Raisin Bread

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 tablespoons raw sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon yeast
• 1 cup raisins
• 2 tablespoons raw sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 6 whole cloves
• red wine
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 330 grams (11.64 ounces) all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 cups) **see Tips below
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. 1
   In the bowl of a mixer add the water, 1 tablespoon of sugar and stir to dissolve. Sprinkle on the yeast and allow it to rest for 10 minutes, or until you see the yeast creating foam on top of the water. This activates the yeast, making it rise better.
2. 2
   In a small saucepan, add the raisins, 2 tablespoons of sugar, cinnamon stick, and cloves. Pour enough red wine over them to cover the raisins by 1/4-inch. Simmer over medium low heat until the raisins are plump and most of the liquid is gone (about 20 minutes). Let the raisins cool in any remaining liquid and remove the cinnamon stick and cloves.
3. 3
   Add the oil, flour and salt to the yeast mixture. Stir to combine, and then use the dough hook attachment to knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic.
4. 4
   Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 1 hour).
5. 5
   Grease a 9” loaf pan with vegetable oil. Punch the dough down and roll it into a long rectangle about the width of the loaf pan.
6. 6
   Sprinkle the dough with a generous layer of cinnamon, and then cover the dough with an even layer of raisins. Pay particular attention to the edges, otherwise you’ll have a ton of raisins in the middle with hardly any towards the ends.
7. 7
   Starting at one end, roll the dough to form a log, and then place it in the loaf pan. Cover the pan with an oiled sheet of plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise until it has doubled in size.
8. 8
   Put the oven rack in the middle position and preheat to 350 degrees f (175 c).
9. 9
   When the dough has risen, bake the bread until golden brown (about 35-40 minutes).
10. 10
    When the bread is done, remove it from the oven and let it cool about 10 minutes in the pan and then turn the loaf out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
11. 11
    Slice and eat fresh, make cinnamon raisin toast, and if you have leftovers that go stale it makes excellent French toast.