Cinnamon Swirl Loaf

This cinnamon swirl loaf makes a great addition to your recipe collection. I use unbleached flour, as it is better for the gut microbiome. This recipe also uses lard instead of vegetable oil. Vegetable oil has a very long half life for the body to break down, therefore is have found that lard is a very good substitution, that our body can processes right away. When I have used olive oil, I find the results to be drier. I have found that lard provides the moisture that we desire in baked goods, that would usually come from oil. Lard is what our grandparents cooked and baked with, before vegetable oil became mainstream. Cinnamon is known to help regulate and prevent blood sugar spikes, and is a useful addition to baking for this reason. The healthiest type of cinnamon to use is called Ceylon cinnamon. The best thing about doing your own home baking is that it is free of food additives and chemical preservatives.

Cinnamon Swirl Loaf

2 cups flour, unbleached

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup melted lard

1/3 cup sour cream

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

2/3 cup milk

Swirl and topping

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 Tablespoon cinnamon

For the swirl and topping combine the brown sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon.

For the loaf combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and salt in a bowl, and stir to combine well. In a separate bowl combine melted lard, sour cream, sugar, egg and milk and stir to combine. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Do not over stir as this will make the loaf tough. Spoon half of the batter into the buttered loaf pan. Sprinkle the batter in the loaf pan with 3/4 of the brown sugar mixture, and then top it with the remaining batter. Using a knife, cut and draw through the unbaked batter, and sprinkle the top with the remaining brown sugar mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Optional: drizzle the top with a thin vanilla icing when cooled.