Cinnamon Swirl Raisin Bread (Whole Wheat)

  

       Ever since I baked my first homemade bread, I have fallen in love with bread making. It is such an exciting process, especially watching the dough rise :). Its like an addiction, I am constantly thinking about what bread I would make next. Today I wanted to try a sweet bread but, since am not a fan of overly sweet breads (why not have a cake instead!!), I made a cinnamon raisin bread. This was the first time I tried a swirled bread and to my surprise, it turned out pretty good. Also, with the natural sweetness from the raisins, it rightly suited my taste buds. How can I forget the sweet and spicy aroma of cinnamon that filled up the kitchen while baking this bread...absolutely divine :)

      I had bookmarked this recipe a long time back but couldn't gather the courage to try it. In order to make it a teeny-weeny more healthier, I have made a few changes to the original recipe.

Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour - 1 1/2 cup       

Whole Wheat Flour - 1 1/2 cup    

Active dry yeast - 1 Tbsp   

Salt - a pinch

Baking soda - 1/4 tsp

Cinnamon - 1 Tbsp

Brown Sugar - 4 Tbsp

Buttermilk - 3/4 cup

Oil (I used olive) - 3 Tbsp

Raisins - 1 cup

Honey - 1-2 Tbsp

Sugar - 1tsp

Warm Water - 1/4 cup

Method:

·      Soak the raisins in warm water for 20-30 minutes, drain and keep aside.

·      Put 1 tablespoon of active dry yeast in a small bowl. Dissolve 1-teaspoon sugar in ¼ cup warm water and pour over the yeast. Mix it and let it rest for about 10 minutes or till frothy.

·      In another bowl, combine all purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, salt, and baking soda and mix well. Now pour the yeast water, buttermilk, honey, ¾ cup raisins and stir to combine everything together. Add 2 tablespoon of oil and knead the dough for 8 – 10 minutes. Roll the dough into a smooth ball and place it in a greased bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm place for about 1 to 1.5 hours or till the dough doubles in size.

·      While the dough is rising, combine cinnamon, brown sugar, 1 tbsp oil and ¼ cup raisins to make the filling.

·      When the dough doubles in size, punch it to deflate the air out of the dough and knead it for a minute. Next, flatten the dough into a rectangle shape, as wide as your bread pan and at least twice as long. Now evenly spread the cinnamon filling across the rectangular dough. Roll along the width (like a jelly roll), close both the ends and the seam.

·      Place the loaf in a greased bread pan with seam side down. Lightly grease the top of the loaf, cover with a plastic wrap and leave it for second rise in a warm place till it’s doubled once again.

·      Preheat the oven to 350F/180C and bake the loaf for 40-45 minutes. Immediately invert the baked bread on to a cooling rack and slice with a sharp knife once completely cooled.

Note: The original recipe calls for baking the bread at 400F for 20 minutes, I have baked mine at 350F because I was baking a cake at the same time.

This bread makes a perfect toast for breakfast. I like mine toasted, topped with some butter :)