So easy. So cinnamony. So good.

ETA: I've received a lot of comments asking where they can find cinnamon chips. I found mine at the local grocery store but they can be hard to find. The brand I used are by Hershey's and on their website is a product locator. King Arthur Flour Co. also carries a mini chip version.

Oh my goodness, is this cinnamon bread good! I found it on the King Arthur Four Blog awhile back and it peeked my interest almost immediately. I mean, come on, it's loaded with cinnamon chips and topped with cinnamon sugar. What's not to like? It smelled heavenly too while baking. It was awesome warm right out of the oven and stayed fresh for a couple days. After that it got a little stale but was just as good toasted.

It's a cross between a yeast bread and a quick bread. It does contain yeast but there is no proofing or kneading involved. You just add the instant yeast to the dry ingredients and mix it all together. You do have to let the ball of dough rest for a bit but in that time you can blog a new recipe :-)

The recipe calls for instant yeast but I only had regular yeast so I emailed the KAF customer care people and they got back to me promptly. This was their response, "You can use active dry yeast in almost any recipe calling for instant yeast. You just need to proof it first in some of the liquid from the recipe. You do not need to make any other changes to the recipe. Rise times will depend on the temperature of the dough, and the temperature of the room. It is best to go by the look of the dough, rather than the clock."

That's another thing about KAF that I love because they want you to succeed! They want you to try their recipes and they make sure that the formulas they provide you are going to work. They double and triple check them to be sure what they are providing you is simply the best. And what more can you of a company that has been around since 1790?! The KAF blog- Bakers' Banter- is amazing too and they provide step by step instructions and pictures. Be sure to stop by and what they're baking if you haven't already.

Easy Cinnamon Bread from KAF via Bakers' Banter

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• 3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup warm milk
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup cinnamon chips
• cinnamon-sugar, for topping

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, yeast, cinnamon and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, butter, and egg. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, beating till smooth. Let the batter rest at room temperature for 1 hour, covered, then stir in the baking powder and cinnamon chips.

Spoon the batter into a greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan. Sprinkle the top with the cinnamon-sugar.

Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until it tests done; a cake tester inserted into the center will come out clean. Remove the bread from the oven, let it rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer it from the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: 1 loaf

NOTE: Don't slice the bread while it's hot! It'll slice much better when it's completely cool.

While this recipe calls for instant yeast, the good people at KAF say that active dry yeast can be substituted. Just be sure that if you're going to use the active dry yeast that you proof it in the warm milk prior to adding it to the dry ingredients.

This would be a wonderful treat on Christmas morning.