Cinnamon Raisin Bread

The other day my husband asked me to buy some cinnamon raisin bread at the store for breakfast. I was sick of cereal so I definitely complied. Well after I ate some and realized how good it was, I decided that I definitely needed to make my own!

This recipe was great. The bread was fluffy and rose nice and high. Although keep in mind it does make 3 loaves so the dough was busting right out of my standard Kitchen Aid mixer during kneading! But I definitely think you need to make the who 3 loaves. By the time you make one for yourself, give one to your neighbor and then bring one into work you are all out!

This recipe was certainly a winner in my book and pairs perfectly with a hot cup of tea in the morning. This would also be great to bring to a brunch. I will definitely be making this again.

Ingredients
Source: Recipezaar, Recipe # 98867

1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup warm water (must be between 110-115 degrees)
2 (1/4 ounce) packages active dry yeast
3 eggs
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup raisins (I used 2 cups which was just enough, in my opinion 1 would have been far too few)
8 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, melted (I omitted)

Directions
Warm the milk in a small sauce pan on the stove until it just starts to bubble, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.Let cool until lukewarm, about 120-125 degrees.

Dissolve yeast in warm water (I also added a pinch of sugar) and set aside until yeast is frothy, about 10 minutes or so (make sure your water is at the correct temperature or the yeast won't activate.) Then in a large bowl (I used the bowl of my KA mixer) mix in eggs, sugar, yeast mixture, butter, salt and raisins. Then stir in the cooled milk slowly so you don't cook the eggs. I also added a pinch of cinnamon to the dough itself.

Add the flour gradually to make a stiff dough. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for a few minutes until smooth. (I mixed and kneaded with the dough hook of my KA mixer). Place in a large, buttered, mixing bowl and turn to grease the surface of the dough.Cover with a warm, damp cloth and let rise (I like to let my bread rise in the oven with the light on. It has just the right amount of heat and keeps the bread out of drafts.) Allow to rise until doubled, usually about 1 1/2 hours.

Roll out on a lightly floured surface into a large rectangle 1/2 inch thick. Moisten the dough with 2 tablespoons milk and rub all over the dough with your hands. Mix together 1 cup of sugar and 3 tablespoons cinnamon and sprinkle mixture evenly on top of the moistened dough. Roll up tightly (the long way). The roll should be about 3 inches in diameter. Cut into thirds, and tuck under ends and pinch bottom together. Place loaves into well greased (you can use Crisco or butter for this) 9 x 5 inch pans and lightly grease tops of loaves. Let rise in warm place, uncovered, again for about an hour. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until loaves are lightly browned and sound hollow when tapped (mine were done after about 35-40 minutes). Remove from oven and let cool on rack.

Take melted butter and spread over tops of loaves (I omitted this step) After about 20 minutes, lay loaves on their sides and remove from pans.Allow to cool before slicing.