Incredible Cinnamon Raisin Bread from The New Joy of Cooking!
This bread has been on my 'to make' list for a while now.
The New Joy of Cooking was published in 2019 and I went on a special shopping trip to the local giant warehouse store just to pick it up.
It's so much fun going through this cookbook. I tagged a ton of good looking recipes to make. If you get this book, be aware there are no photographs of the recipes.
I usually like to see the end result of a recipe in a photo, but I know NJOC is going to give me quality recipes and great instructions.
This Cinnamon Raisin Bread recipe makes two loaves. You start out with their Rich White Bread Recipe, which has a couple of eggs, more milk, and more sugar than the regular White Bread recipe.
It's a sticky dough, but it's very pliable and easy to work with. I might have under proofed these loaves a bit. Bret was telling me stories about his day, the cats were wanting in and out, and I lost my focus.
The bread came out a little homely with strange cracks. I thought the tops might be browning too much, but the dark brown is actually from the egg wash and cinnamon-sugar sprinkled on top.
These loaves may not have been as pretty as some others, but the taste is amazing. There swirls are perfect and are made of strong, sweet cinnamon and tons of plump little golden raisins.
Of course you have the melted butter in the swirls, too, then a little more melted butter brushed on the top of the loaves just after they're pulled from the oven.
The bread is great warm out of the oven or cooled down with a pat of softened butter spread on it. It's one of the best Cinnamon Raisin Breads I've ever had. Trust me on this one. It's also terrific toasted (see photo above) with a little butter.
NJOC has great instructions to make this bread. Be sure you read through them a couple of times before beginning so you'll get the timing down. I wouldn't change a thing on this recipe. Terrific.
More Great Recipes from The New Joy of Cooking:
- Chocolate Shortbread (so good!)
- Tangy Black Bean Dip (easy and delicious for snacks)
- Chocolate Orange Biscotti (deep chocolate flavor)
Cinnamon Raisin Bread
Outstanding cinnamon bread full of spicy cinnamon and tons of raisins.
Ingredients
- 2 C lukewarm milk (about 90°)
- ⅓ C granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon butter, melted
- 1 pkg Active Dry Yeast
- 6 ½ C all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 large eggs, well beaten
- For the Filling:
- 1 ⅔ C golden raisins
- ½ C granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp, plus 1 teaspoon butter, melted
- For the Topping:
- 1 large egg
- pinch of salt
- 4 teaspoon butter, melted
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the warm milk, sugar, butter, and yeast.
- In a large stand mixing bowl, add 6 cups of the flour along with the salt. Turn mixer on medium-low and slowly add the milk mixture until just combined. Add the eggs and mix until combined. Add additional flour if the dough is really very sticky (it should be a bit sticky, but not excessively so). Cover the bowl with a tea towel and let sit for about 30 minutes.
- Knead the dough in the bowl on medium-low on the stand mixer for about 9-10 minutes, until smooth and elastic (will still be a little sticky and won't become a full dough ball).
- Lightly flour your counter or marble lightly and turn the dough out onto the surface. Knead for another minute until the dough 'window panes.'
- Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and turn once to coat with oil. Cover and let rise in a warmish place until doubled in bulk, at least an hour.
- While the dough is on its first rise, put the raisins in a microwave-proof bowl, cover them completely with water and microwave for 45 seconds. Drain very well, then set aside to cool.
- In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Set aside 4 teaspoons of the mixture for a final topping.
- Grease two 9x5" loaf pans. After the dough has risen, divide it into two parts. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into two 8x18" rectangles (about ½" thick). Brush the surface of both rectangles with the melted butter.
- Sprinkle all of the cinnamon-sugar mixture (except for the 4 teaspoon set aside) over the two rectangles, out to the edges. Spread the cooled raisins evenly on both rectangles of dough. Starting from the 8" side, roll the dough up tightly, then pinch the seam and ends closed.
- Place the loaves seam side down into the pans and cover loosely with sprayed plastic wrap. Place in a warmish place and let rise for 1 to 1 ½ hours, until doubled. (Should rise up a little above the top edges of the pans.)
- Preheat the oven to 375° when the dough is near the end of rising. Whisk together the egg and pinch of salt.
- Brush the top of the risen loves with the whisked egg and sprinkle with the divided 4 teaspoons of cinnamon-sugar. Bake until the crust is a deep golden brown, about 35-40 minutes. Immediately turn the loaves out (should sound hollow when the bottom is tapped) onto a wire rack. While the bread is still warm, brush the tops of the loaves with the melted butter. Let cool completely before slicing.
Notes
It's a fairly sticky dough, but will come together nicely when you turn it out on your floured surface.
If you prefer kneading completely by hand, just turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until soft and pliable (and window pan) for about 10 minutes.
The second proof of the dough will take the entire 1 ½ unless you have much warmer conditions than I did.
While baking, the top of the bread may look too dark of brown, but remember that you've sprinkled it with cinnamon-sugar. That will make it look darker brown, so don't take it out too soon.
To freeze a loaf, let it cool completely and wrap with plastic wrap. Then wrap in aluminum foil and place in a freezer bag.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 slices Serving Size: 1 sliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 220Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 332mgCarbohydrates: 43gFiber: 2gSugar: 13gProtein: 5g
Nutrition Values are Approximate
Susan, I’m relatively new to bread making. What do you mean by Window paning
Hi Bill, when you're testing the dough for 'window paning,' you take a big pinch of the dough and stretch it out with your fingers until it's thin and you can almost see through it without the dough breaking (almost membrane-like). Sometimes it's hard to know when it's ready and that's a good indication! Happy bread baking!