Cinna-bites

I bet you're wondering "What's a Cinna-bite"? Well, I was cruising the King Arthur Catalog and they had a recipe for Cinna-bites and it looked good to me. But I knew I could make it better with my friend Lou's Sweet Bread recipe!

Lou's Sweet Bread Recipe is the same recipe I use to make Challah. In fact I use this same recipe for most of my sweet breads, coffee cakes or cinnamon rolls. It is a very versatile dough and rises like there's no tomorrow! It will make 2 large loaves of Challah or 2 bundt pans of Cinna-bites. Or you could make 1 pan of Cinna-bites and my friend, Linda's, Apple Pear Bread.

Lou's Sweet Bread

2 cups of milk, (warm )
1 1/3 cup of Sugar
3 large eggs- beaten (save ½ egg w. a little milk for basting )
1 tsp Vanilla (I usually skip the vanilla)
½ cup + of oil
½ tsp Salt
2 packs of yeast
3 c. flour to start (6-7 total ) enough to knead into a non-sticky soft ball
1 c. WW flour can be subbed to make the dough more tender

Bread:

Stir the yeast in a 1/3 cup of warm water w. ½ tsp of sugar, for proofing.

In a large mixing bowl, or (KA mixer) place the warm the milk and add the sugar, vanilla, salt and eggs.

Beat until the sugar is dissolved and add the Yeast and mix well.

Add 3 cups of flour and mix with mixer a few minutes or by hand.

Add flour until you make a soft Ball of dough. The dough should not stick to your hands. Don’t make it stiff , try to keep it a "soft dough" that does not stick to your hands. Sprinkle some flour under the ball and knead it until smooth. Place it in a large bowl, Rub some oil on top.

I put the dough into my largest mixing bowl for the rise. Make sure to oil the bowl and the top of the dough. Instead of putting a towel on top I put the entire bowl in a large plastic bag. Make sure that the bag is not a tight fit on the bowl and you give the dough ample room to rise.


Cinna-bites

1 c. sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 c. brown sugar
1 stick butter
1 c. chopped pecans

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the sugar and cinnamon and set aside. Melt butter in the microwave. Add the brown sugar and stir until sugar is completely dissolved and then add chopped pecans.

Grease a bundt pan. Pour about 1/3 of the brown sugar mixture into the bottom of the bundt pan.

Now cut about a golf ball sized piece of dough and roll it in the sugar cinnamon. Place it in the bottom of the bundt pan on top of the brown sugar. Keep making the small balls and rolling them in the cinnamon sugar until you've completely covered the bottom of the pan. Repeat to make a second layer of cinnamon balls.

Let the dough rise until it has doubled for a second time. Pour the rest of the brown sugar mix over the top. Place the bundt pan in the oven and bake at 350 degrees for about 40-45 minutes.


For a wonderful variation of the above recipe try the Choco-bites.

Choco-bites

1 c. sugar
1/2 c. finely chopped semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 c. finely chopped pecans
1/2 c. butter, melted

Mix the sugar, chocolate and pecans together. Roll the dough balls in the melted butter and then in the chocolate/pecan mix. Place the balls in the bundt pan in the same manner as described above. Bake for 40-46 minutes in a 350 degree oven.


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