Monday, January 10, 2011

Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread with Streusel Topping



From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I usually keep a loaf or two of this bread in the freezer. While it's a wonderful addition to a leisurely weekend breakfast, I actually keep it on hand to serve at meetings or morning coffees when I have no time to bake. The bread has much to commend it. It's delicious, easy to prepare and cheap. If you do a lot of volunteer work, and are responsible for the "and" part of morning coffee, cost can be important. This bread can be made for about $3 a loaf and it freezes well. It's the type of bread that old-times called a "race track" because of the tracks and spiral that form when the dough is rolled and shaped. I've kept the fillings here to an absolute minimum. Feel free to improvise and add or subtract ingredients to suit your own taste. Because they go on rather than in the bread dough, precise quantities are not as important as they might otherwise be. I hydrate and drain my raisins before sprinkling them on the dough. I usually soak them in orange or apple juice but I've been known to use dark rum. It adds flavor and helps to keep the bread moist. I also use mace in this bread. Mace is a spice made from the waxy red covering which covers nutmeg seeds. The flavor is similar to that of nutmeg. Used in small quantities it adds subtle flavor to baked goods. Mace can be found in the spice aisle of most large grocery chains and it is available online from spice purveyors such as Penzy's. If you are unable to find it , use nutmeg or replace it with additional cinnamon. I think the bread looks exceptionally good and while there are four steps to its construction, each step is very easy to do. If you plan to freeze the loaf, hold the glaze and apply it just before you serve the bread. The bread tends to stale quickly, so eat or freeze it the day it's made. I know that those of you who try this loaf will love it. Here's the recipe.

Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread with Streusel Topping...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:

Dough
2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/4 cup + 1-1/4 cups lukewarm milk, divided use
1/4 cup + 1 teaspoon sugar, divided use
3-3/4 to 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons softened unsalted butter + butter to grease bowl and baking pan
additional softened butter for greasing bowl and pan
Swirl
1 tablespoon melted butter
1/2 cup raisins, soaked, drained and patted dry
1-3/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon mace
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Topping
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
Glaze
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons milk
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
1) Stir yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar into 1/4 cup of warm milk. Let sit until mixture begins to foam.
2) Combine reserved 1/4 cup sugar with 3-3/4 cups flour, salt and 3 tablespoons butter in a mixing bowl. Stir in yeast mixture and reserved 1-1/4 cup warm milk with a wooden spoon or your hands. Continue to stir until dough forms a ball.
3) Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface to rest a few minutes. If kneading dough with a dough hook, wash and dry mixing bowl before placing dough back in the bowl. Knead dough by hand or on lowest setting of mixer until it takes on a silky quality, about 4 minutes. If dough is too sticky, add additional flour. Dough is sufficiently kneaded when indentation made by pressing 2 fingers into dough springs back. Allow to rest for several minutes.
4) Butter inside of a clean, dry bowl. Place dough in bowl, and turn to coat all sides with butter. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 to 2 hours.
5) Punch dough down and transfer to a floured surface. Knead for 2 or 3 minutes, adding additional flour only as needed. Roll dough out into a rectangle about 8 by 16 inches. Brush dough with melted butter (saving excess for application of streusel). Sprinkle with cinnamon, mace, sugar and raisins. Starting at a short end, roll dough up tightly and tuck ends under. Place in a butter 9 x 5 x 3-inch pan, seam side down. Covered with plastic wrap and let rise until dough rises above edge of pan, about 40 to 60 minutes.
6) Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine flour and brown sugar in a bowl. Using a pastry blender, cut the butter till mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
7) Brush risen loaf with melted butter and slash down the middle. Sprinkle with crumb mixture, pressing in if necessary. Bake for 45 minutes, or until loaf makes a hollow sound when tapped.
8) Remove from pan and let cook on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before cutting.
9) Whisk together confectioners' sugar, milk and vanilla extract in a bowl. Drizzle over top of finished cakes and let set before serving. Yield: 1 loaf.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Cinnamon Swirl Bread - Cookie Madness
Pumpkin Yeast Bread - The Galley Gourmet
Coconut Bubble Bread - One Perfect Bite
Pumpkin Cinnamon Bun Cake - Baking Bites
Monkey Bread - Brown Eyed Baker
Cinnamon Raisin Walnut Bread - Playing House
Hot Cross Buns - Buttercream Barbie
Brioche Muffins - Andrea Meyers

This post is being linked to:
Smiling Sally - Blue Monday

Wild Yeast - Yeast Spotting

84 comments :

All That's Left Are The Crumbs said...

