Cinnamon Swirl Raisin Bread
INGREDIENTS (Yields 1 loaf)
FOR THE DOUGH
1 cup Whole Milk 110ºF
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar (See Note)
2-1/4 teaspoons Instant Rise Yeast
6 Tablespoons Canola Oil
2 Eggs
3-1/2 cups All-purpose Flour ( 496 grams), plus More For Dusting
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 cup Raisins
FOR THE CINNAMON SWIRL
1/3 cup Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Ground Cinnamon
3 Tablespoons Melted Butter
INSTRUCTIONS
Combine milk, brown sugar, and yeast in a bowl or measuring cup. Let sit for 10 minutes, until foamy. This indicates that the yeast is alive and well.
Pour the yeast liquid into the bowl of a stand mixer, and add oil and eggs. Whisk to combine the wet ingredients, then add flour and salt. Use the dough hook or a spatula to roughly combine the wet and dry ingredients into a shaggy dough. Add the raisins, then fit the bowl and dough hook to the stand mixer. Knead on medium low speed for 10 minutes.
Remove the dough hook, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise for 1 hour, until doubled in size.
Flour your countertop as lightly as possible, then spread and stretch the dough into a rectangle that is the length of your loaf pan, about 9 inches by 18 inches.
Make the cinnamon filling by stirring together brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Spread this mixture all over the top of the dough rectangle, then roll the dough up as tightly as you can, rolling the long way. Place the roll seam-side down into a greased 9X5 loaf pan, then cover with plastic wrap to let rise for 60 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375ºF, then bake bread for 40–50 minutes until the inside reads 190ºF to 200ºF with a thermometer. Let the bread cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
RECIPE NOTES
Growing up, we always had cinnamon raisin bread in the refrigerator. It was a favorite of my mother’s who loved to toast it up and enjoy it with her tea. It never occurred to me to make it before but I’ve been getting into bread baking recently and I decided to give it a try. Working with yeasted doughs has always intimidated me but once you get the hang of it it’s pretty easy, you just have to be patient. This recipe calls for instant yeast (as opposed to active dry yeast) so the rise time is shorter allowing you to enjoy fresh, homemade cinnamon raisin bread in 3 hours, from start to finish. It is a sticky dough to work with but don’t add any extra flour otherwise your bread will be too dense. The final result is a bread that is almost brioche-like in texture with a perfect balance of cinnamon spice and raisins without being too sweet - perfect with an afternoon cup of tea.
