I don't mean that in the colloquial sense, I literally mean it was 90 degrees in our apartment and I refused to blow dry my hair. I wore a dress not because it was an occasion which required it, but because I don't own a pair of shorts. I was excited for work not only because I enjoy my job, but because the YMCA is air conditioned.
Just a few days ago, I remember thinking to myself that we should hold out, that we should attempt to make it through the summer without buying window units, because we're moving in September, and our new housing is (so far as we know) air conditioned. That it would be silly to buy something that we would only use for three months, and that instead, we should spend our money on, you know, something permanent. That we lasted a good two months of hot weather in this apartment when we moved here in August, and it was just fine thankyouverymuch and we are capable of suffering through this time.
I was wrong. Oh man, I was wrong.
Perhaps it's because my family always kept the house at a cool low-60-some degrees from late spring to mid fall. Perhaps it's because the humidity on the first hot day here was so high that I felt like my pillow had a layer of damp on it when I laid down. Perhaps it's because I absolutely refuse to turn on the oven when the house is that warm. Perhaps it's because I'm a wimp. (I'm thinking it's all of the above, but mostly the last one).
J. and I bit the bullet, and used jar money (the money we refuse to admit to ourselves that we have until a. air conditioning is needed, b. emergencies, or c. vacation) to buy two window units, and I am more thankful than I have ever been in my life that J. and I are equally stubborn when it comes to being uncomfortable in our own home. It should also be noted that J. installed both units, for which I am eternally grateful.
Because of the aforementioned air conditioning, I have a slightly unseasonal recipe to post today. For some inexplicable reason, I was craving cinnamon bread. I've been thinking about it for days. The spiced swirl, the soft, chewy interior, the just slightly crispy crust. Eating it by unfurling it like a cinnamon roll, rather than a piece of bread. Completely good on its own, no need for any topping. I simply couldn't help myself.
It's worth it, even in 90 degree weather. I would have considered making it even without the air conditioning.
Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Lightly adapted from the Pioneer Woman
For the bread
1 cup milk
6 tablespoons butter/margarine
2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
2 whole eggs
⅓ cups sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
For the swirl
Scant 1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
For the top
egg and milk, mixed together, for brushing
Melt butter/margarine with milk. Heat until very warm, make sure not to boil. Allow to cool slightly. Sprinkle yeast over the top, stir gently, and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
Combine flours and salt.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix sugar and eggs with the paddle attachment until combined. Pour in milk/butter/yeast mixture and mix to combine. Add half the flour mixture and beat on medium speed until combined. Add the other half and beat until combined.
Switch to the dough hook attachment and beat/knead dough on medium speed for ten minutes. The dough should come together in a ball around the hook. If dough is overly sticky, add 1/4 cup flour and beat again for 5 minutes.
Heat a metal or glass mixing bowl so it’s warm. Drizzle in a little canola oil, then toss the dough in the oil to coat. Cover bowl in plastic wrap (I didn't have any, I used a towel and it worked just fine) and let rise for at least 2 hours.
Turn dough out onto the work surface. Roll into a rectangle no wider than the loaf pan you’re going to use, and about 18 to 24 inches long. Smear with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Mix sugars and cinnamon together, then sprinkle evenly over the butter-smeared dough. Starting at the far end, roll dough toward you, keeping it tight and contained. Pinch seam to seal.
Smear loaf pan with softened butter. Place dough, seam down, in the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 2 hours.
NOTE: I skipped this. I was hungry and impatient. The bread turned out just fine. At some point I'll try it again with the second rise, but if you, like me, are feeding both a craving and a boyfriend, it's acceptable to skip it.
Preheat oven to 350°.
Mix a little egg with milk, and smear over the top. Bake for 40 minutes on a middle/lower rack in the oven.
Allow to cool for 15 minutes (I did 5 in the pan, and then turned it out onto a cooling rack for 10. The fact that it lasted that long before I cut into it is a miracle, due to the previously indicated hunger and boyfriend. Just saying.)
Slice. Consume. Enjoy. Repeat.
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