Your bread looks amazing. I really want to try baking brad this year and I would be happy if mine was half as nice as this.

Midwest Elle said...

This looks super delicious. I have everything except for mace. Never heard/seen it before. Is it an absolute for this recipe?

lena said...

mary, shall make this one day..btw, what is maze? can i leave that out? i've made the apple lady cake using your recipe, it was very good..when i get it posted, shall let you know. Have a wonderful day!

3 hungry tummies said...

I am not a big fan of bread but this one looks truly amazing with the toppings!

Pondside said...

I love to have something 'up my sleeve' in the freezer. I'd like to give this a try - it looks yummy.

Diane said...

I have not had breakfast yet and now I wnat some of your bread :) Diane

Katerina said...

This is such a great idea for breakfast. Especially my husband will appreciate it because he wants something quick, sweet and delicious for breakfast.

Elin Chia said...

Mary....your bread looks so good with the streusel topping. Thanks for sharing the recipe. Will try this out when I get the spices from the shop :)

cocoa and coconut said...

I've been meaning to cook something like this (possibly in scroll form) for such a long time. It looks so good and uses my favourite ingredients. Your family is lucky to have it in the deep-freeze.

Chele said...

Wonderful! This bread is now on my must make list ;0)

Rachana said...

The bread with streusel topping looks so good. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

Anonymous said...

That looks just perfect!

Alessandra said...

How delicious! I also like to keep fillings to a minimum if I can :-), I think that the bread bakes better this way, and then here there is all that yummy topping!!

ciao

Alessandra

Priya Suresh said...

Streusel topping looks soooo delicious, gorgeous bread..

Jaisy James said...

bread looks so perfect and delicious. new to your blog. lots of yummy recipes in your blog. will check it one by one when time gets

penny aka jeroxie said...

Pretty awesome looking bread. Always good to have one handy for just in case.

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

The struesel on top of the raisin bread is a nice touch Mary!!

Carrie said...

This looks/sounds amazing...but I'm not sure what the mace is either. A spice perhaps?

Barbara said...

Great idea, Mary. I have so many meetings at my home. And I even have mace! This looks delicious.

My next meeting is late afternoon so I decided to make a savory cracker. Rare to have one in the afternoon.

High Plains Drifters said...

Just as the angel Michael instructed us to eat more pie, I submit that we all would do well to eat more steusel.

Cheers!

Martha said...

You have a way with yeast dough!! This bread looks amazing and cinnamon raisin bread is a favorite of mine recalling breakfasts long ago!

Flavia Galasso said...

I usually use Rum, or MArsala for raisins.... never thought about fresh lemon or orange juice..I'm going to try...even this good recipe, thanks a lot, ciao Flavia

Unknown said...

Your timing with this one could not be more perfect! Just the other day I told my husband NOT to pick up raisin bread from the grocery store (my kids love it) b/c I decided it was time for us to begin making our own bread! I picked up a nice bread pan yesterday and now need to go get yeast. This will probably be my first bread! THANKS!

Unknown said...

Delicious? Easy to make? Freezes well? AND cheap? SOLD!!

Blog is the New Black said...

Everything about this sounds wonderful! And I bet it tastes even better.

kitchen flavours said...

It's a beautiful bread. You are right. This is a perfect bread to have in the freezer. Definitely bookmarking this. Thanks for sharing.

Jenn @ Peas and Crayons said...

