Waiter there's something in my...BREAD!

This is my first blog event ever...hooray for me!
I made my first ever rising bread with yeast, and I am pretty happy with the results. Andrew over at Spitton Extra announced the theme for this round as bread, and because I hadn't made REAL bread before, the task loomed before me. I found a couple recipes (one to follow) that would use this Healthy Cinnamon Raisin Bread, and got to work!



Mostly Whole Wheat Raisin Bread
(adapted from BakingBites formerly Bakingsheet)

1 Tblspn active dry yeast (1 package)
1/4 cup warm water
1 1/4 cup buttermilk, room temp. (I had none so I added a tspn of lemon juice to regular milk)
1/4 cup of honey (I used a bit less)
2 tspn salt
2 1/2 tspn cinnamon
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups AP flour
2/3 cup raisins
1 tspn sugar

Up to 1/2 cup AP flour while mixing/kneading

Directions:
1) In a large bowl combine yeast and warm water. Let stand 5-10 min until foamy.
2) Mix in buttermilk, honey, salt, cinnamon, sugar, and whole wheat flour. Stir well.
3) Gradually mix in AP flour by hand (or with a wooden spoon) until dough pulls away from sides of bowl.
4) Put out on a lightly floured surface, adding flour as needed to prevent it from sticking, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5-7 more min. (Original recipe note: It wont get quite as smooth as breads made with other flours, but it will still be a bit stretchy.)
5) Place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with first plastic wrap, then hand towel. Let stand in a warm area for 1 1/2- 2 hours, or until doubled in size.
6) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
7) Turn bread out onto a lightly floured surface and gently beat to deflate. Shape into a rectangle, than form a "log" by folding short ends into the center and pull long ends up and pinching them together. (Or just mold dough to desired loaf pan shape.)
8) Place dough seam side down into a greased 8 x 4 in. loaf pan. Let ride for about an hour until volume has nearly doubled again.
9) Bake at 375F for 35-40 minutes until outside is golden brown and crispy.
10) Remove from pan and cool completely before slicing.

Makes one loaf

Note: My bread came out a little dense at the bottom but I think that was because I didn't let it completely cool before cutting into it; I was too excited to taste! I find that turning on the dryer and placing the bowl with the unrisen dough near the area that gets the warmest from the dryer's heat, helps my dough to rise quicker. Also you don't have to use your hands to do the mixing, but since you'll be kneading with your hands anyway, I find it best and faster than using a spoon. Also I get to feel like some Medieval peasant.



And of course I couldn't just enjoy the bread by itself, I HAD to make something with it. Not only did I use it for the Apple-Cinnamon Raisin stuffing in some pork chops last week, but I also made a French Toast Strata for breakfast!

This was so good, like a bread pudding for breakfast. Because it was made with Splenda, it wasn't too sweet, but it got an extra kick of sugary goodness from the fresh sliced apples. There were also bits of cream cheese, a hint of rum, and a bunch of sprinkled cinnamon on top! The tasty recipe can be found here at the Splenda website.