Ribbon Loaf Recipe

(I’m going to give fairly detailed instructions below, in case any novice bread bakers are attempting this. If you are an experienced baker, I know you’ll understand )

Cinnamon Ribbon Loaf

For dough:
2 pkg. active dry yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1 cup milk, scalded and cooled to lukewarm
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil or other flavorless salad oil
5 cups all-purpose flour (I use 2.5 cups whole wheat and 2.5 cups unbleached white)
2 eggs, room temperature, slightly beaten

For filling:
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon

approximately 1 stick plus 3 Tbsp. of softened butter

3 med. sized (9 x 5) loaf pans

In a small bowl mix yeast and warm water. Add about a tsp. of the granulated sugar and a tsp. of flour. Stir and set aside to “proof.” Within about 10 minutes, the yeast should be rising up the sides of the bowl. If it remains flat and does not do this, the yeast is dead, and you will need to start over with fresh yeast. Otherwise, your dough will not rise.

While the yeast is proofing, Combine the lukewarm milk, the rest of the 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, the salt, and the veg. oil. Add enough flours to make a thick batter (like a thick pancake batter). Normally, I do this all in my Kitchenaid stand mixer and beat it on med. speed for 2 min. to get some air into it and get the gluten starting to form.

Next, add your eggs and beat them into the batter. Stir in the yeast.  Now add enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough. If you are using part whole wheat flour, add that to the batter first.

Turn your oven on so that it preheats to about 200 degrees (“warm”). Then turn the oven off.

Knead your dough on a floured surface until it is smooth and satiny. You don’t want it to feel tough and intractable, but just keep working in what’s left of the  5 cups of flour until the dough stops sticking to your hands and you can form a nice round ball out of it that will hold it’s shape pretty well. It may actually take more than the 5 total cups of flour.  Be flexible and trust your instincts!

You’ll need a big bowl for the rising portion of the program.  (The dough will be about the size of a basketball after rising!)  Butter the bowl or spray it with cooking spray. Also grease the top of your ball of dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap that you have greased, and then over that I recommend putting a cotton dish towel that you have wet down and wrung out. Slide the bowl into the warm oven, making sure the oven has been turned off for at least 5 min. before you put the dough in to rise. Rising will take approximately 1.5 hours, but start checking after an hour. When the dough has doubled in size or reached the top of the bowl, it is ready to shape.

To shape the dough, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. It will deflate, which is normal. Sprinkle a little flour over the top and roll the dough out to a rectangle that is about 24 long x 12 wide. Spread the dough with 1 stick of the softened butter. Then mix together the filling ingredients. Save back about 1/4 cup and generously sprinkle the rest over the dough. Use your hands to pat the filling mix down into the dough a bit.

Fold the dough into thirds, so that you have an oblong about 24 x 4. Cut this into about 15 equal-sized strips.

To prepare your pans, put 1 Tbsp. of melted butter into the bottom of each and sprinkle 1/3 of the remaining filling mix over the top in a light layer.

Each pan will hold about 5 of the strips of dough. Turn them on their sides and snake them back and forth into the pan until they fit. It’s not an exact science, so just play with it.

Cover and let rise until the dough reaches the top of the pan–about another 30 min or so.

Bake at 375 for about 20-25 min. (If you have dark pans, reduce temp. to 350.) They should be golden brown, but not burnt. If after 20-25 min. you aren’t sure if they are done in the middle, turn the oven off and let them sit in there for another 5 min. The tops will not brown anymore, but the insides will finish cooking.

Immediately turn the loaves out upside down onto a cookie sheet and cool thoroughly.  Ribbon Loaf can be wrapped in foil and frozen, and it will taste fine after thawing.

Enjoy!