Jake's Favorite Cinnamon Bread

At least once a day, I get this overwhelming urge to bake something. The other day, I was foraging in cabinets, trying to find some simple inspiration. Jake, my seven (almost eight!) year old, said he wanted cinnamon rolls, but I was short on time and not really willing to clean up the disaster that cinnamon rolls tend to make. 

Cinnamon did sound great though, so I whipped out my handy mixer and threw some ingredients in the bowl. The result was an instant household favorite. Jake polished off an entire (mini) loaf himself over the course of that evening and the next morning. As he was licking the crumbs off of his plate the next day, he looked up at me with grave sincerity and said, "Mom, you have to blog this bread." So, per Jacob's request, here is his favorite thing in the world: Jake's Cinnamon Bread.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter - softened

1 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 cup of buttermilk (I actually didn't have any on hand but you can cheat by using 1 cup of regular milk, adding 1 tablespoon of vinegar, and letting it sit for a couple minutes)

2 cups of all purpose flour

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 cup of sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon mixed together.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F

In the bowl of your mixer, cream together butter, 1 cup of sugar, and the egg.

Add the milk, flour, and baking soda and mix just until incorporated. Divide about half of your batter between two mini loaf pans (or a single 9x5 loaf pan). Sprinkle about half of your cinnamon/sugar mixture over the batter of the two loaves to create the cinnamon ribbon in the middle of the bread. Then pour in the rest of your batter. Top the loaves with the rest of your cinnamon/sugar mixture. It looks like a lot, but this is what makes the awesome cinnamon crust on top. 

Bake loaves for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out batter-free. Let cool in the pan for a few minutes before removing. Slice and enjoy!