Easy chocolate chip cinnamon bread is sheer pleasure on a lazy Saturday morning. Toasted until light brown, slathered in unsalted butter, and eaten with a hot cup of tea, it is one of life’s great pleasures. Such bread is meant to be savored and lingered over, taking the time to inhale the mingled scents of warm bread, hot cinnamon, and melting dark chocolate.
Easy chocolate chip cinnamon bread can be made with any variety of bread dough, but I prefer a light, buttery brioche. The light texture of the bread marries well with the dark chocolate chunks, while the rich egg and butter flavor is beautiful with the heady fragrance of freshly ground cinnamon.
Brioche can be made by hand over several hours, and I’ve included a recipe for this process below, but on weekends I like to make things as easy and quick as possible, so I use my bread machine to mix the dough. I only intervene at the end when I remove the dough, knead it one last time, add in a generous helping of dark chocolate chips or dark chocolate chunks, and shape it for the pan.
In my experience, bread machines are ghastly for baking pretty loaves of bread, but first rate for getting the initial mixing and risings done. It’s lovely to hop out of bed, get the brioche ingredients in the machine, set it to the dough setting, then crawl back in bed to sleep a bit longer or read a good book while the machine does the hard work for me. I wait for the final kneading to mix in the chocolate since the machine can get rather warm and I want the chocolate chunks to retain their shape and not melt into swirls through the dough.
Since chocolate takes center stage in this delightful bread, I like using a good quality dark chocolate since other cheaper varieties can taste waxy. If dark chocolate isn't your favorite, use good quality white chocolate chips or smooth milk chocolate ones. Even butterscotch chips would be lovely.
You can also mix things up by adjusting the spices you use. Cinnamon is delicious with dark chocolate chips, but you can also try nutmeg with the butterscotch chips, and finely chopped crystallized ginger with the milk chocolate chips. Spices go well with white chocolate chips, but I like stirring in dried fruit, especially dried cranberries or cherries. Even nuts would go well with this recipe.
When it's time to serve your easy chocolate chip cinnamon bread, it's scrumptious straight out of the oven, fresh and warm, or cut into thick slices and lightly toasted. Just make sure you provide plenty of softened butter to spread over each slice. Plain butter is nice, but whipping it and adding a drizzle of honey and a sprinkle of cinnamon makes it extra special. You can also serve the bread with softened cream cheese, or even slices of a lovely, smooth cheese such as Havarti, Fontina, or smoked Gouda.
Easy Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Bread (bread machine)
Ingredients:
- 3 large eggs
- 1/3 cup butter, melted
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1-2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 cups white flour
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 teaspoon fast-action dry yeast
- 1-2 cups dark chocolate chips
Directions:
Pour first five ingredients into pan of bread machine. Top with flour, sugar, then yeast. Close lid, choose the dough setting, and press start.
When beeper sounds, remove dough from bread pan and place on well-floured surface.
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Press dough into a rough circle and pour dark chocolate chunks on top.
Knead well until chocolate chunks are evenly dispersed.
Butter a cast iron pot, brioche pan, or bread pan and place dough inside.
Bake 25-30 minutes until brioche is golden brown and sounds hollow when you tap the top.
Remove from pan and cool on wire rack. Serve with lashings of butter.
Easy Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Bread (by hand)
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 tsp fast-action dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon warm water
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 3 large eggs
- 2/3 cup butter, softened
- 1-2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 cups white flour
- 1-2 cups dark chocolate chips
Directions:
Place the yeast and water in a bowl and stir. Set aside in a warm place for about 5 minutes.
In large bowl, mix together flour, yeast mixture, and eggs. Add sugar, salt, vanilla, cinnamon, and milk and mix well for about 10 minutes.
Add the butter and mix well for 5-7 minutes until it’s glossy and stretchy. Mix in chocolate chips.
Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place for 2–3 hours or until dough has doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Divide dough into 2 equal portions. Place in cast iron pot or bread pan lined with baking paper.
Cover with a clean, damp cloth and set aside for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Bake for 35–40 minutes or until golden. Cool for 10 minutes and serve.
