Raisin Bread with a Cinnamon Swirl

Raisin Bread with a Cinnamon Swirl
By: The Culinary Institute of America

4 ½ cups flour plus extra as needed
2 teaspoons dry yeast
2 cups whole or low-fat milk, boiled and cooled to room temperature
8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup raisins
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
Vegetable oil for greasing
Egg wash (1 large egg whisked with 2 Tablespoons cold milk or water)
Cinnamon sugar (1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon mixed with 1/3 cup granulated sugar)

Combine the flour and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add the milk, butter, sugar, eggs and salt and mix on low speed for 4 minutes. In the last minute of kneading add the raisins. In the last 30 seconds add the cinnamon, kneading just long enough to create a swirl. The dough should be slightly soft.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until nearly doubled in size, about 1 hour (I’ve preheated an oven to 200 degrees, then turned off to cool down a bit while I make the dough. By the time the dough is ready for this stage the oven is the perfect warm environment, and since it is off it doesn’t cook the dough!). Fold the dough over gently. Allow the dough to rest for 15 minutes before transferring it to a lightly floured work surface. Divide into 2 equal pieces and round each into a smooth ball, pulling the outer layer taut and pinching together the excess dough at the base of the ball. Place seam sides down on a lightly floured surface, cover, and let rest until relaxed, 15-20 minutes.

Lightly grease 2 loaf pans.

On a lightly floured work surface, stretch each piece of dough into an even rectangle. Brush the dough lightly with egg wash and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar (as if you were making cinnamon roll dough). Fold each short end of the rectangle in about 1 inch. Roll the top end of the dough toward the center and press the seam closed with your fingertips. Continue to roll the dough into a cylinder and seal the seam with the palm of your hand. Gently roll the cylinder back and forth until it is about 11 inches long and even thickness.

Place each cylinder of dough, seam side down, into a prepared loaf pan. Brush the loaf lightly with egg wash. Let the dough rise in a warm place, uncovered, until the dough fills the pan and springs back slowly to the touch but does not collapse, 1 ½- 2 hours. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Gently brush the dough with egg wash again before baking. Bake until the loaves have a brown crust and the sided retain their structure when pressed, 25-30 minutes. Immediately remove the bread from the pans and let cool completely on wire racks before slicing and serving.

“Wonderful technique. Yummy with butter, powdered sugar dusted on top with warm maple syrup!”