cinnamon roll bread attempt #1

Partial fail, but totally tasty results. My kids and I just gobbled up half a loaf before Daddy even knows the loaves exist! He's out running in the rain. I'm at home baking gooey, sugary baked goods. Yup, sounds about right.

Doesn't look so good, but tastes great

So I had this idea that I really like cinnamon rolls, and the results of the effort, but what if I could get the same (or similar results) with a little less effort? Meaning: I feel too lazy to make the frosting sometimes while the actual cinnamon rolls are baking, so what if I came up with a bread that had the cinnamon and the cream cheese frosting inside? No need to cut the dough into individual rolls, no need to frost afterwards....just cut into a loaf and get the same taste and texture. I'm weird, but that sounds appealing to me. You know, 'cause after you go through all the trouble making dough from scratch and letting it rise twice, who can be bothered to go those extra finishing steps of cutting the dough into rolls, and then frosting them? Ha ha. Probably most people who go through that effort have no problem finishing it to get the yummy rolls...but I'm not most people. Sometimes the excitement of making cinnamon rolls wears off before they're actually completed.

I didn't watch this bread as it baked (mistake number one). While I was checking up on Pinterest, the tops burned. I was only alerted when I smelled the distinct scent of burnt sugar coming from the kitchen (some filling had risen with the bread in the oven and spilled onto the floor of my oven). I had set a timer, but....I was also guessing on time and temperature, so it might have been a good idea to watch it. Also, there was a large hole (which you can see in the picture) once I got to the middle of the loaf, so some ingredients, baking time/temperature will need to be adjusted. But, when you eat it (and you have to eat it with a fork), it tastes exactly like a cream-cheese frosted cinnamon roll, except the bread consistency is a little better. Sometimes I don't like how the bread in the traditional cinnamon roll is not the highlight, but the cinnamon goo. While that goo is delicious, I want a more dense crumb to the bread that can hold up to the sugary-cinnamony goo. That probably only makes sense in my own head. But, you'll see...

Anyway: as an idea, I liked the results. I type this with a full and satisfied tummy. In the spirit of perserverence (most call it stubborness), I declare I WILL NOT STOP UNTIL THIS RECIPE IS PERFECTED!! I will attack this with the same fervor I attacked mastering sponge cake (which meant that my family members got full cakes delivered to them out of the blue). I even left one in the freezer of my parent's basement that they found six months later: it was still delicious. I also might have gone through dozens of eggs and a lot of sugar during that sponge cake phase. But, I was left knowing that I can make a technically perfect sponge cake if I want. I also was left with the knowledge that I don't particularly like sponge cake, and I might not ever make another one. But if I want to, I can. And that's what matters: the freedom to bake what I want. 

So, something to look forward to, folks: yummy ooey-gooey (but not too gooey) cinnamon roll bread. Mmmmm. I have a feeling I need to go stock up on sugar. Maybe my hubby can stop at the store and pick some up on his run. I'll text him.