Cinnamon Leaves

(Please welcome this rare post from my mother, MaryAnne, who contributes so much behind the scenes and so seldom here on this blog-- Ann)

This is a traditional holiday treat for Christmas morning in our family.  I can remember having it as long ago as when I was ten or so (1945).  As I got older, my mother taught me to make them and I brought the recipe and tradition to the Fisher family when I married Paul in 1957.  The tradition has been passed down to our kids and grandkids.  It’s possible that the recipe originated with my Mom or maybe her Mom.  We Googled “Cinnamon Leaves” and didn’t find anything.

The preparation of Cinnamon Leaves is not labor intensive but it does take the better part of a day while you wait for them to rise three times.  You will need a really large ring pan (mine is 12”) or two small ones.  Cinnamon leaves freeze very well.  Let them thaw overnight and reheat wrapped in foil.

Cinnamon Leaves

Dissolve 1 pkg dry yeast in ¼ cup warm water.

Scald 1 cup of milk.  Add ½ cup of sugar, 3 tbsp of shortening and 1 tsp of salt to the scalded milk.  Let cool.  Stir in the yeast.

Add 2 lightly beaten eggs and 1 cup of flour.  Whisk until smooth.  Place in bowl and let rise until light and spongy.

Add enough flour (2 – 3 cups) to make soft dough.  Knead on a floured bread board until smooth and elastic.  Place back in bowl, cover with a cloth and let rise until double in volume.

Melt 1 cube of butter

Mix ½ cup of brown sugar, 1 cup of white sugar and 1 tsp of cinnamon.

Punch the risen dough down, pinch off pieces and roll into balls (a little smaller than a golf ball), dip in the melted butter and roll in the sugar mixture.  Flatten the balls and arrange them in a greased ring pan vertically.  Pour any excess butter and sugar mixture over the top.  Cover the pan and let rise in a warm place for about an hour.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until brown.  Turn the Cinnamon Leaves out of the pan immediately.

There is a little sampling trick you can use right after the Cinnamon Leaves come out of the oven and have been removed from the ring pan.  Use an ordinary table knife to carefully separate a "leaf" along the separation lines, slide the separated piece out, and push the ring closed.  Nobody is the wiser.  I’ve done this forever and Paul never knew it until I showed him this year.

Enjoy!

Comments

[Manggy]

Ooh, I'm curious. It's like a brioche ring? Sounds nice. I wish I had a better feel for what the dough must be like: I get a little nervous reading "2-3 cups"-- maybe when I'm a more accomplished baker/ bread-maker. Also will have to look for a wide ring tin, the closest I have here is a small angel food tin I've used all of once.

[Ann]

Manggy, it's just a sweet yeasted dough, but not as rich as brioche. And it's really pretty easy. If you make it and the leaves seem a little "tough" you know you needed a lighter hand with the amount of flour. You want a tender not quite sticky dough.

Also, you can use a smaller ring pan-- you'll just need to use two. Or even use the one angel food pan and then line a bread pan with the rest of the leaves.

I don't know if you have ever seen recipes for "Monkey Bread," but this is somewhat similar. Monkey Bread recipes usually call for pre-made biscuit dough and for the dough to be shaped into and baked as round balls.

Mom, you sneak! And calling it a "sampling technique"! :-)

[Lisa]

I want some!

[JEP]

Loved this post! I can just see my grandkids pulling off little balls of cinnamon goodness & popping in their mouths! So much better with the homemade yeast version rather than the canned biscuits :)

[Sophie]

Every year around this time I start craving cinnamon leaves, and this post just reminded me! I've loved this recipe for as long as I can remember. Grandma, maybe you can post about sausage bread, too! (And the vegetarian version you sent Mom).

[ann]

What a cool post! I love that your whole family is involved Ann. I hope you guys have a lovely, amazing Christmas!

[Ann]

Okay, WHY does everyone in this family think the sausage bread recipe is grandma's? Because it's MINE, I tell you, MINE.

[maf]

YES ANN - We all know the Sausage Bread is yours - how about a Post. By the way - don't try to get out of sneaky sampling - you have known that trick since you were a little girl! Sophie, I'll do the vegetarian bread one of these days.

[Susan]

What a wonderfully creative, stylin' take on a sweet yeast bread. If I wasn't already committed (by family vote!) to bake cinnamon rolls for Xmas morning, this would be MY choice. Lovely.