Cooking Tuesday - Cinnamon Bread

Have you ever had Cinnamon Bread before?  No one makes it like Carpenter's mom. 

A long time ago, over 20 years,  I was a little Bible School student.  If you've ever been one of those at the school that I went to, or it's sister school, you know about the Hold The Ropes program.  But for those of you who don't:  the school I went to has an emphasis on missions.  So, they had this program, which is all about missionaries and their prayer needs. 

As we got started in school, we were assigned one missionary couple to pray for and write letters each month.  The first couple I was assigned didn't write back or anything.  I don't remember why, but I was assigned to  Carpenter's parents. 

I didn't know Carpenter at all.  But I loved the letters I received on a regular (almost monthly) basis from his mom.  It was such an encouragement.  A couple years later we were still writing, though they had returned home from Indonesia.  Now I was in missions and they were writing to encourage me. 

Later Carpenter and I met and that story is written in my blog somewhere. :)  And when he invited me to come to his house for Thanksgiving, I was nervous and yet excited to meet this wonderful woman I had been dialoguing with through letters. 

My mom had recently passed away at the beginning of that year.  She isn't the same woman as my mom, but we talk constantly whenever she's here and she's such a good listener.  I've really appreciated her role in my life. 

And one thing that we love for Grandma to bring is Cinnamon Bread.  Thankfully, it freezes well.  It's yummy sliced with butter but it's even better toasted with butter. Yum!

On this day, I made two batches because four loaf pans fit in my oven.  And by the end of the day half of it was gone.

2 cups of milk, scalded

1/2 cup of sugar

1/4 cup of shortening or oil

2 t salt

Cool to lukewarm,

Mix 1 pkg (or 2 Tablespoons) of yeast with 1/4 c warm water

Add to milk mixture

Stir in 3 cups of flour and mix well

Then add remaining flour till it's a soft dough

Place in a greased bowl.  Cover and let rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Punch down and let rise about an hour

Punch down again and divide in half.  Let rise 10 minutes.

Roll each half into rectangles about 13x9.

I got this mixed around the first time.  Sprinkle 1/2 c sugar with 1 T cinnamon on each rectangle. 

Then sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons of water over all of it.

Roll from the narrow end

Seal long edge.

Place sealed edge down in pan

Let rise till almost double

Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes or till done

Turn onto cooling racks.

Making the most of today

Steph

I am behind what I originally scheduled for Bible reading so I read through Numbers 18 and Psalm 21 today.