
So Sue, I’m not sure why your 8 ½” x 4 ½” pan doesn’t work for this recipe. But I’d take a ruler to it, and make sure it’s really what it says: 8 ½” x 4 ½” x 2 1/2” high. And, thanks for reminding me about this great Cinnamon Bread recipe… It’s easy, it’s truly delicious, AND I can throw it together late on a Monday afternoon and enjoy it Tuesday morning for breakfast—which I just did!
Find the complete recipe online: Easy Cinnamon Bread.
April 22nd, 2008 at 8:38 am
I love the idea of this, but am trying to use more whole grains. Could you substitute some whole wheat or whole wheat cake flour for part of the AP flour, and if so, what proportion do you recommend?
April 22nd, 2008 at 9:16 am
Dear P.J.
Wow, I sure opened Pandora’s box……and what a response I received!!! I quickly retrieved two of my loaf pans from the cupboard and lo and behold, the one I’d first tried - marked 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 x 2-5/8 on the bottom - proved to be less than that inside, undoubtedly the reason the batter remained raw in the middle despite baking longer than should have been necessary. The other pan proved to be much closer to what the recipe calls for which is why it’s worked successfully. Can’t thank you enough for a more-than-adequate answer!!! Just one more of many reasons why the folks at King Arthur are THE BEST!!
April 22nd, 2008 at 9:18 am
I like your description of running around baking the bread! If only I had a warehouse stocked with cinnamon chips!
I’ve made this bread before and it is to die for! I try NOT to make it because I could easily devour the entire loaf in one day!!!
April 22nd, 2008 at 10:11 am
This is by far the best log out there! I love your tried and true recipes, actually feeling like I get to know the authors, oh, and that King Arthur products rock! Thanks for all your time that goes into this blog! Maybe I should start a fan club. LOL
April 22nd, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Lori, I’d substitute some of our white whole wheat flour - you could try up to half. I wouldn’t substitute whole wheat cake flour (I’ve never heard of whole wheat cake flour, so wouldn’t know how to use it…). Nor whole wheat pastry flour; the protein is too low. Try white whole wheat, half and half; or traditional (red) whole wheat, substituting 1/3. I haven’t tried it, but that’s my best guess…
April 22nd, 2008 at 4:55 pm
I just got my email saying my cinn.chips had just shipped and I wanted to see if there were any good recipes using them. I was so excited not only to see this recipe layed out for me step by step, but I got to see the warehouse and the stock of fellow cinn.chip bags that my bag must have just been pulled out of that day. Nerdy I know but fun too! I can’t wait to try it when my box arrives.
April 22nd, 2008 at 5:39 pm
Katie: Welcome to BNU (pronounced like gnu, but with a “b”): Baking Nerds United!! Is your idea of an all-nighter waiting to see if your starter rises? You’re one of us. Is your idea of the icing on the cake REALLY icing on cake? You’re one of us. (I have a whole mess of these at work, just can’t remember them at the moment…)
April 22nd, 2008 at 10:42 pm
I have cinnamon flav-r-bites. Can I substitute them for the chips? I think because the of the resting time, they would be fine, but it doesn’t hurt to check!
April 23rd, 2008 at 8:26 am
Jules, it seems like they’d be just fine - go for it!
April 23rd, 2008 at 2:56 pm
I can’t wait for Passover to be over and I can make this recipe! It looks so good and seems really easy (and fast)! I really love the pictures of the warehouse…like our very own behind the scenes tour!
April 23rd, 2008 at 9:55 pm
For Katie - the VERY best use of cinnamon chips that I know of is in the KAF Cookie Companion, page 298, “Mocha Mudslides”. The recipe calls for 1 cup of chocolate OR cinnamon chips. At our house, we use 1/2 cup of each plus the cappucino chips (available at our local World Market store if not elsewhere). If your family is like mine, you’ll rarely get to taste these cookies a day old, they are just too good fresh out of the oven.
April 25th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
It’s almost dinnertime, but I just must make a loaf of this bread right now. It looks absolutely delicious.
April 27th, 2008 at 9:13 am
I haven’t tried the mocha mudslides, but I think the best cinnamon chip use is cinnamon-pecan scones from the KAF whole grain baking. (Its one of the possible substitutions in the oat raisin scones recipe,) I always get rave reviews. BTW, I almost always make mini- scones- cutting each scone into four triangles. This makes them more cookie sized and people don’t look at one say its too big, break into pieces (and then eat all the pieces)It also makes it easier to make scones for a large group.
When I made the cinnamon bread I didn’t have enough cinn chips so I substituted some Heath toffee chips. I though the end result was very tasty.
April 27th, 2008 at 9:44 am
Last night I made the Cinnamon Apple Bars in the KA Whole Grain baking book - delicious place to use cinnamon chips! They are moist, good apple flavor and were enthusiastically received by dinner guests and now my 17 year old daughter is eating them for breakfast! I did make a couple changes - omitted the peanut butter glaze ( thought it wouldn’t be necessary and might be too sticky for my taste), used half butter and half oil and did not bother to food process the oats but instead used quick oats. I also added some pecans, my daughter (not a big nut fan suggests next time use dried cranberries). We didn’t miss the glaze at all, in fact I will probably use a little less sugar next time. By the way, I’m a dietitian and really enjoy this cookbook and this blog. I do find lots of the recipes can be “tweaked” to be less saturated fat so better for controlling one’s cholesterol. Thanks!
