March 27, 2013

Cinnamon Raisin Bread


Ahhh, cinnamon raisin bread.  Just the smell of it cooking makes me smile.  I haven't had it in so long, I think I forgot for a brief time how much I love this bread.  So good straight out of the oven, but really you can use this bread for many things - toast, french toast, and for an endless array of sandwiches.  For me, since I am a sweet & savory kinda girl, so I love using it for sandwiches - the weirder the combination, the better (tuna, chicken salad, turkey, egg salad, etc.)

I have tried different recipes and methods, all producing slightly different results.  Sometimes the recipes I tried didn't rise so well, or took very long to rise.  After doing some research I discovered a theory that the cinnamon in the dough counter-acts the rising agent of the yeast.  I don't know if this is true or not because I haven't tried making it without the cinnamon mixed into the dough, but it is next on my list of experiments for this recipe.....just so I can see for myself if it really matters.

For now, here is the recipe I use - it is a compilation of different recipes I've collected and tried.  It's delicious.  It makes me want to curl up on the couch in front of a fire, wrapped up in a blanket and sipping some coffee while munching on this bread all toasted up and slathered with butter.  Mmmmm.....too bad I don't have a fireplace, but you get the idea ☺


Cinnamon Raisin Bread

1 1/4 tsp instant yeast
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 egg, beaten
1 3/4 cups bread flour
1/4 cup whole milk (or buttermilk)
1/3 cup warm water
1 tbsp shortening, room temp
1/2 cup raisins

Filling:
1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water
1/2 cup sugar mixed with 2 tsp cinnamon

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, fitted with a dough hook, stir together the yeast, sugar, salt, cinnamon and flour.  Add the milk, water, egg and shortening and mix on medium-low until it comes together to form a ball.  Mix for 5 minutes, add the raisins then mix for another 2 minutes.  Sprinkle a little flour on the counter and turn out the dough.  Knead it for a couple of turns by hand just to make sure the raisins are well incorporated.

With a rolling pin roll the dough out into a 10" x 12" rectangle.  Brush with the egg wash, then sprinkle the sugar & cinnamon mixture on to cover the entire surface.  Roll the dough up to form a loaf and place into a loaf pan that's been coating with cooking spray.  Spray the top of the dough lightly with cooking spray and cover loosely with plastic wrap.  Place pan in a warm area of your kitchen and let it rise for 3-4 hours.  Once it's risen high enough (to the top of pan or higher), place in oven that's been preheated to 350.  Bake for 20 minutes, rotate pan and cook another 20-30 minutes.  If you tap on the top (or some say the bottom) of the loaf it should sound hollow, and it should be a nice golden brown.  Remove bread from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

16 comments:

  1. Oh my. This looks absolutely amazing. I've made cinnamon bread before, but never with raisins. That sounds so absolutely delicious! I can't wait to try this!

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  2. Thanks for stopping by & commenting - I hope you will give this a try and that you love it as much as I do!

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  3. Mmh delicious looking bread!

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  4. What size loaf pan did you use?

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  5. It was a 9 x 5" pan. Good luck!

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  6. How VERY exciting!!! I think I've found this weekend's baking project! I'm considering using MINI loaf pans, how do you think that will hold up? Thanks for the recipe! LOVE that I found your blog! Great site!

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  7. Hi Deittra - I'm so glad you are excited about trying this recipe! I would think using mini loaf pans would be OK, just watch the cook time - I'm sure it won't need as long in the oven. Good luck & thanks for stopping by ☺

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  8. This looks amazing. Ever so pretty. Can't wait to try this next weekend!

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  9. It's baking right now am very excited to see how this raisin bread turns out.

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  10. I have this rising right now. But I'm curious....can this recipe be doubled for 2 loaves, and if so, what would the difference in ingredients? It seemed like a lot of cinnamon filling for just one loaf, so I didn't use it all. I also increased the raisins a little bit. I had to add slightly more flour until it formed a ball, doing so just a tbsp. at a time. If this turns out good, I'd like to double the recipe so I can freeze one loaf before baking.

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    1. It can be doubled for 2 loaves. Personally, I would double the ingredients as is, but if you prefer less of the filling then adjust it to your liking. Hope it turns out perfect for you! Thanks for visiting & commenting ☺

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    2. I've made this two days in a row. The first loaf I made with bread flour. It didn't rise over the pan and at 2 hrs. it started falling so I had to bake it. I didn't care for the texture of the bread though, although it tastes fine. It was more like an artisan bread texture, which just didn't seem right for this bread. So today I made another loaf with AP flour, thinking the texture had something to do with the flour. Again, at 2 hr. 15 min. it started falling. I put it in to bake and just took it out of the oven. Again, the texture isn't that great. I followed the directions exactly. I have a proof feature on my oven, so I have no idea what the problem could be. The only thing I can think of, is maybe the humidity. I live in Fla. But our AC is on constantly, so it's not humid in the house. I'm perplexed. I hope this recipe works for others, but after two attempts, I will be trying another recipe I guess. Sorry.

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    3. Hmmmm, I'm sorry it's giving you so much trouble. I live in the mountains, so maybe there is some difference based on elevations. Or, is it possible your yeast is outdated? In any case, good luck next time - hopefully you will find a recipe that works for you!

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