BBA - Cinnamon Cranberry Mini Challah

Cinnamon - (Cinnamomum verum, synonym C. zeylanicum) is a small evergreen tree 10–15 metres (32.8–49.2 feet) tall, belonging to the family Lauraceae, and is native to Sri Lanka.


The name cinnamon is correctly used to refer to Ceylon cinnamon, also known as "true cinnamon". However, the related species, Cassia (Cinnamomum aromaticum), Saigon Cinnamon (Cinnamomum loureiroi), and Cinnamomum burmannii are sometimes sold labeled as cinnamon, sometimes distinguished from true cinnamon as "Chinese cinnamon", "Vietnamese cinnamon", or "Indonesian cinnamon"; sometimes referred to as being cassia. Ceylon cinnamon, using only the thin inner bark, has a finer, less dense, and more crumbly texture, and is considered to be less strong than cassia. Cassia has a much stronger flavour than cinnamon, is generally a medium to light reddish brown, hard and woody in texture, and thicker, as all of the layers of bark are used.







I am a cinnamon addict. My favorite cinnamon, Extra Fancy Vietnamese Cassia, is not a true cinnamon, but it has the most exquisite aroma and flavor and I just love it. I buy my Vietnamese Cassia, 1 lb at a time, from Penzeys Spices. And I always use more cinnamon then the recipe calls for, yes I am a true cinnamon lover!

This week for our Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge we are making Cinnamon Raisin Bread. Of course with me being me I have to mix things up and change it around just a little. I substituted orange-flavored dried cranberries for the raisins and decided to make 1-piece mini challahs instead of a loaf. The orange-flavored dried cranberries were so good in this recipe that I think I found a permanent substitute for raisins!

And the 1-piece braided challahs, video below, were so easy, I can't wait to try this technique again. I made my braids much smaller and only used an 18" dough rope to begin which amounted to a finished 8" challah.







Google Books has the entire book, "The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread", by Peter Reinhart, scanned and you can find the recipe on Page 147 by clicking here.






Here's some links to other BBA'ers and their interpretations of this recipe:

Oggie at I can do that!
Caroline at Two Skinny Jenkins
Angela at Gourmet Hotdish and other Culinary Disasters
Jia at Sweet and Savory



All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog