Cinnamon Raisin Walnut Bread

As most of you know by now, I am a huge fan of the artisan bread baker and cooking school professor, Peter Reinhart. His award-winning book, The Bread Baker's Apprentice, has received numerous accolades from the James Beard Foundation and other notable culinary heavyweights. Every recipe in this carefully-written book has been painstakingly developed to ensure success for the home baker. If you are at all interested in making bread at home, I would recommend picking up a copy.

After a recent trip to a bakery in San Diego (Con Pane Rustic Breads and Cafe) where I had the pleasure of tasting some amazing hazelnut-studded raisin bread, I decided to try making a similar bread at home. While the bread did take some time to produce (mostly waiting for the dough to rise), the result was a beautifully layered creation, heavy with plump raisins and deep cinnamon flavor. This not-too-sweet bread is perfect for a light breakfast or with coffee/tea in the afternoon.

Cinnamon Raisin Walnut Bread - The Bread Baker's Apprentice

Makes two 1 1/2 pound loaves

3 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour

4 t granulated sugar

1 1/4 t salt

2 t instant yeast

1 1/4 t ground cinnamon

1 large egg, slightly beaten

2 T shortening, melted or room temperature

1/2 c buttermilk or whole milk, room temperature

3/4 c water, room temperature

1 1/2 c raisins

1 c chopped walnuts

Stir together the flour, sugar, salt, yeast and cinnamon in the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Add the egg, shortening, buttermilk, and water. Stir together on low speed with the paddle attachment until the ingredients come together and form a ball. Adjust flour or water if the dough seems too sticky or too dry and stiff.

Mix on medium speed using the dough hook for 6 to 8 minutes until soft and pliable. Sprinkle in the raisins and walnuts during the final 2 minutes (you will have to finish kneading by hand to fully incorporate the walnuts and raisins). Lightly oil and large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and ferment at room temperature for about 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.

Divide the dough into 2 pieces and form them into loaves. Place each loaf in a lightly oiled 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch pan. Mist the tops of the dough with spray oil, and cover loosely with plastic wrap.

Proof at room temperature for 60 to 90 minutes or until the dough crests above the lips of the pans and is nearly doubled in size.

Preheat the over to 350 F with the oven rack on the middle shelf. Place the loaf pans on a sheet pan, making sure they are not touching.

Bake the loaves for 20 minutes. Rotate the pan 180 degrees for even baking and continue baking another 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the oven. The finished breads should register 190 F in the center and be golden brown on top and lighly golden on the sides and bottom. They should make a hollow sound when thumped on the bottom.

Immediately remove the breads from their pans and cool on a rack for at least 1 hour, preferably 2 hours, before slicing or serving.

Notes:

I made a "cinnamon swirl" in the center of this bread, as recommended. Before shaping the dough into loaves, roll the dough out to a 8 x 5 inch rectangle. Sprinkle the dough thickly with cinnamon suger (1/2 cup granular sugar with 2 T cinnamon). Roll the dough up as before. The cinnamon swirl gives the bread a sweeter flavor with a decorative look.

I made a few changes to this recipe:

- Substituted melted unsalted butter for shortening (I am not a fan of any type of trans fats).

- Used Vietnamese Saigon cinnamon where the recipe called for cinnamon. This type of cinnamon is sweeter and more intense than regular cinnamon. You can purchase the cinnamon from King Arther Flour (http://www.kingarthurflour.com/).