bakekrazy

One of the most popular breads is the raisin cinnamon bread. I know because my wife loves it, as they say happy wife, happy life. This bread can be made with or without the raisins or even without the sugar cinnamon. You could even add herbs such as parsley, scallions and chives to make it an Herb spiral bread.

Allow about 6 hours or more to complete this recipe. This will make two 8″ x 4″ loafs

Dough Starter
2 1/4 cups bread flour
1 3/4 cups 90 degrees water
3 tablespoons Honey
3/4 teaspoon instant yeast

In a medium bowl add all the ingredients and whisk for about three minutes to fully incorporate. Cover with some plastic wrap and set on the counter for a minimum of 1 hour.

Dough
2 1/8 cups bread flour
1/4 cups dry milk
3/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1 1/4 cup soft butter
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups raisins

Mix in the the flour, dry milk and instant yeast to the sponge mixture. Allow this to ferment for about 1 hour before continuing. In a stand mixer add the butter to the dough and mix until incorporated. Sprinkle the salt onto the dough and mix with a dough hook at a medium speed for about 10 minutes. Add the raisins and mix at a low speed to distribute throughout the dough. Pull the dough from the mixing bowl and knead for 2 -3 minutes, spray the inside of the bowl with vegetable spray and roll the dough inside the bowl to coat both sides. Cover and allow to proof. I use the microwave as a proof box, first I heat a cup of water to a boil then place it in the microwave along with the bowl of dough. This will speed up the proofing. The dough needs to double in size approximately 1 hour inside the microwave approximately 2 hours on your counter. Pull the dough from the bowl and flatten  a lightly floured surface then oil, cover and refrigerate 1 hour.

Cinnamon Filling
1/2 cup sugar
4 teaspoons cinnamon
1 beaten egg

Mix the sugar and cinnamon and set off to the side. The egg will be used to coat the dough surface both before filling and before baking.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and place a full sheet pan on the lowest rack

Pull the dough from the refrigerator and divide in half. Roll each dough out to approximately 7″ x 14″. Brush the dough with egg and take half the sugar mixture and spread in the center out to approximately 1/2″ of the edge. Now roll the dough from the short end as tightly as you can without stretching the dough. Place each dough log (seam down) into the prepared pans. Proof until double in size (The dough should crown the pan) If your not using the microwave method make sure you cover the pans with a loose damp kitchen towel. After proofed lightly brush with egg, place both pans onto the sheet pan on the lower rack then bake for 50 minutes (During baking you may want to rotate the pan to allow for even cooking) Using a read thermometer the bread should read 211 degrees. Remove the bread from the oven and brush the tops with butter, remove from pans and cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy
Chef Brian Klauss