I Did It!!! Yummy Cinnamon Swirl Yeast Bread!

I bit the bullet today and finally made some yeast bread!  I have wanted to try making yeast bread for a very long time.  My mom did it when we were growing up, and it was such a special treat!  She would usually make dinner rolls or cinnamon rolls.  Those cinnamon rolls beat out every other cinnamon rolls I have ever had...and probably will ever have, if only because they were the ones Mama made.

A friend of my sister's (& mine -- Hi, Rachelle!) did a photo-blog post on how to make the yeast bread she makes all the time (http://littlewifeontheprairie.blogspot.com/2010/10/for-michelle.html).  She did it for my sister, because Michelle was just as timid about making bread as I was.  Last month, when I was watching one of my nephews, Michelle brought a BEAUTIFUL loaf of bread in for me to bake -- so very yummy!  She did a fabulous job...and yet, I was still not comfortable trying it out.  I have two munchkins -- W is every bit of 2.5 and AB is 15 months old.  How in the world would I find time to do something as intensive as making yeast bread from scratch????

So...I continued reading Rachelle's blog and through her was introduced to The Pioneer Woman -- serious blogger with scads of photo-blogs of recipes.  Somehow, I came across her recipe for Homemade Cinnamon Bread (http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/08/homemade-cinnamon-bread/).  The photos and her description....it finally called to me long enough, and I HAD to have a piece!  Today was the perfect moment in time for me to attempt it -- W was at MDO and AB needed a LONG nap.

Step-by-Step and Inch-by-Inch (hee hee), with much fear and trepidation, I followed the recipe (with a substitution of 1.5 cups of whole wheat flour for all-purpose flour, cheeky of me, I know!) and photos -- SWEET SUCCESS!!!  It did take all day to get it done.  :-)  I started about noon and didn't have it out of the oven until 7:00.  There were a few moments where I had to hold my breath, though.  Was the liquid I put my yeast in too cool?  Did it proof like it should?  It wasn't "foamy," was it going to work?  I placed the dough in the bowl to rise, put it on the top of the refrigerator, and left it alone for a couple of hours.  I had, in full faith of rising, placed the small round in a HUGE bowl; when I pulled it down, the bowl was FULL of risen bread.  Woohoo!!! & PTL!!!  From there it was relatively stress free.  (Granted, I'll be sure to roll it a little tighter next time.)  Aaahhh...

And now, I can enjoy a yummy, delectable piece of cinnamon bread.  Tomorrow morning, I think it will be perfect with a cup of Kona coffee...

Now it's onward and forward to consistent yeast bread making.  That will be the trick.  :-)