A Breakfast Treat: Whole Wheat Cinnamon Bread

I like weekends where I have time on my hands. That's usually when I look at The Boy and say, "I'm going to play in the kitchen."

 

He's always in favor of that.

 

Last week I gave a new yeast bread recipe (sourced here via a link on Pinterest) a try. It looked very appealing, with its emphasis on whole wheat and no dairy. A perfect recipe, you might say, for preparing and enjoying with a special dairy-free friend.

 

Testing was a must.

 

I do encourage you to go to the original link if you're interested in a budget breakdown for the recipe. It's quite cost effective and delicious.

 

And did I mention dairy-free?

 

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

• 1 c whole wheat flour
• 2 1/4 c bread flour (you can substitute all-purpose)
• 2 T brown sugar
• 1 1/4 t salt
• 3/4 T instant yeast
• 1/2 c raisins
• 1 T cinnamon
• 1 1/4 c warm water

 

In a large bowl, combine flours, brown sugar, salt, yeast and raisins. Stir until evenly mixed, breaking up raisin clumps. Add the warm water and stir. If there are dry bits left at the bottom of the bowl, add water, one tablespoon at a time, until it all comes together.

 

Cover the bowl with a towel and let it rest for two hours at room temperature.

After two hours the dough will have risen and grown to about twice the size.

Turn it out onto a floured surface. Knead it once or twice to work in enough flour to keep it from sticking to your hands. Flatten and stretch the dough into a long rectangle. The short side of the rectangle should be the same length as your bread pan, the long side double that. Sprinkle cinnamon over the surface of the rectangle. If you want a sweeter bread, as I did, you can sprinkle on some additional brown sugar with the cinnamon. I put on about 2 tablespoons worth.

Roll the rectangle up, pinch the dough to seal the seam and place it in a bread pan coated with non-stick spray. Cover and let rise for 1.5 hours or until it has risen up and out of the pan.

Preheat your oven to 425F. Brush the top of the bread with water.

Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until the top is a deep golden brown.

After baking, turn it out of the bread pan onto a wire cooling rack...and that's when you realize that you sprayed the bottom of the pan (kind of) and not the sides. This is a big mistake.

The only solution is to pretend this was intentional and offer hot bread shards to your spouse. He will readily forgive you.

Let the bread cool completely before slicing. That's what the instructions say anyway. This never happens in my house, nor will it ever happen as long as The Boy is alive.

Eat warm, eat cold, eat toasted...

Delicious!!