Lynn finished the first draft of our devotional. (Yay, God!) It’s marinating for a few weeks before undergoing the editing experience. What a blessing to share so many of my stories — they are a great blend of Gram’s stories, and of lessons I’ve learned on my own life journey.
Gram and I worked together for several years. The Cottage housed Miss Dot’s Cafe for decades. Following Gram’s passing, my daughter and I delighted to keep the place humming. The recently re-imagined and renovated cottage has been under wraps in our temporarily “Secret Garden”. It nears completion as I type, and the best news: we’re already serving guests right here on Lynn’s website until the real reopening as C-‘B’s Coffee Cottage and Gift Shop. A few treasures eagerly await you. Under construction is a menu board for my Cottage Cafe, including links to some of our specialties.
The recipe for the Cinnamon Rolls my clients adore, found a home in the devotional. Did you know, though, that Lynn bakes bread from freshly milled grain? Her friend, Renee, introduced her to baking with whole grains, and she mostly follows Renee’s recipe. The flavor, texture, and nutritional rewards for the extra work are worth the effort. Lynn suggested I share the cinnamon bread recipe with you now, and here it is. (Just so you’ll know: Milling grain may not be practical for everyone or the choice you make. The recipe in the devotional does use regular flour.)
(The grain mill and the stand mixer Lynn uses are available in C-B’s Gift Shop.)
Cinnamon Bread
1 1/4 cups hot water (hot tap water works fine)
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup honey
4-6 drops Young Living Nutmeg Essential Oil*
1 1/4 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups freshly milled whole wheat flour**
2 tsp vital gluten
1 Tbls yeast
1/4 cup whole flaxseed, milled in coffee grinder***
1/4 cup nonfat dried milk
Filling
Small amount of regular milk
1/2 cup (approximately — do this to your liking) brown sugar
1 Tbls (approximately — do this to your liking) cinnamon (we suggest Ceylon cinnamon)
With flat beater of your stand mixer combine water, coconut oil, honey, salt, and nutmeg essential oil.
Blend on low speed until salt is dissolved.
Add the yeast; stir until mixed in; allow to sit for 5-10 minutes.
Add 1 cup of milled four and the vital gluten. Mix well on low speed.
Add yeast, dried milk, and ground flaxseed until well blended.
Continuing adding the flour 1/2 cup at a time. When the dough pulls away from the sides of bowl, switch to the dough hook.
With dough hook on, turn mixer to “Stir” speed. Dough should begin to form sticky ball around the dough hook. When the dough forms the sticky ball, stop adding flour.
With mixer still on “Stir” speed, machine knead the dough for 10-12 minutes.
Spray hands with cooking spray, pull the dough off the dough hook, and form it into a ball. Place in lightly greased bowl. Cover with kitchen towel. Allow to rise in a warm place. (I place mine in oven at 100 degrees/bread rising setting for 45 minutes; or this can be done with the oven light on for 60 minutes.) Otherwise, it may take 1-2 hours until it becomes light and fluffy.
Remove dough from bowl after rising. I use a thin plastic cutting mat and spray lightly with cooking spray. Slam that ball of dough onto the mat 20-30 times. Then roll the dough into a rectangle on the mat. (Make one single loaf or 3 small loaves from the recipe.)
Brush the surface of each rectangle with a little milk. Spread the brown sugar over the rectangle. Sprinkle the cinnamon over the brown sugar. Start on the shorter side of the rectangle and roll into loaf. Place single loaf in standard bread pan, or place the 3 smaller loaves in mini bread pans.
Cover pan(s) with a kitchen towel and allow to rise. Follow same suggestions as above. If doing one loaf, the dough should rise to about 1″ above the pan.
It’s now ready to bake. VERY IMPORTANT! — If using oven for bread to rise, be sure to remove the bread before preheating the oven to 350 degrees to bake the bread. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Tent lightly with aluminum foil after 20 minutes to prevent over browning. Finished loaf will register 190 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center.
Remove bread from oven. Immediately turn out unto wire rack. To help maintain its shape, turn the loaf on its side to cool.
Sometimes for fun and extra yumminess, Lynn adds a glaze of confectioners sugar, mixed with a small amount of milk and 2-3 drops of Young Living Orange Vitality™ essential oil*. (Optional: add some orange zest to the glaze.) Mix to your preferred consistency. Drizzle over the bread.
Storage: Allow bread to completely cool before storing. Bread may be stored in airtight bag for up to 3 days. (DO NOT refrigerate — bread will become very dry). Bread in freezer bags may be store in freezer up to 1 month.
* Young Living Nutmeg essential oil and Cinnamon Vitality™ essential oil are Kosher certified and food grade. Check for this information if selecting other brands.
**You will need approximately 2 1/4 cups of grain. Lynn uses a mixture of equal parts hard red wheat, hard white wheat, and spelt.
***Flaxseed is an oily seed. It should never be milled in a grain mill.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is My flesh. ~~John 6:51 (HCSB)
Lynn extends a very special thank you to Renee Dingler for introducing her to the art of bread making, and for her countless suggestions and lots of recipes. Contact Lynn to obtain a copy of the book Renee co-authored with Cathy Coker: “Whole Grains the Easy Way.”
Copyright 2016, Lynn U. Watson