Do you ever have foods that you like, but you just don't eat them all that often so you forget how much you like them? Raisin bread falls into that category for me. When I saw that the next bread for the BBA Challenge was Cinnamon Raisin Walnut Bread, I was excited. I don't recall ever making raisin bread before. And I like just about anything with cinnamon. (Oh, and for the record, I did make the Cinnamon Buns that came before this bread. I just didn't blog about them, since I didn't manage to take many pictures. I've actually made them before, and you can read about that here.)
I mostly stuck to the recipe, but I did substitute white whole wheat flour for some of the bread flour (swapped out 4 ounces). I've been trying to do that with a lot of the bread that I bake. It's not enough for my girls to notice (or me, for that matter), and I figure it's a step toward eating more whole grains. Eventually I'll get a copy of Peter Reinhart's whole grain book, but in the meantime, I'll just play around a bit with the recipes I have. I did leave the walnuts out, since I figured the girls wouldn't be excited about nuts in bread, and I'm not that keen on them either. I did try one of the variations in the recipe, as well. Reinhart gives instructions for how to add a cinnamon swirl. I decided to do that with one of the two loaves, so I could see which one I like better.
The verdict? I loved this bread. I'm pretty sure I'm responsible for eating most of it. Gillian liked it quite a bit as well. Brianna wasn't as big a fan, but I know she doesn't like cooked raisins. I think Jamie got a slice or two, but that was it. The only issue I had was that I think my bread overproofed a bit during its last rise. As a result, I ended up with a big gap above the swirl under the top crust, so slices from that loaf tended to unravel. The plain raisin loaf worked better for toast. Oh, darn, I guess I'll have to make the swirl version again to see if I can get the swirl to work better. =)
If you'd like to try this wonderful bread for yourself, check out the book! And be sure to take a look at the BBA Challenge blogroll to see what all the other bakers have been up to. You can also see a list of the other bakers in the Slow and Steady subgroup here, on Margaret's blog.
I mostly stuck to the recipe, but I did substitute white whole wheat flour for some of the bread flour (swapped out 4 ounces). I've been trying to do that with a lot of the bread that I bake. It's not enough for my girls to notice (or me, for that matter), and I figure it's a step toward eating more whole grains. Eventually I'll get a copy of Peter Reinhart's whole grain book, but in the meantime, I'll just play around a bit with the recipes I have. I did leave the walnuts out, since I figured the girls wouldn't be excited about nuts in bread, and I'm not that keen on them either. I did try one of the variations in the recipe, as well. Reinhart gives instructions for how to add a cinnamon swirl. I decided to do that with one of the two loaves, so I could see which one I like better.
The verdict? I loved this bread. I'm pretty sure I'm responsible for eating most of it. Gillian liked it quite a bit as well. Brianna wasn't as big a fan, but I know she doesn't like cooked raisins. I think Jamie got a slice or two, but that was it. The only issue I had was that I think my bread overproofed a bit during its last rise. As a result, I ended up with a big gap above the swirl under the top crust, so slices from that loaf tended to unravel. The plain raisin loaf worked better for toast. Oh, darn, I guess I'll have to make the swirl version again to see if I can get the swirl to work better. =)
If you'd like to try this wonderful bread for yourself, check out the book! And be sure to take a look at the BBA Challenge blogroll to see what all the other bakers have been up to. You can also see a list of the other bakers in the Slow and Steady subgroup here, on Margaret's blog.
That's the bread I used for my Cocoa Cinnamon Swirl loaf - and it was exceptionally delicious.
ReplyDeleteAnd I've been adding in white whole wheat flour to all my breads as well. The kids don't notice, and I feel much more virtuous serving it to them.
Bread looks perfect. Beautiful swirl.
ReplyDeleteI am also trying to swap a little ww here and there.
Darn you, I have been trying to forget this bread...forget that we made it, forget how it smelled and tasted, and just forget it completely as I could so easily OD on this again and again and again. It was THAT GOOD! Yours looks beautiful. Love the swirl, so exciting to open it up and find that swirly inside.
ReplyDeleteDi, this bread is so very pretty! I don't like raisins, but I love the way the raisins look in your bread. I'm glad it was such a big hit for you.
ReplyDeleteYour bread looks fabulous! I'm going to have to make it again soon...
ReplyDeleteAlways to swirl! It adds so much fun to bread.
ReplyDeleteit's been a while since i've made cinnamon raisin bread...i love it! you got a good swirl in there too!
ReplyDeleteThat's a beautiful loaf! I loved making (and eating) this bread in the BBA Challenge. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI started the BBA challenge late, so I'm not to this bread yet. Yours looks wonderful! Thanks for sending it to the BYOB roundup (where I saw it).
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