Sugarplums dancing in your head? Not here either. Growing up in California we had raisins. Raisins were those wrinkly nuggets of sweetness packed in school lunches, baked into oatmeal cookies, and mixed into granola. Raisins are nature’s candy. Several dozen years ago cranberry farmers began injecting their tart red berries with sugar, dehydrating them and calling them craisins. The sweet, tart flavor of craisins have become a year-around favorite and are readily available in stores across America.
For my third bread of Christmas, I decided to mix up the traditional cinnamon raisin bread with the addition of craisins. The color of craisins alone says Christmas, but joined with the raisins and cinnamon, this recipe won my heart (and that of BassMan, my number one bread sampler).
Many raisin breads are glazed with frosting or powdered with confectioner’s sugar. I chose not to present my recipe with a sweet coating because the bread is good enough without the added sugar. At our house, we prefer a layer of cream cheese with a dollop of cranberry relish left over from Thanksgiving. Those who wish a glaze, frosting, or sugar sprinkling are welcome to use their favorite recipe along with this one.
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Ingredients
DOUGH
1 egg
1/2 c warm water
3 tbl unsalted butter
2 c white bread flour
1/2 c powdered sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dry active yeast (not quick acting)
ADDITIONS
1/4 c raisins
1/4 c craisins
1/3 c brown sugar
Instructions
- Mix dough ingredients in the order listed, either in a bread machine, stand mixer, or a large baking bowl. Knead dough for about 10 minutes. Dough will be sticky, but elastic at conclusion of kneading.
- ... Alternate method is to dissolve the yeast in warm water until frothy, then add to dry ingredients.
- Let dough rest in a lightly greased bowl, covered loosely with a light cloth, for about 60 minutes, or until the dough doubles in size.
- While dough is resting, mix together the cinnamon and the brown sugar. Set aside.
- Dust work surface with flour, place dough on surface and stretch with hands into a rectangle about 9 x 12 inches. If dough is resistant or shrinks, let rest for about 5 minutes for gluten to relax, then resume flattening. You can use a rolling pin if you prefer. Flatten or roll dough to about 1/2 inch thick.
- Using a hand sieve or tablespoon, dust the surface of the dough with the cinnamon/brown sugar mixture.
- Sprinkle the sugared surface with the craisins and the raisins respectively. Take care to intersperse the craisins with the raisins, working as close to the edges as possible.
- Take the short end of the rectangle and begin rolling to the end. Press the edges together and place in a lightly greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.
- Let the rolled dough rest for another 60 to 90 minutes, or until it has crowned over the rim of the loaf pan.
- Bake for 30 to 35 degrees, or until the bread has an internal temperature of 200°F when measured with an instant read thermometer.
- Let bread rest about five minutes, then remove bread from pan and cool on a wire rack.
