Cinnamon Tear-Apart Bread -or- Roll Recipe

Turn on the oven for a few minutes and then turn it off (this will be a good place to let the bread rise).

Mix the yeast with the warm water. Stir in the wheat flour, wheat germ, salt, olive oil and honey. Add the bread flour until it is difficult to stir. Oil your fingers and mix the remaining flour with your hands. The dough should form a ball and pull away from the sides of the bowl. 

NOTE: This dough recipe also works well in a bread machine or a mixer with a dough hook.

For tear-apart bread do the following:

    Grease or spray a pan with non-stick spray.

    Melt the butter.

    Mix the cinnamon and sugar in another bowl.

    Cut the dough into 1 inch balls with kitchen shears.  Roll the dough ball in the butter.  Roll the dough ball in the cinnamon sugar.  Drop it into the pan.  Work around the pan until all of the dough is used up.  Cover the pan with towel and set it in a warm draft free place (the oven) to rise for 1 to two hours until it has doubled in size. 

For cinnamon rolls do the following:

    Roll out the dough into a big rectangle. Spread margarine over the dough. Sprinkle it with cinnamon. Sprinkle it     with sugar. Experiment with the amounts of each of these ingredients to find out what you and your family like.  Be generous the first time and reduce what seemed like too much the next time you make it.

    Roll the dough up along the short side. Slice the roll and place the pieces in an oiled baking pan with room between each piece.

    Cover the pan with the towel, set in a warm draft-free place to rise until the rolls are plump (1 to 2 hours).

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Flip the pan onto waxed paper or a large platter.

Bread flour makes better bread than all-purpose flour because it has more wheat gluten. Wheat gluten helps the bread to rise and makes the dough elastic.

Plain white flour lacks many healthy things that whole-wheat flour has even though it is enriched. Whole-wheat flour has fiber that helps prevent cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Even children need the fiber in their diets. Fiber is more filling and helps prevent constipation. Whole-wheat flour retains healthy fatty acids that are good for nerve and tissue development. Plain white flour is cheaper to make that wheat flour and that is why it is more available.

Honey is also a good sweetener because it is fructose that is sweeter than white sugar and smaller amounts can be used.

Wheat germ has great things like folic acid, vitamin E, magnesium, thiamin, phosphorus and zinc.

There is some concern that trans fatty acids (solid vegetable spreads as well as butter) can inhibit the use of the healthy fatty acids found in vegetables. There are now some “cholesterol lowering” spreads which work fine in baking such as the ‘Take Control’ brand.  Any vegetable oil is used in this recipe.  

Children require careful supervision while in the kitchen. Knives, pots, pans, and appliances can be dangerous if used or handled incorrectly. Children should be properly supervised at all times, and instructed in the correct use of cooking equipment.

Cinnamon Roll Recipe - Copyright 2001 Kids Can Make It, Inc. All rights reserved