Cinnamon Swirl Raisin Bread

Cinnamon Swirl Raisin Bread
Makes 2 loaves
This recipe is great for those Sunday morning brunches, plus it makes two so you’ll be able to keep on hand for yourself. The recipe is fairly simple, I’ve chosen to use part whole wheat bread flour and turbinado sugar as these products are unrefined and contain more nutrients, but feel free to use granulated sugar and all-purpose flour. I bake my breads in Stoneware Bread Crocks which I purchased from the Pampered Chef. The bread bakes upright and resembles a mushroom when done, which I later slice horizontally, but the regular bread pans work just fine.

For the dough :
2 cups warm milk (100 degrees to 110 degrees)
2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 envelope)
1 pound whole wheat bread flour
1 pound 2 ounces all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
2 large eggs, plus 1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 1/4 cup raisins
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Vegetable oil for bowl and plastic wrap

For the filling:
1 1/2 cups turbinado sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons water


Make the dough: In the bowl of an electric mixer, sprinkle the yeast over the warm milk, whisk to combine and let stand for 5 minutes until foamy. Add the flour, butter, sugar, eggs, and salt. Attach bowl to mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix on low speed until all the ingredients are well combined, about 3 minutes. Raise the speed to medium-low, and continue to mix until the dough is uniformly smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 3 minutes more.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Pat out dough into a 9 inch round, about 1 1/4 inches thick. Sprinkle with raisins and cinnamon, and knead until they are just incorporated. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, and cover with oiled plastic wrap; let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Return the dough to a lightly floured work surface and pat into a round. Fold in the following manner: Fold the bottom third of the dough up, the top third down, and the right and left sides over, tapping the dough after each fold to release excess flour, and pressing down to seal. Return to the bowl, seam side down, and let rise again until doubled in bulk, about 40 minutes.

Make the filling; Combine sugar, cinnamon and water in a small bowl and stir until combined. Return the dough to lightly floured work surface, and divide in half. Roll out one half to a 12-by-10-inch rectangle; brush with beaten egg, and sprinkle with half the filling. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.

Generously butter two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans; set aside. With the short end of the rectangle facing you, fold in both long sides of the dough, about 1 inch. Then roll the dough toward you, gently pressing as you go to for a tight log. Gently roll the log back and forth to seal the seam. Place he loaf in prepared pan, seam side down. Repeat with remaining rectangle. Cover pans loosely with oiled plastic wrap, and let rest in a warm place until dough rises just above the rim of the pan, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425∞ F.

Brush the tops of the loaves with beaten egg, and transfer pans to a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until the loaves are golden brown, about 45 minutes. (If the tops begin to brown too quickly, tent with aluminum foil.) Turn out the bread onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. The bread can be kept, wrapped in plastic, at room temperature up to 4 days.