whole wheat cinnamon raisin bread
I found this on a blog called baking sheet and was really, really happy with the way it came out. I find baking bread not as intuitive as I wish it were, but this recipe was very clear and ended up tasting way better than I expected, especially since all the flour is whole grain. I think the buttermilk helped in that regard -- nice chewy texture, not dense and heavy. Yay Baking Sheet.
My one concern: The recipe didn't say when to put the raisins in. I did it at the end of the kneading and it seemed fine.
1 tbsp active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (approx 110F)
1 1/4 cups buttermilk, room temperature or a bit warmer
1/4 cup honey
2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 - 2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
2/3 cups raisins
In a large bowl, combine yeast and warm water. Let stand for 5-10 minutes until foamy.
Mix in buttermilk, honey, salt, cinnamon and whole wheat flour. Stir well.
Gradually mix in white whole wheat flour, stirring with a wooden spoon until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, adding a bit more flour as you go to keep it from sticking, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5-7 minutes (it won't get quite as smooth as breads made with other flours, but it will still be a bit stretchy).
Place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let stand for 1 1/2 - 2 hours, until doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 375F. Turn bread out onto a lightly floured surface and gently deflate. Shape into a rectangle, then form into a log by folding the short ends into the center, then pulling the long ends up and pinching them together.
Place dough seam-side down into a greased 8x4 inch loaf pan. Let rise for 45-60 minutes.
Bake at 375F for 35-40 minutes (until an internal-read thermometer inserted into the bottom of the loaf reads approx 200F). [I had to bake it for much longer, and the sad meat thermometer I was using never got above 160. But whatever, turned out OK.
Remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing and toasting. Makes 1 loaf.
My one concern: The recipe didn't say when to put the raisins in. I did it at the end of the kneading and it seemed fine.
1 tbsp active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (approx 110F)
1 1/4 cups buttermilk, room temperature or a bit warmer
1/4 cup honey
2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 - 2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
2/3 cups raisins
In a large bowl, combine yeast and warm water. Let stand for 5-10 minutes until foamy.
Mix in buttermilk, honey, salt, cinnamon and whole wheat flour. Stir well.
Gradually mix in white whole wheat flour, stirring with a wooden spoon until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, adding a bit more flour as you go to keep it from sticking, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5-7 minutes (it won't get quite as smooth as breads made with other flours, but it will still be a bit stretchy).
Place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let stand for 1 1/2 - 2 hours, until doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 375F. Turn bread out onto a lightly floured surface and gently deflate. Shape into a rectangle, then form into a log by folding the short ends into the center, then pulling the long ends up and pinching them together.
Place dough seam-side down into a greased 8x4 inch loaf pan. Let rise for 45-60 minutes.
Bake at 375F for 35-40 minutes (until an internal-read thermometer inserted into the bottom of the loaf reads approx 200F). [I had to bake it for much longer, and the sad meat thermometer I was using never got above 160. But whatever, turned out OK.
Remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing and toasting. Makes 1 loaf.
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