2.2.14

Cinnamon swirl raisin bread

When I first made this bread ..I couldn't believe it. This bread is so multi-purpose and such
an ideal loaf (just follow along with the pics and you will see).
Later I will show you how to transform cinnamon swirl bread into lovely
French toast .. you'll love it .. lets get started
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups milk - 1 cup warm water (should be at least 100 degrees) 
- 2 tablespoon dry yeast - 3 eggs - 1/2 cup white sugar - 1 teaspoon salt, I use kosher 
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened - 1 cup raisins - 6 cups all-purpose flour - 
2 tablespoons milk - 1 cup white sugar - 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon - 
2 tablespoons butter, melted
 Prep: Warm the milk in a small sauce pan on the stove until it just starts to bubble, stir occasionally. Remove from heat. Let cool until lukewarm, about 120-125 degrees. Dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside until yeast has bubbled for about 5 minutes (make sure your water is at the correct temperature or the yeast won't activate.) Mix in eggs, sugar, butter salt and raisins (stir in the cooled milk slowly so you don't cook the eggs.) Add the flour gradually to make a stiff dough. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for a few minutes until smooth. Place in a large buttered/oiled, mixing bowl. Cover with a damp cloth (I normally use plastic wrap) and let rise (I let my bread rise in the oven with the light on). Allow to rise until doubled in size, usually about 1 1/2 hours. Roll out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle, 1/2 inch thick. Mix together 1 cup of sugar and 3 tablespoons cinnamon ..sprinkle mixture evenly on top of the dough as shown. Roll up tightly, the long way. The roll should be about 3 inches in diameter. Tuck the ends under then pinch the bottom together. Place loaves into well greased 9 x 5 inch pans and lightly grease tops of loaves. Let rise in warm place, uncovered for about an hour. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until loaves are lightly browned and sound hollow when tapped. Remove from oven and let cool on rack. Take melted butter and spread over tops of loaves. After about 20 minutes, lay loaves on their sides and remove from pans - let cool before slicing.. enjoy