Cinnamon raisin walnut bread

Bread has always been this mysterious, terrifying, complicated prospect--the veritable white whale of baked goods. There are just so many variables to consider, and everything must be so much more exacting somehow (just the right weight of ingredients, just the right of temperature so you don't kill the yeast, etc.). But, with the purchase of our KitchenAid mixer, came my promise of learning how to bake bread. David got me a fabulous bread baking cook book for Christmas, and I decided to finally give it a try. This recipe for cinnamon raisin walnut bread with an added cinnamon swirl and cinnamon sugar crust seemed a good starting place. Not only could it be accomplished all in one day, but I'm generally a big fan of sweet breads. 

Recipe

from The Bread Baker's ApprenticeMakes 2  1-1/2 lb loaves3-1/2 cups unbleached bread flour4 tsp granulated sugar1-1/4 tsp salt2 tsp instant yeast1-1/4 tsp ground cinnamon1 large egg, slightly beaten2 tbsp shortening, melted or at room temperature1/2 cup buttermilk or whole milk, room temperature3/4 cup water, room temperature1-1/2 cups raisins1 cup chopped walnuts1/2 cup sugar2 tbsp ground cinnamonStir together flour, sugar, salt, yeast and cinnamon in a mixing bowl (or in bowl of an electric mixer). Add the egg, shortening, buttermilk and water. Stir together with a large spoon (or mix on low speed with paddle attachment) until ingredients come together and form a ball. Adjust with flour or water if dough seems too stick or dry and stiff. Sprinkle flour on a counter, transfer dough and begin kneading (or mixing on medium speed, switching to dough hook). The dough should be soft and pliable, tacky but not sticky. Add flour as you knead (or mix), if necessary, to achieve this texture. Knead by hand for about 10 minutes (or by machine for 6-8 minutes). Sprinkle in raisins and walnuts during final 2 minutes of kneading (or mixing) to distribute them evenly and to avoid crushing them too much. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer dough to the bowl, rolling to coat with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let ferment at room temperature for about 2 hours, or until dough doubles in size.Mix together 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tbsp ground cinnamon. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough with a rolling pin to a rectangle 5" wide by 8" long and approximately 1/3" thick. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the surface of the rectangles and then roll up the dough into a tight sandwich-style loaf whereby you roll up the length of the dough one section at a time, pinching the crease with each rotation to strengthen the surface tension. Pinch final seam closed with back edge of your hand. Rock the loaf to even it out; do not taper the ends. Keep the surface of the loaf even across the top. Place loaves in lightly oiled 8-1/2" x 4-1/2" pans. The ends of the loaf should touch the ends of the pan to ensure an even rise. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and left proof at room temperature for 60-90 minutes, or until the dough crests above the lips of the pans and is nearly doubled in size.Preheat the oven to 350 F with the oven rack in the middle shelf. Place the loaf pans on a sheet pan, making sure they aren't touching each other. Bake the loaves for 20 minutes, then rotate the pan 180 degrees for even baking and continue another 20 to 30 minutes. Finished breads should register 190 F in the center and be golden brown on top and lightly golden on the sides and bottom. They should make a hollow sound when thumped on the bottom. Immediately remove breads from their pans. Brush tops of loaves with melted butter and roll them in remaining cinnamon sugar. Cool on a rack for at least 1 hour, preferably 2 hours, before slicing or serving.

Musings

A few notes on preparation: I put in about 1 cup of raisins, largely because my dough seemed jam-packed to the brim with the full cup of walnuts already. I only had one 8-1/2" x 4-1/2" loaf pan, so I used that along with a 9" x 5" pan. The bigger pan was not ideal of course because the dough didn't really rise enough to crest over the top of the pan and therefore wasn't as nicely shaped as the other loaf.I am extremely proud to report that my bread was exceedingly bread-like. It looked and tasted like bread--in fact, it was surprisingly delicious. At first bite, I thought it might be a touch bland (I didn't get a bite that included all the cinnamon sugary goodness in the middle). But with a touch of butter melted on top, it's a fabulously tasty breakfast. My cinnamon swirl wasn't as large as I was hoping it would be, so I might consider rolling the dough out a bit wider next time to get a few more swirls in. But otherwise, I call it an unmitigated success!