I wish I could bake... this looks fantastic!

xoXOxo
Jenn @ Peas & Crayons

Joanne said...

This bread sounds perfect for when you need that extra incentive to hope out of bed in the morning. I would look forward to waking up early if I knew this were waiting for me!

Banana Wonder said...

Not only do you have topping, but glaze and swirl! YUM!

black eyed susans kitchen said...

Mary, I started salivating when I read the title of this post. The bread honestly looks divine!
♥, Susan

PeggyR said...

This looks really yummy!

Kim said...

I love this bread Mary. What a great combination of flavor in it. Mace as a great flavor!

Lindsay said...

This looks amazing! I have not had much luck with making my own bread, but I think I might try again with this recipe.

The Food Hound said...

This looks like a little extra effort but totally WORTH IT, just by name alone!! I would love to make this... and eat it!!!

Ginny Hartzler said...

This looks delicious, I love cinnamon bread.

Leslie said...

Oh yeah baby! I am so printing this one off! This is my husbands favorite. Thank you for the delicious recipe.

Unknown said...

Wow, I absolutely love anything cinnamon raisin. This is a MUST try! Thank you so much for making me hungry!!!!! I can't wait to try this one.

Karen said...

Swirl + streusel = double deliciousness!! I love home made cinnamon raisin bread for Sunday breakfast and this recipe sounds extra special. Yum! :-)

Martha said...

Amazing! I didn't have breakfast this morning - now drooling on my computer at work ;-)

Umm Mymoonah said...

I just love the streusal topping and cinnamon flavours in it.

T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types said...

That is a beautiful, plumb loaf! I'm getting much better at keeping bread in the freezer to have on hand. I like the addition of mace - it's a little different flavor profile than some more typical spices.

Valérie said...

What a lovely loaf! Perfect for a lazy morning or tea time!

From the Kitchen said...

I think this would also add a real treat alongside the butternut squash soup I made yesterday. It's always comforting to know that something such as this is residing in the freezer for those moments when one needs to serve a group on short notice.

Best,
Bonnie

Anonymous said...

This bread looks perfect! I'll have to try it soon.

Emily Z said...

This bread looks wonderful. On a cozy, snowy day like I am having, I think this would make a perfect snack.

bunkycooks said...

Your bread looks fabulous! I can't wait until I can have carbs again. This may be the first thing I bake! BTW, thank you for the nice comment you left on my blog. I hope you come back often!

aipi said...

It looks super duper delicious with that awesome streusel topping,I want to make this...it looks amazing and I can almost smell it from here :)


US Masala

Self Sagacity said...

I love to try and make bread one day. It's not in the cards now. You have many wonderful recipes!

Pushpa said...

Flavorful bread with streusel topping looks delicious.

Faith said...

What a gorgeous flavorful bread, Mary! I bet this lovely bread would be delicious toasted and served alongside a cup of tea. Hope you're having a wonderful Monday!

Caroline B. said...

It looks so good Mary! This is the first time I see a bread with raisins and cinnamon with a topping. Sumptuous! Caroline B.

Betty Bake said...

thanks for the lovely comment on my blog :)
happiness and a lovely new year to you too

Betty Bake x

teresa said...

what a lovely bread, i bet it's just heaven when it first comes out of the oven.

Kelly said...

It occurs to me that Mace is one of the few spices I don't own. I guess because I have never seen a recipe, until today, that called for it. The next time I'm in a spice shop I'll have to pick it up.

Your bread also looks fantastic. I am a firm believer that everything is better with streusel. I only wish we had gotten a peek at a sliced piece. I bet the spiral in the inside is gorgeous!

SmilingSally said...

I can almost smell it!

Happy Blue Monday, Mary.

Carol said...

Your bread looks fantastic, and especially the streusel topping! WOW!

The Blonde Duck said...

Cinnamon and Strusel? SWOON!

Monet said...

Oh delightful! I never would have thought to soak my raisins in rum...which is such an inspired idea. I am going to attempt this the next time I make cinnamon swirl bread. Thank you for sharing your recipe with me. I hope you are having a happy and warm Monday. It is cold here in Austin!

