Nothing makes a house smell more warm and inviting than the aromas that fill the kitchen when fresh bread is baking. Even more so when that bread is redolent of the sweet and spicy fragrance of cinnamon. This recipe from Fine Cooking for cinnamon raisin swirl bread tastes as good as it smells. A tender lightly spiced dough is studded with raisins and filled with a swirl of cinnamon sugar. I made this bread on a Tuesday evening to share with my Wednesday morning Bible study friends. We were having brunch, as we often do, to commemorate the start of a new study and a new year. A Facebook post of the sliced bread on a Tuesday night received seventeen positive comments by the next morning.
Homemade bread like this merits some homemade butter. I have been making it since my catering days, both plain and fruit butters to accompany mini muffins and quick breads. It’s very easy to do, all you need is some heavy cream and a food processor. Pour the cream in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Turn on the processor and let it go to work. In about 4-5 minutes the liquid (which is buttermilk) will separate from the milk solids and you will have butter. The yield will be about one half the amount of cream used, so one cup of cream will result in a half cup of butter. For the best results be sure to use cream that is not ultra pasteurized or has fillers. The butter can be embellished with a little salt or a little jam to make a fruit butter. Be patient and wait until the bread cools before slicing. Any leftovers, if you have any, would make wonderful French toast or bread pudding.
Cinnamon Swirl Raisin Bread
Makes 2 loaves
Ingredients
For the bread
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2 cups dark raisins
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light-flavored oil to grease the bowl (such as canola or grape seed)
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4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour plus more for dusting (King Arthur is my choice)
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2T sugar
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2T cinnamon
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2 1/4t instant yeast
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2 t fine sea salt
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3/4c water at room temperature
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1/2 cup whole milk
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1 large egg
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5T unsalted butter, softened, 3T for the bread, 2T to brush the finished loaves, plus more to grease the pans
For the Cinnamon sugar swirl
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4T cinnamon
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4T sugar
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2T unsalted butter
Directions
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Plump up the raisins. Put them in a large measuring cup or bowl and add enough hot water to cover them. Allow to sit for five minutes and then drain them.
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In the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, the sugar and cinnamon, the yeast, and salt. Mix until well combined. Add the milk, egg, 3 tablespoons of the butter, and 3/4 cup room temperature water. Mix until well combined, until the dough comes together. Change over to the dough hook and continue to mix until the dough is smooth and slightly sticky. Add the raisins to the dough and gently knead in by hand.
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For the first rise: Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface, roll it into a ball. Clean the bowl you were just using, lightly oil it, and put the dough in the oiled bowl. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature until the dough looks slightly puffy, about 30 minutes.
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For the second rise: On a well-floured surface, use your hands to flatten and spread the dough out until it’s about 3/4 inch thick. Fold the dough in half from top to bottom, then in half again from left to right. Return the dough to the bowl, cover, and let sit until it has risen slightly, about 30 minutes more.
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For the third rise: Lightly grease two 8″ x 4″ loaf pans with butter. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 4T each of cinnamon and sugar; set aside. Melt 2T butter in a small saucepan or a microwave; set aside.
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On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough in half and use a rolling pin to shape each half into an 8 1/2 x 16 inch rectangle that is 1/4 inch thick. Use a pastry brush to spread the melted butter on the dough. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over both rectangles.
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Starting from the short side, gently roll each rectangle into an 8-1/2-inch-long cylinder. Put the cylinders in the pans, seam side down. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rest at room temperature about 60-90 minutes. The dough will spring back when lightly poked.
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Bake: Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375°F. Bake the loaves, rotating and swapping the positions of the pans halfway through baking, until dark brown and hollow-sounding when thumped on top and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the loaves registers about 190°F, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the loaves in their pans to a rack.
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Melt the remaining butter and use it to brush the tops of the loaves. When cool enough to handle, tip the loaves out onto the rack to finish cooling. Try and wait before slicing into the bread!
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Bread will stay fresh in an airtight container for five days, if you can make it last that long.
