Cinnamon Swirl Bread(s)

This is what good cinnamon swirl bread looks like.

It was an America's Test Kitchen recipe that I have. Light and fluffy, chewy and moist, just sweet enough. I wish I could have this for breakfast every single day. It's heavenly. Too bad from the time I decide I want to eat it to the time I can actually eat it is about six hours.

I was craving it today. Since I forgot my baking book in Berkeley, I decided to use Pioneer Woman's recipe. I can't remember exact ATK proportions, but I do remember that PW uses more butter, less flour, and overall more sugar. Typical PW cooking, if you ask me.

The most important difference was the yeast. I typically use active dry yeast in my baking instead of instant yeast because that's just what I have. They're both yeasts, but the way they process them is different. Basically, active dry yeast has more dead exterior cells, so it requires you to wake them up by "proofing" them--reconstituting them in warm water to remove the dead cells. Instant yeast can be added directly to dry ingredients because it's more potent. If you're substituting active dry for instant, be sure to use 25% more. End yeast lesson.

Anyways I thought I'd be more efficient and buy some instant yeast. Then I made the cinnamon swirl bread....but I followed PW's recipe, including the proofing part. Whoops. I killed the yeast and the bread didn't rise. This is the monstrosity that resulted:



Extremely dense, chewy, brick-like. Completely inedible. Also, I knew the recipe had too much of the cinnamon sugar filling! It leaked out and became all gummy. The thing I'm most bummed about is that now I can't give a fair taste comparison between America's Test Kitchen's recipe and Pioneer Woman's recipe. (I think I'll stick to ATK though, the recipe seems healthier). Maybe I'll try again when I come back from Las Vegas in a few days....and this time, forgo the proofing.

I don't know what to do with the rest of the brick, because it seems like such a waste. I think my little brother said he wanted to bring it to the lake to feed ducks with. Sigh.