17 Oct

World Bread Day ‘07 ~ Brown Sugar Raisin Bread

Posted by Chelle as Yeast Breads & Baked Goods

I am probably the last person that needs a reason to bake a loaf of bread, but since today, October 16th, is World Bread Day, I figured it was a perfect day to celebrate those carbs and try another bread recipe! Thank you to Zorra for hosting this event and giving us all a reason to celebrate bread in all of its glory! Check out all of the different types of bread from all over the world in the roundup here.

For today’s event I decided to try Williams Sonoma’s Brown Sugar Raisin Bread recipe. It is one that has been circulating the food message board that I frequent and had received rave reviews, all rightfully so. This recipe was very simple to put together, the dough rose beautifully, and I had no problems to report. My only modification to the recipe was to use all dark raisins, instead of half dark and half golden. The bread has a wonderful flavor and is quite addicting! Needless to say, I definitely recommend this recipe!

Brown Sugar Raisin Bread

(Source: Williams Sonoma)

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon active dry yeast
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1-1/4 cups warm water (105-115 degrees)
1 cup warm milk (105-115 degrees)
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 Tablespoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
6 to 6-1/4 cups bread flour, plus more as needed
3/4 cup golden raisins
3/4 cup dark raisins

For the filling:
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
mixed with 4-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions:
In a bowl, sprinkle the yeast and a pinch of the granulated sugar over 1/2 cup of the water and stir to dissolve. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine the remainig 3/4 cup water, the milk, butter, the remaining granulated sugar, salt, egg and 2 cups of the flour. Beat on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the yeast mixture and 1/2 cup of the flour and beat for 1 minute. Add the raisins, then beat in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Switch to the dough hook. Knead on medium-low speed, adding 1 Tablespoon at a time if the dough sticks, until smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes. Transfer the dough to a greased deep bowl and turn to coat it. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1-1/2 hours.

Lightly grease two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board. Divide the dough in half and roll or pat each half into an 8-by-12-inch rectangle. Lightly sprinkle each rectangle with half of the filling, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides. Beginning at a narrow end, tightly roll up each rectangle into a compact log. Pinch the ends and the long seam to seal in the filling. Place each log, seam side down, in a prepared pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until the dough is about 1 inch above the rim of each pan, 1 to 1-1/2 hours.

Preheat an oven to 350. Bake until the loaves are golden brown and pull away from the sides of the pan, 35 to 40 minutes. Turn the loaves out onto wire racks and let cool completely. Makes two 9-by-5-inch loaves.