This bread is great for breakfast with a cup of black tea or coffee. I like it toasted and slathered with butter — or cream cheese frosting, if I happen to have some. For a special treat, make it into French toast!

Ingredients:

Dough:

1 cup whole milk

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast (or one packet)

2 eggs

1/3 cup sugar

3 cups white flour

1/2 cup wheat flour

1 teaspoon salt

Filling:

2 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cinnamon

Egg Wash:

One egg

Splash of milk

Instructions:

1.  In a small saucepan, heat milk and butter until the butter has melted. Remove from heat and cool until warm but not hot (around 105 degrees Fahrenheit). Sprinkle in yeast, stir to combine, and let sit for 10 minutes to allow yeast to “proof”.

2. Whisk together flour and salt.

3. In an electric mixer, use the paddle attachment to mix the sugar and eggs until combined. Stir in the milk, butter, and yeast liquid, and slowly add the flour/salt.

4. Swap the paddle attachment for the dough hook and knead dough for 10 minutes on medium/high speed. The dough should be tacky, but not so sticky that it is hard to work with. If it is too sticky, add additional white flour ¼ cup at a time, beating well after each addition.

5. Coat the interior of a large bowl with canola oil. Place the ball of dough in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a warm, damp kitchen towel.

6. Let rise for 2-3 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.

7. Whisk together sugar and cinnamon. Grease a metal loaf pan generously with canola oil.

8. Roll the dough into a 12” by 18” rectangle, ensuring it is not wider than the loaf pan. Smear softened butter all over the surface of the dough and sprinkle evenly with cinnamon sugar. Roll the dough into a log and place seam side down in the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 2-4 hours, or until the top of the dough is just higher than the sides of the pan.

9. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Beat the egg and milk to make an egg wash. Brush over the top of the dough.

10. Bake for about 40 minutes on the middle rack of the oven. The crust should be a deep golden brown.

11. Let cool. Run a knife along the sides of the pan to loosen the bread, and carefully flip the loaf onto a cutting board.

12. Slice and serve!

Recipe adapted from Pioneer Woman