April 29th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
I’m looking forward to making this easy cinnamon bread and this brings a question to mind relating to cinnamon rolls.. Since cinnamon and yeast “do not play well together”, does the same hold true for cardamom? I like to use about 1/2 tsp cardamom in my cinnamon roll dough for a little more depth in taste and haven’t had any problems that I know of. Does the amount used play into the results, either with cinnamon or cardamom? This blog reading can become addictive!!!
April 29th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
We made this Cinnamon Bread this weekend, and I baked it about 7 minutes longer than the recommended time. It was perfect, until we got to the middle slices today, which were a little “damp” in the center.
Has anyone tried to divide this batter/dough in cupcake pans? If so, how many would it fill, and how long would it bake? Just a thought. I’m also considering using the tiny pans that I used to make pumpkin breads in at Thanksgiving. I think I used three of them for a “normal” loaf of the pumpkin bread. Just wondering.
I’d appreciate your thoughts about this. Thanks!
April 29th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
Loretta, cardamom shouldn’t be a problem at all.
Charlotte, it would probably work well in cupcake pans - it would probably fill about 10, and would probably bake about 25-30 minutes at 350°F (my educated guess).
May 3rd, 2008 at 5:20 pm
I just baked this this morning, and I don’t keep cinnamon chips on hand, so I popped in some mini-chocolate chips. I think I would like cinnamon better, but the chocolate chips were a great substitution.
Quick and easy! Yum!
May 5th, 2008 at 10:05 am
I hope I am not posting this twice, I seemed to have a computer glich when I tried to post it the first time.
I made this bread yesterday and we had it for breakfast today. It tasted good and had a great cinnamon flavor, but was a bit dry. I used one cup of whole wheat flour and 2 cups of King Arthur AP as suggested in an early comment. When I mixed the dough before rising I had to use my dough hook on my stand mixer to finish mixing. After rising I again used the dough hook to mix in the baking powder and cinammon chips. No way could I have spooned the dough into the pan as the recipe says to do. Could the whole wheat flour be why my batter was so dry? Overall, I would say any of my bread doughs tend to be drier than what the recipe indicates it will be. Why would this be?
May 5th, 2008 at 10:56 am
Joyce, yes, whole wheat flour absorbs more liquid than all-purpose, so the batter would be a bit drier. Or if you live in a very dry climate, the flour will naturally absorb more liquid. However, you also might be packing too much flour into your measuring cup, which is the more likely culprit. A cup of all-purpose flour weighs 4 1/4 ounces; by scooping (rather than sprinkling) flour into your cup, you can get as much as 5 1/2 ounces into a cup, which would translate to an additional 3/4+ cup flour in this recipe - that’s a lot! The more flour, the drier the batter, the drier the bread. Next time, if you’re not already doing this, try fluffing up the flour in the canister with a spoon; then sprinkling it (with a scoop or spoon) into the measuring cup till it’s overflowing; then leveling it off with the back of a table knife. This should give you 4 1/4 ounces flour. Hope this solves your challenge!
May 5th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
I am really enjoying this blog…been scratch baking for over 40 years…but I missed something along the way….the comment about yeast and cinnamon “not playing well together” …please…an explanation…thanks..db
May 5th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Dorri, I don’t know the chemical explanation, but cinnamon and garlic both slow down yeast’s growth, which slows down your bread’s rise. I’ve found that under 1 teaspoon cinnamon per 3 cups of flour doesn’t have TOO much effect, but more and the rise slows way down.
May 9th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
Hi, So enjoy your website and really like the illustrated blog area. I’ve just discovered that. I have made a simple Cuban bread for years. I need to make them into rolls for a special Youth dinner. I could use some directin on how I might do this. I need it for tomorrow (and will go and try it on my own). I my unskilled version turns out well, I will send my info on to you. The bread goes into a cold oven, bread round slashed with an X. It opens like a lovely, crusty flower. Thanks. Olga
May 9th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Ooooh….I sure hope you had your warehouse manager do the proper transaction to relieve the inventory on the cinnamon chips!! When they count the bags, no one will be able to figure out why there’s a shortage!! My dream job would be to work in a baking supply warehouse that had enthusiastic test bakers in the kitchen upstairs!!!
Just discovered this blog and I’m hooked. Thanks.
May 9th, 2008 at 11:11 pm
Olga, it’s easy to make rolls from bread, just divide the dough into how many rolls you want, shape into ovals or rounds, space on baking sheet, rise, and bake - a somewhat shorter amount of time than a loaf. Hope they turned out great!
May 9th, 2008 at 11:21 pm
Amy, don’t worry - I always tell Robin, our inventory maven, when I go “snitch” something from the shelves. You’re right, it has to come out of inventory officially - and our warehouse crew is known for how accurate their cycle counts are, so I wouldn’t think of goofing them up!
May 11th, 2008 at 9:20 pm
PJ, I made this today, two loaves, measured the pan inside and it still was too much for it. Took forever to bake, still don’t know if it is done inside till I cut it tomorrow AM when it’s totally cold. Also, didn’t rise up as high as yours, just drooped over the pan. I cut the overhang off to get it out of the pan and the scraps tasted great! I made one loaf with AP flour and one with pastry flour. The pastry one looks best.