Cinnamon Swirl Raisin Bread

I have been craving cinnamon raisin bread all week but I was dissatisfied with the ingredient lists on all the brands available at my grocery store. So I decided to make my own! I got this recipe from imafoodblog.com who actually got the recipe from the book The Bread Baker’s Apprentice.

This bread was an all-afternoon affair. But the end product was the best cinnamon raisin bread I have ever tasted, and worth every moment of hard labor that I put into it!

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cup unbleached bread flour
• 2 tsp sugar
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp instant yeast
• 1 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 Tbsp butter, melted (I used Earth Balance)
• 1/4 cup buttermilk (I used fat-free)
• 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp water
• 3/4 cup raisins, rinsed and drained
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• For the cinnamon swirl you will need an additional 1/4 cup sugar and 1 Tbsp cinnamon

In a large bowl mix together flour, sugar, salt, yeast, and cinnamon. Add egg, butter, buttermilk, and water. Stir together until a ball of dough forms. You don’t want the dough to be too sticky or dry, so add more water or flour accordingly to get the right texture.

Knead the dough on a well floured countertop for 10 minutes. You want the dough to be soft and pliable, not sticky. Knead in the raisins evenly. Lightly coat a large bowl with olive oil and roll the ball of dough in it to coat. Leave the ball of dough in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to sit at room temperature for 2 hours, until the dough doubles in size.

Pat the dough down into a rectangle measuring about 5 x 8 inches. Sprinkle the cinnamon swirl mixture (1/4 cup sugar and 1 Tbsp cinnamon) over the dough. Working from the short side, roll the dough up and pinch the crease to seal. Press in the ends to form a loaf. Place dough in lightly oiled loaf pan and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit at room temperature for 60 minutes until dough nearly doubles in size.

Preheat the oven to 350*F. Bake for 20 minutes, turn loaf 180 degrees and bake for another 20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from pan and cool on a cooling rack.

I brushed the top of my loaf with butter and sprinkled the remaining cinnamon/sugar mixture on top. Slice and enjoy!

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