Swirls!

Mmm, girls. This recipe is a keeper! Yesterday, I made the Cinnamon Raisin Walnut Bread. It was a pretty straight forward recipe and easily made in a day. A few notes about the formula: I used whole milk, because I had that on hand and I opted not to put in the nuts. When kneading I had to add some more flour because it was a bit sticky. I also rinsed and drained my raisins so when I incorporated them into the dough I had to add more flour because of the dampness of the raisins. Maybe dry them off before you add them? Or I don't really know why you need to rinse them in the first place?

I read the commentary about adding the cinnamon swirl. Um, yes please! I think if you didn't add the swirl you would have to add more cinnamon into the initial formula. It only called for 1 1/4 tsp of cinnamon which doesn't really sound like enough for 2 loaves. But, I like cinnamon. The swirl adds 1/2 cup of sugar plus 2 more Tablespoons of cinnamon which really adds some good cinnamon flavor to the bread. I saved a bit of the cinnamon mix to add to the top of one loaf when it came out of the oven.

Rolling out the rectangle for the cinnamon swirl:

When I was growing up, the cinnamon raisin bread I remember had a nice sweet glaze on the top. So I mixed 1/4 cup of powdered sugar with about a 1/2 Tablespoon of milk and a drip of vanilla to make the glaze (if you want to glaze both loaves, double this). When the loaves came out of the oven, I brushed one with butter and sprinkled on the cinnamon mixture and then for the other one I spread on the glaze. I think I could have baked each one a little bit longer to get them darker, but the temp was right and they sounded hollow so I didn't want to over bake. I am keeping the glazed loaf for myself, I mean, for my family and the other loaf I am going to give to a friend.

My yummy loaves:

This morning I enjoyed a nice cup of coffee and piece of cinnamon swirl toast with real butter. A great way to start out any day!