Cinnamon Bread

Here's another baking bites recipe for you. I brought this bread to Robert's Spring Picnic, I offered to make Banana Bread or Cinnamon Bread and the later won, but I'll include both recipes. The Banana Bread is from the Joy of Cooking cookbook.

Quick and Easy Cinnamon Bun Bread

3 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
8 tsp active dry or rapid rise yeast
1 1/3 cup warm milk (100-110F; low fat is fine)
6 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large egg

Filling/Topping
3 tbsp butter, room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch ground cardamom

Icing
1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tbsp milk or cream

Lightly grease an 8×8-inch square baking pan.
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt. Dissolve the yeast in a measuring cup filled with the warmed milk, then stir milk mixture, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and egg into the flour mixture. Mix well, until very smooth. Pour into prepared pan and let rest for 15 minutes.

While the dough rests, mix together butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and cardamom in a small bowl using a fork until all the butter has been incorporated into the sugar and mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle evenly on top of rested dough and press the mixture down into the dough with your fingertips (or swirl in with a spatula.)
Place pan into a cold oven, then set the oven temperature to 350F.

Bake for about 30 minutes, until bread is lightly browned at the edges and the center of the bread springs back when lightly pressed. Some of the sugar mixture on top may still be bubbling.

Cool for at least 30 minutes before whisking the powdered sugar and milk together to form an icing and drizzling it onto the bread.

Serve warm. Leftovers can be reheated in the microwave.
Serves 9.

Banana Wheat Germ Quick Bread
from The Joy of Cooking cookbook

Preheat oven to 350
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
(or 1 1/4 cup flour and 1/4 cup wheat germ for wheat germ Banana bread Really good)
2 1/4 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
blend with:
1/3 c. shortening (I use applesauce)
2/3 c. sugar
3/4 t. grated lemon peel (from 1 or two lemons)
beat in:
1-2 beaten eggs
1 - 1 1/4 c. ripe mashed bananas

you can fold in (1/2 c. chopped nuts) and or (1/4 c. finely chopped apricots)
Place the batter in a greased bread pan. Bake the bread for about 1 hour or until done. Cool before slicing.