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Slice of cinnamon burst bread on brown parchment paper with butter on wooden dish to the side.

Cinnamon Burst Bread

Yield: 20 slices (2 loaves)
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Resting/Rising Time:: 2 hours 15 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 5 ¼ to 5 ½ cups (745 to 781 g) all-purpose or bread flour, divided
  • 2 tablespoons (27 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon instant or active dry yeast
  • 1 ¾ cups (405 g) warm water, 105 to 110 degrees F.
  • ¼ cup (49 g) neutral-flavored oil, like grapeseed, avocado, vegetable or canola oil
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons table salt
  • 1 ½ cups (270 g) mini cinnamon chips (see note)
  • Butter, for brushing tops of loaves

Instructions 

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add 3 cups of the flour, sugar and yeast. Mix. Add the warm water and mix until combined. Cover the bowl and let the mixture sit for 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Add the oil, egg, salt, 1 more cup of flour, and the cinnamon chips (READ UPDATE IN THE NOTES SECTION BELOW BEFORE ADDING THE CINNAMON CHIPS). Mix on medium speed, and continue to gradually add flour (up to another 1 1/2 cups, more or less) until the dough clears the sides of the bowl. Judge the dough by how it looks and feels, not necessarily by the total amount of flour added (humidity, elevation, how the flour is measured will all affect how much flour is needed).
  • Knead the dough for 4 to 5 minutes.
  • Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm spot until doubled, about an hour. Alternately, you can transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise.
  • Lightly grease two 8 1/2-X-4 1/2-inch loaf pans with cooking spray. Set aside.
  • Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased counter and divide into two pieces.
  • Press each piece into a thick 9-inch square. Roll up into a tight log without stretching the dough. Turn the edges under and press all the seams to seal.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Make sure the oven rack is in the middle position.
  • Place the loaves in the prepared pans. Cover and let rise until the dough rises about 1/2 inch above the top of the bread pans. Don't let the dough rise too high in this step. It springs up quite a bit in the hot oven.
  • Bake the loaves for 32 to 35 minutes until golden on top and baked through. An instant read thermometer inserted into the center of the bread should register 195 degrees F.
  • Out of the oven, carefully turn the loaves out onto a cooling rack and brush melted butter on the tops of the loaves. Let the bread cool completely, before cutting into slices and serving.

Notes

Cinnamon chips: Mini cinnamon chips are preferred in this bread recipe. You can find them online at Orson Gygi, Prepared Pantry, or Amazon. 
The Hershey's brand of cinnamon chips are more widely available in well-stocked grocery stores. I recommend them with reservations: 1) they are bigger in size and will benefit from a rough chop before using in this recipe and 2) when I've tried them in the past, the flavor is a bit more artificial than the other brands mentioned above and they tend to bleed orange color when baked. 
UPDATE: Several readers have reported their cinnamon chips have melted into the dough instead of holding their shape. To avoid this, you can store the cinnamon chips in the freezer and add them to the dough straight from the freezer. Additionally, you can wait and add the cinnamon chips to the dough during the last minute (or less) of kneading so they don't melt into the warm dough.