GranNini's Cinnamon Bread for French Toast

  

GranNini's Cinnamon Bread for French Toast

This recipe is truly just a white bread recipe, rolled out into a large rectangle, smothered in butter, brown sugar and cinnamon, rolled up into a loaf, and then baked.  Pretty easy, all things considered.  And the results are truly delish.

White Bread Ingredients:

1/2 cup warm (but not hot) water

1 Tablespoon yeast

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup Crisco, melted

1 1/4 cups warm (but not hot) water

3/4 cups milk

1 Tablespoon salt

1/2 cup sugar

8 cups flour

For the Cinnamon Sugar Innards:

(These amounts are all rough guestimates.  I use just enough butter to cover my rolled dough.  I use just enough brown sugar to cover my butter.  And I lightly sprinkle the cinnamon on.  Too much cinnamon is actually over-powering and over-whelming and distracts from the taste. I was surprised to find that to be the case.  So these amounts, below, are rough guestimates.)

1/2 cup unsalted butter (divided into 3), softened

1 cup brown sugar (divided into 3)

3 Tablespoons cinnamon

For the French Toast 

(which I'd make the next day, because who in their right mind gets up 2 1/2 hours BEFORE breakfast to make the loaves of bread for their French Toast, when they could simply make the bread the day before, and get up at a reasonable hour the next day?!?

4 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 Tablespoon vanilla

1 Tablespoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions for the bread:

1. Sprinkle the yeast onto the warm water.  Add in the sugar, and allow to sit for 5 minutes.  Gently stir.
2. Add in the egg, crisco, water, milk, salt and sugar.  Mix thoroughly.
3. Mix in 3 cups of the flour.  Stir thoroughly.
4. Slowly add in 4 more cups of flour, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
5. For the final 1 cup of flour, I sprinkle some onto a clean surface, and pour my dough onto my floured surface.  Slowly, I knead the remaining one cup of flour into the dough ball.  
6. Knead for 8 to 10 minutes.
7. Lightly spray a large bowl with cooking spray.  Place the dough into the bowl, and cover with saran wrap.  Place into a proofing oven for 1 1/2 hours.  If it's a warm day, feel free to allow your dough to double in size by simply leaving the covered dough out on the counter, but not in direct sunlight.
8. Allow the dough to double in size.
9. Remove the dough, and pour it out onto a lightly floured surface.  Split into 3 even sized balls of dough.  ** Read step 10, make a decision, then move on to step 11. **
10. ** If you simply want to have white bread, you can simply roll your dough out into a rectangle, roll it up, and then plop it into lightly sprayed bread pans.  Allow to raise for 30 minutes, and then bake for 40 minutes at 375°.  Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack.  If you simply can't resist, slice open ONE of the three loaves, slather on lightly salted butter, and devour the remaining loaf because it's near to impossible not to.  HOWEVER, if you're able to resist the temptation, the bread is truly scrumptious when it is cooled completely as well.  Also makes great toast.  Or, you could make french toast with it at this stage as well.  BUT, if you REALLY want outstanding French Toast, move on to step 11 now.  **
11. Take one of the 3 sections of dough.  Flatten the dough and roll it out into a rectangle, roughly 1/2 inch thick.  Smear with softened butter.  Smother with brown sugar.  Sprinkle with cinnamon.  
12. Roll the dough up into a spiral, and gently place into a lightly sprayed bread pan. 
13. Repeat steps 11 and 12 with the two remaining loaves.
14. Allow the dough to rest and rise for another 1/2 an hour.  I don't bother with the proofer.  I just keep it on the counter.  Mine doesn't generally rise too much, but it will rise in the oven while baking.
15. Bake for 40 minutes at 375°.  Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack.  If you simply can't resist, slice open ONE of the three loaves, slather on lightly salted butter, and devour the remaining loaf because it's near to impossible not to.  HOWEVER, if you're able to resist the temptation, the bread is truly scrumptious when it is cooled completely as well.  Also makes great toast.  Or, you could make french toast with it once it has cooled completely.

Directions for the French Toast:

1. Heat up a griddle to 300°.   
2. Slice the cinnamon bread into THICK slices.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs together.  Add in the remaining ingredients and whisk until thoroughly incorporated.  The cinnamon will float to the top. Don't fret.
4. Lightly spray your griddle with cooking spray.
5. Dip and dunk a piece of bread into the egg mixture.  Place the dripping gooey mess onto the griddle.  Repeat with each piece of bread until the griddle is covered.
6. When the underside is lightly brown and firm, flip the bread over.  The French Toast will cook much faster on the second side.
7. Serve with softened butter.  Some people like a sprinkle of powdered sugar. Some people like maple syrup.  Some like blueberry gravy (also known as homemade blueberry syrup -- see the recipe here).  Some like it with peanut butter.  Some like it straight up.  Some like it with berries and bacon on the side.  Serve however you see fit.  But no matter how you serve it, it is sure to be super tasty and delicious!!

For those of you who like more pictures, see below!

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Sprinkle yeast and sugar onto warm water.

 Let sit for 5 minutes then stir.

 Add in egg, milk, water, salt.

 Add in 3 cups of flour and stir.

 Lookin' good!

 Add in 4 more cups of flour.  It's getting stiffer.

That's what she said.

 Pour it out onto a lightly floured surface.

 Knead in the remaining cup of flour.

Knead knead knead.

After 8 to 10 minutes, all the flour should be incorporated, your dough should be pliable.  And if you watched the Great British Baking Show, you should have learned that you can pull a small section off, stretch it out a bit, and if you can see through it, your dough is ready.

Pop it in the proofer for 1 1/2 hours and let rise!

I forgot to take a picture before I started to cut it into 3 sections.  Whoops.

 Roll out your dough.

 Smear it with butter.

 Sprinkle it with brown sugar.

The picture on the left shows way too much cinnamon.  The right one is a bit heavy too.  So don't over do it on the cinnamon.  For your taste bud's sake!

 Roll it on up.  And plop it into the lightly greased bread loaf pan.

All three loaves, sittin' on the counter. K-I-S-S-I-N-G.

Waiting for 1/2 an hour before baking. 

Ooooooh, smells gooooood!

Ready for slicing!

 OOOOH, so pretty!

Dipped in the batter and on the griddle. 

Flip it when it's golden brown.

Smother it in butter, serve with fruit and bacon.  mmmm. Bacon.

And, for what it's worth, my favorite bacon is Trader Joe's Apple Smoked Bacon.  Next time, before I slice open a package, I'll try to remember to take a pic for all y'all who haven't yet experienced TJ's heaven.  I slice my bacon in half, line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper, turn my oven on to 375°.  I take my time and arrange my bacon on the parchment paper.  I don't wait for the oven to finish heating up.  I pop my bacon in the oven, and bake for roughly 23 minutes.  Sometimes it needs a wee bit more.  But it always seems to turn out perfectly.  And the parchment paper makes clean up a snap!  And oh, my! is it tasty!!

Enjoy!

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