Or is it Cinnamon Swirl Raisin Bread? I dunno. Anyway, when the temperature dropped today, my oven was crying to be baking something, so bake we did! This bread is comforting, delicious, and really pretty healthful, making it a great after school snack. Toast it and slather with butter for a yummy side for your eggs in the morning.
Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread
- 2 packages yeast (4½ teaspoons)
- 1 cup very warm water
- 1 cup very warm milk
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1/3 cup honey
- 5½ to 6 cups white whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ¼ cup butter, melted
- 1 cup raisins and warm water to soak them in
- additional butter
- cinnamon
- sugar
Soak raisins in warm water to plump them up. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add warm milk, eggs, honey, and 3 cups flour. Beat well. Cover and let the mixture rest for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, drain water from the raisins. Add to bread mixture along with salt and melted butter. Mix well. Add 2½ to 3 more cups of flour, ½ cup at a time. Knead until smooth and elastic; about 10 minutes.
Set dough in a clean, greased bowl. Allow to rise in a warm spot for about an hour, or until doubled. Punch dough down. Wait 10 minutes, and then divide dough in two pieces. Roll one piece into a rectangle. Spread with butter (2-3 tablespoons), then sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Roll, tuck ends under, and place seam side down in a greased bread pan. Repeat with remaining dough in another bread pan.
Allow bread to rise again until double. Bake at 375° for 30-35 minutes. Place pans on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes. Run a butter knife around the edges of each pan to loosen the loaf. Remove bread and place it on a wire rack to cool.
*** Bread slices easier when cool… if you can wait. (PS – I can’t.)
*** I’ve used sucunat in place of sugar with great success.
*** The white whole wheat gives this bread an amazing texture, but you could probably go 1/2 white 1/2 wheat if that’s what you have.
wondering if this could be adapted for a bread machine?
I’m not sure, Tiffany. I haven’t replaced my bread machine since it took a dive off of my counter, so I switched to using the KitchenAid mixer to do all my mixing. The only thing I think might be a problem with the bread machine is allowing the 30 minutes for the sponge to soak.
This past weekend I thought about looking for bread recipes that use white ww flour. Now I can spend my time baking instead of searching. Thanks!
I am in love with the white whole wheat flour!
My grandmother made bread like this–what lovely memories. Whenever I make it, I get giant air pockets. Any ideas how to prevent them?
Air pockets where you roll it? That’s happened to me, too. My only advice is to use plenty of butter and roll tightly.
I’m definitely not going to use raisins because I do not like them, but would it be okay to use plain old whole wheat flour as a substitute?
Can I use normal whole wheat instead of white whole wheat, and still get the same results?
My experience is that my bread is more dense with regular whole wheat flour. Be sure to give it plenty of rise time if you give it a try.