This is such a wonderful item to make for a NEW neighbor… or, for fellowship to share at church. Guaranteed that it will get snatched up in NO time!
It presents amazingly well – and although you don’t “have” to glaze it to enjoy it, glazing it just adds another layer of beauty if you do opt to gift to a new neighbor or as a dish for a family who just had a new baby.
The loaf is relatively easy – it would have taken me less time but I had to take pictures as I went. I actually made two of these… my kids asked for Cinnamon Raisin Bread and I came across this amazing recipe. It made the house smell like a bakery…
When I took it out of the oven, it had to sit for 20 minutes until I could glaze it.. so I jumped in the shower after cleaning up all the dishes. But when I got out……the kids had already jumped into cutting the bread.
So we ditched the glaze and by the next morning, the loaf was gone.
So much for making a loaf for a new neighbor – so I had to make a second. Hopefully the step by step pictures can help you put this together – let us know how it turns out for you!
- 2 C. All Purpose Organic Unbleached Flour
- 1 packet of Yeast (or, 2 3/4 tsp of Active Dry Yeast)
- 1/4 C. Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 3/4 C. Milk (warmed to 110 degrees) - we used Raw Milk
- 3 Tbsp Butter, melted
- 1 Egg, room temperature
- 1 C. Raisins (we used Sun Maid)
- 1/4 - 1/2 C. Additional Flour
- 2 Tbsp Butter, room temperature
- 1/4 C. Brown Sugar
- 1 Tbsp Cinnamon
- Egg Wash: 1 Egg (beaten)
- Glaze: 1 C. Powdered Sugar + 2 Tbsp Milk
- Combine the flour, sugar, yeast and salt in your KitchenAid and mix them just for a brief 10 seconds.
- Add the warm milk, butter and egg.
- Beat with a mixer for 2 minutes on medium/high.
- Stir in raisins, and 1/4 - 1/2 C. additional flour - just until it's a nice mass that's not too sticky (you'll need to judge the amount of extra flour you need, we only needed 1/4 C. additional).
- Transfer from the bowl to a lightly floured countertop and knead for 100 turns.
- Cover the dough with a damp towel and let it rest for 10-12 minutes.
- In the meantime, line your baking sheet with a baking mat (or, parchment paper, whatever is best for you).
- Roll out the dough into a rectangle, sized 9 inches by 12 inches - you might have to flip it and stretch the corners to get it to be an even rectangle.
- Then cut into (3) 12 inch strips - all equal size if you can.
- Spread the softened butter (2 Tbsp) down the middle of all 3 strips. Then mix the cinnamon and brown sugar in a bowl, and sprinkle that mix down the center of each strip. Try to keep away from the edges.
- Now, pull the sides of each strip UP, and pinch them over the top of the cinnamon/sugar mixture - pinch the tops of those rows tightly so the sugar mixture doesn't fall out. You might have to go over the pinched area with a little flour to make sure they stay shut.
- Flip the strips over, so that the seams are face down.
- Place the strips next to each other lengthwise, and form a braid - pinched strips facing down, and tuck the ends under. You should have a beautiful braid.
- Place on a baking mat, on a baking sheet, in a warm area, and cover with a damp towel for 1 1/2 - 2 hours or until double in size. You should see it has visibly risen.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Brush the loaf with the beaten egg wash - and use a pastry brush to brush that wash over the entire loaf (being careful not to deflate the rise).
- Bake in the oven for 15 minutes at 350. Then, decrease the temp to 340, and bake an additional 10 minutes - if it browns too fast, place a foil "tent" over the top of the bread.
- Let rest for 10-20 minutes - then top with the glaze.
- Refrigerate or cover leftovers.
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