There are some people who just seem to make the world a little brighter, and Dolly Parton was certainly one of them.

In her memory, I want to share a Dolly-inspired recipe each day this week. Dolly was loved by so many people, not only for her incredible talent, but for the genuinely kind and generous person she was. She never seemed to forget where she came from, and her love of family, Southern traditions and good food was always a part of who she was.

So I couldn’t think of a better recipe to start with than the famous cinnamon bread from Dollywood.

If you’ve ever had Dollywood’s cinnamon bread, you know exactly why people love it so much. It’s warm, buttery, covered in cinnamon sugar and topped with a sweet vanilla glaze. This easy homemade version is inspired by that famous loaf and gives you all those wonderful flavors without a trip to Tennessee.

Serve it warm with a cup of coffee and don’t worry about cutting perfect slices. This is the kind of bread you pull apart and eat with your fingers.

Dollywood-Inspired Cinnamon Bread

Serves: 8
Prep Time: 15 minutes, plus rising time
Bake Time: 25–30 minutes

Ingredients

For the bread

• 1 loaf frozen bread dough, thawed
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• Nonstick cooking spray

For the vanilla glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk, plus more if needed
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Lightly coat a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Place the thawed bread dough on a lightly floured surface. Using a sharp knife, make several deep cuts across the top of the loaf. Cut almost all the way through, but leave the bottom intact.
3. Brush the dough generously with melted butter, making sure some gets down into the cuts.
4. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Sprinkle it generously over the loaf, working some of the cinnamon sugar down into each cut.
5. Place the loaf in the prepared pan. Cover loosely and let it rise in a warm place for 30–45 minutes, or until puffy.
6. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
7. Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and cooked through. If the top starts getting too brown, loosely cover it with foil for the rest of the baking time.
8. Let the bread cool in the pan for about 10 minutes.
9. Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth. Add a little more milk if needed to reach your preferred consistency.
10. Drizzle the vanilla glaze over the warm bread and serve.

Tip: Place a baking sheet underneath the loaf pan while it bakes to catch any buttery cinnamon sugar that bubbles over.

http://www.texasgirlcooks.com