Cinnamon Raisin Walnut Bread

Dare I say that I love this bread even more than I loved last week’s BBA Challenge cinnamon rolls?  Go ahead and laugh, but it’s true.  One full loaf of this bread disappeared in our house in less than 12 hours.  As soon as it cooled for the recommended 2 hours, we ate it still slightly warm for dessert, with absolutely nothing on it.  We woke up thinking about it, and therefore ate it toasted with Irish Butter for breakfast with the New York Times and cappuccinos.  Then I ate an end piece, because, well, no one else wanted it, and I couldn’t let it go to waste now, could I?  Cinnamon Bread Lovers Anonymous, here I come!

I made the version in the Bread Baker’s Apprentice with buttermilk, the extra cinnamon-sugar swirl, and the butter and cinnamon-sugar dusting on top.  Yeah, I know, no wonder it was so melt-in-your-mouth delectable.  Peter Reinhart’s recipe has so many raisins and walnuts in the dough, that you have to finish kneading by hand (if you’ve done the rest of the kneading in the mixer, as I did).

The Kneaded Dough

It Doubled Very Quickly

Half the Dough Rolled Out into a Rectangle

Cinnamon Sugar Swirl in Place

As usual, I needed to add extra flour to get the dough to the “tacky, but not sticky” stage, but I’m used to that now.  The only problem I had was that the second rise (in the pans) took less than half the recommended time.  The loaves were huge when I checked on them, and thus they fell in the oven a bit.  I consoled myself by brushing butter on the tops and dusting with that extra cinnamon-sugar mixture.  I felt better immediately; butter and cinnamon-sugar can fix just about anything, don’t you think?

After one taste, all was forgiven.  My ugly-duckling loaves tasted better than any cinnamon-raisin bread I’ve ever eaten.  Soft, light, sweet, and spicy, with that slight crunch of walnuts.  Go buy the Bread Baker’s Apprentice and bake with us – this recipe alone is worth the price!  You will never, ever buy a loaf of cinnamon raisin bread at the store again, I promise.

Tagged as: BBA Challenge, breakfast, cinnamon raisin bread