Cinnamon-Raisin Swirl Bread
This recipe is written for use with a stand mixer. We use a KitchenAid. Unfortunately, unlike my grandmothers, I don’t make bread kneading by hand. Unless, of course, I have a serious need for either doorstops or bricks.
Gather together
* 1/2 cup whole milk (substitute 2% if desired)
* 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces.
* 1 envelope of instant yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
* 1/2 cup warm water (about 110 degrees F)
* 1/3 cup sugar or Sugar Twin
* 2 large eggs
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 3 1/4 to 3 3/4 cups (16 1/4 to 18 3/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour, divided, plus more for dusting the work surface
Sugar Cinnamon Filling
* 1/4 cup sugar or Sugar Twin
* 5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* ½ cup raisins - optional
* Milk for brushing
Egg wash
* 1 egg and 1 tablespoon milk (or water)
Heat the milk and butter until the butter melts. Cool until warm (about 110 degrees F). I do this in the microwave, it’s quicker, but use a thermometer to double check the temp. Too hot and you’ll kill the yeast.
In the mixing bowl of your stand mixer sprinkle yeast over the warm water (if it’s cold, slightly warm the bowl in the oven or under hot water first). Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment.
Beat in the sugar and eggs and mix at low speed to blend.
Add the salt, warm milk and butter mixture and 2 cups of the flour. Mix at medium speed until blended.
Switch to the dough hook.
Add one and one-quarter cups more flour and knead at medium low speed. (Number 2 on a KitchenAid. If your stand mixer is different please check the manual for making bread). Add more flour sparingly if the dough sticks to the side of the bowl. Note: this could be as much as another half cup or more of flour and about four minutes or more mixing with the dough hook. When it pulls cleanly from the sides of the bowl the dough is ready.
Turn the dough onto a floured work surface and shape into a round.
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl (I spray the bottom and sides with cooking spray) then rotate the dough to oil all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap (covered in cooking spray to prevent dough from sticking to wrap). Let the dough rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
Turn the dough onto a floured work surface making sure not to fold the dough. Let the dough rest about 10 minutes.
Grease the bottom and sides of a 9x5 loaf pan.
Mix the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl.
Press the dough into a rectangle and with the short side facing you. Roll the dough with a rolling pin into a 18 inch by 8 inch rectangle-approximately. It’s not going to be perfectly rectangular, so don’t panic.
Brush the dough liberally with milk. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over the dough, leaving about a one inch border on the far side. Sprinkle on the raisins. Starting at the side closest to you, snugly roll up the dough. Tuck in the dough gently with your fingertips to seal it as you’re shaping it. With the seam side up, pinch the ends of the dough together.
Place the loaf seam-side down in the prepared pan. If the loaf is larger lengthwise than the pan don’t be afraid to scrunch the dough from either side to make it fit. It may look like a drunken inch-worm, but that’s okay. Cover the top of the pan loosely with plastic wrap covered in cooking spray (I reuse the previous wrap) and set aside to rise until it’s an inch or more above the top of the pan. This could take from one-half hour to as long as an hour-and-a-half, depending on how warm your kitchen is and the season.
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Make sure oven is at 350 for at least 15 minutes to prevent the temp from dropping drastically when you open the door and place in the bread.
Just as you’re about to put the bread into the oven whisk together the egg and the milk. Gently brush the top of the loaf with the egg mixture; place bread on a rack in the center of the oven. Squirt water inside the oven with four or five squeezes of a squirt bottle filled with water, the nozzle set to stream. We want to make steam! Quickly close the door. The water isn’t entirely necessary, but it helps create a crustier top.
Baking
Bake until the loaf is golden brown and sounds hollow if you were tap the top of the bread hard with your index finger or with your knuckles (about 35-40 minutes).
Remove the bread from the pan and cool it on its side on a wire rack until room temperature, at least 45 minutes. Katy and I lasted 15 minutes before we decided to cut into the loaf. Wait longer, if you can, as it makes cutting easier and tears the bread apart less.
Notes:
I baked this bread 5 minutes longer (40 minutes vs 35). Don’t be afraid to use the entire amount of sugar and cinnamon. It looks like a lot, but I think it’s just barely enough. The same applies when replacing the sugar with Sugar Twin. Feel free to add more raisins, if you’re a raisin kinda person, before rolling up and placing in bread pan.
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