cinnamon raisin bread

Recently, in an effort to save some money I thought it would be interesting/fun/different to make our own bread. The store bought bread we usually buy is upwards of $4 to $5 for a loaf. I can use that money instead to buy one bag of flour and make several loaves of bread. Lately, I've been craving cinnamon raisin bread. When we were grocery shopping I saw the cinnamon raisin bread in its pretty bright red bag and thought, yummy. I figured cinnamon raisin bread would be a good first attempt at making bread.

I used the recipe out of Joy of Cooking.

Ingredients:

1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast

3 tablespoons of warm (105º to 115ºF) water

Mix yeast and water together in a large bowl or bowl of heavy-duty mixer (Kitchenaid) and let stand for five minutes until yeast dissolves.

Add:

1 cup whole or low-fat milk, warmed to 105º to 115ºF (I used skim)

5 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter

3 tablespoons of sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon of salt

Mix by hand or on low speed for about a minute. Gradually mix in:

2 cups of bread flour

Slowly add until the dough is moist not sticky:

1 1/2 to 2 cups all purpose flour

Knead for about 10 minutes by hand or with the dough hook attachment of the Kitchenaid on low to medium speed until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and turn it over once to coat. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until doubled in volume.  

While the dough is rising place 1/2 cup raisins in a small saucepan with enough cold water to cover by 1/2 inch and bring to a boil. Drain well and let cool. Stir together 2 tablespoons of sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon.

Grease an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan. Punch dough down. Roll the dough into an 8-inch-wide rectangle about 1/2 thick. Brush the surface of the dough with 1 1/2 teaspoons of melted butter. Sprinkle all but 2 teaspoons of the cinnamon mixture over the dough and spread the raisins evenly over the surface. Starting from one 8-inch side, roll up the dough and pinch the seam and ends closed. Place seam side down in the pan. Cover loosely with oiled plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in volume, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Whisk together and brush over the top of the loaf 1 egg and a pinch of salt. Sprinkle the top of the dough with the remaining cinnamon mixture. Bake until crust is deep golden brown and the bottom of the sounds hollow when tapped, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove loaf from the pan onto a cooling rack. While the bread is still hot, brush the top with: 2 teaspoons of melted butter. Let cool completely before slicing.

This was very good. The best part is the top crust with the cinnamon sugar on it. Next time I have to roll the bread a bit tighter to prevent that big hole in the top. Other than that, very yummy. Better than the store bought brands.