Sweet Cinnamon & Raisin Bread

You know what goes well with cinnamon raisin bread?

Coffee.

That’s right. And butter. A big slab of it, melting down into every crack and cranny. Mmmmm…

Cinnamon raisin bread is so good. But I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that. You already know.

But out of the millions of recipes out there for cinnamon raisin bread, what makes this one so special?

There are a couple of reasons why I’m in love with this bread. First you can make it right in your cast iron skillet, which makes it so easy. Second, it’s the honey and molasses that gives this bread a rich, sweet flavor. Not refined sugar, like other recipes. Molasses comes from sugar cane, but has the lowest amount of sugar in it compared to other sugar cane products. It’s also known for providing certain nutrients like iron and calcium, and is even said to lower stress. So it’s basically magic sauce.

But I digress. This post is about the bread, so I’ll get back to the recipe.

The ingredients:

• 4 cups unbleached flour
• 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 1/4 tsp instant or active yeast
• 2 cups lukewarm water
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 2 1/2 cups raisins
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup cinnamon
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tbsp molasses
• 1 tbsp vanilla

Putting it all together:

Step One: Pour the yeast into a glass bowl and add the water. Let this sit for a couple of minutes to activate.

Step Two: Add 2 cups of your unbleached flour and sea salt and mix until smooth. Add raisins, walnuts, honey, molasses, vanilla and cinnamon, stirring them completely into the mix.

Step Three: Add the last 2 cups of unbleached flour and 3/4 cups whole wheat flour, stirring slowly. Add you milk. (I do steps two and three by hand, but you could do this with a mixer using a dough hook if preferred).

Step Four: Round the dough into a ball and let sit in the bowl for an hour, or until the dough doubles in size.

Step Five: Pour a little olive oil into your iron skillet and spread with a paper towel. Move proofed dough from the bowl to the skillet. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees, then cut an X into the top of the dough with a knife. Bake for 20 minutes.

Step Six: Remove bread from oven and brush with melted butter or honey. Sprinkle some cinnamon on top and bake for another 20 minutes.

Step Seven: Remove from the skillet onto a cooling rack immediately after pulling out of the oven.

I can never wait to cut into a fresh loaf of bread, and I will usually burn the roof of my mouth eating it too hot. Also, I usually have to fight off the hungry kids who come running as soon as I open the oven. Mostly they win. Just the way it is.

Be well…