Donnie said...

That looks amazing and I love the blue and white checked cloth underneath. Happy Blue Monday.

Eliana said...

Thsi bread looks absolutely delightful Mary. I can only imagine how great my apartment would smell if I were making it.

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Mary, that looks absoulutely scrumptious! I think I could do some serious damage to that loaf. Loved the blue checks, too.

Happy Blue Monday...

XO,

Sheila :-)

The Words Crafter said...

Most of the kids in my class think raisins are yucky. That's great, because it means more of this for me! It looks divine :)

Jeannie said...

That is such a lovely loaf of bread Mary, the streusel topping makes it looks so scrumptious!

Miss Meat and Potatoes said...

Oh my goodness! I bet this would make to die for French toast. And I have to say I am partial to a recipe that freezes well. How divine - thanks for sharing!

Eat. Laugh. Run. said...

I LOVE cinnamon raisin bread, I always make a loaf to take back to school with me. This looks delicious with the topping!

eatgood4life.blogspot.com said...

Looks superb, I jet to try and make a successfull loaf myself :-) that is of course in a healthier way....

JG said...

How nice that this bread can also be placed in the freezer! The recipe will be bookmarked. :) I also like to soak raisins in apple juice, sometimes cranberry juice or apple cider.
~Judy

Anonymous said...

I love cinnamon raisin swirl bread, but your addition of the streusel topping takes it to the next level. It looks absolutely delicious!

Claudia said...

You always have this in the freeer? I need to visit you. The streusel topping gives me just the right amount of sweetness - and aroma. What a perfect posting for a cold January day.

Jen_from_NJ said...

I need to add baking more bread to my 2011 goals! What great bread and quite the bargain for $3. Rum soaked raisins sound tasty too!

Marguerite said...

Oh, this bread looks so heavenly delicious! And it's absolutely gorgeous! Printing... Thanks for the great recipe!

Bakericious said...

nice loaf Mary, I love any bakes with streusel topping :)

MegSmith @ Cooking.In.College said...

I cannot begin to tell you how fantastic that bread looks! I enjoy the simple toppings and can imagine this treat going perfectly with coffee. Thank you for your wonderful comment on my blog, I am so glad you found it so I could find yours. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your posts! I can't wait to see more Mary, thank you.

grace said...

okay. cinnamon raisin swirl bread, i LOVE. it's one of my favorite things to eat, for obvious reasons. sneaking some streusel on top is (sadly) something i've never considered doing, but it's the best idea i've come across so far this year. yes, the year is young, but this is truly phenomenal, mary--bravo!

Lori said...

Oh my so sweet and yummy. I have not been baking bread. I think this may be the thing to inspire me.

scrambledhenfruit said...

Mmmmm...I can almost smell that baking right now- I know it's divine. :) I'm copying this to make this weekend.

cookies and cups said...

you had me at streusel!
This sounds delicious and cozy and yummy and sweet and...

sally said...

I love streusel topping on just about anything. I bet it is especially good on this cinnamon raisin bread!

lisaiscooking said...

Looks absolutely delicious with the streusel topping! I'd never heard the phrase 'race track' referring to bread. Good to know!

The Galley Gourmet said...

Mary-
First of all thank you for the link. Secondly, your bread looks delicious and I am thrilled that you used mace--not many people do. It adds such a warm and subtle spice. I have a cake recipe that I want to share that has mace, but that is my only recipe that uses mace. I will have to give your recipe a go to use up some of my mace. Thank you for sharing the recipe. Your blog is lovely!

Sanjeeta kk said...

What a delectable loaf out there, Mary! Love the streusel topping.

The Chef In My Head said...

Oh Mary this look delicious!! Makes my mouth water! Have a blessed Sunday afternoon! ~Leslie

That Girl said...

My raisins always fall out of the swirl, am I just not rolling it tight enough?

dining tables said...

This is too delicious for me! The photo is so beautiful. It just made me crave for some now!

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