Veg Out : Swirly Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Veg Out is a column about all things vegan by Emily Kager. 

I never liked raisin bread as a kid. Like oatmeal raisin cookies, it was always disappointing that the raisins weren’t chocolate chips. Don’t get me wrong, I still love chocolate, but raisins have definitely grown on me. In this bread, the gooey swirls of cinnamon and sugar match perfectly with the sweet chewy raisins.

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Making anything with yeast can be intimidating. Baking from scratch is already scary, and bread is more complicated and time-consuming than just throwing everything in the oven. Luckily, this is a super easy bread recipe proving that bread doesn’t have to be scary to make! As an added bonus, baking homemade bread is really impressive, and having a fresh warm loaf in under two hours to show off to your roommates will earn you major admiration.

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It’s good enough to eat plain, but add a little margarine while it’s warm and this bread will send you through the roof. Be careful though, once you realize how easy it is to make, you’ll be eating it all the time!

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Ingredients

  • 1 packet (2¼ teaspoons) active dry yeast
  • 1/2 cup warm water
  • 1/2 cup warm non-dairy milk
  • 2 tablespoons agave or honey
  • 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil or canola oil
  • 3 cups white whole wheat flour
  • 1 tablespoon Vital Wheat Gluten (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup raisins
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, mix together the yeast, warm water and milk, and agave. Proof for 5 minutes.
  2. Add the oil, 1½ cups flour, first tablespoon of cinnamon, salt and raisins. Mix until well combined.
  3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for 30 minutes or until doubled.
  4. Add more flour, ¼ cup at a time, just until the dough comes together. I used about 1 and 1/4 cups in this step.
  5. Knead the dough for 5 minutes. It should be slightly sticky but still workable.
  6. Spray an 8 x 4 loaf pan with cooking spray.
  7. On a floured clean surface, roll the dough into an eight inch square.
  8. Sprinkle the sugar and second tablespoon of cinnamon evenly over the surface.
  9. Roll into a tight loaf and place in the prepared loaf pan (I ended up folding mine back on itself, hence the double roll).
  10. Spray the plastic wrap you used to cover the bowl with cooking spray and use this to cover the loaf.
  11. Let the dough rise for 30-60 minutes in a warm place or until doubled.
  12. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and bake the loaf for 30-40 minutes. It should be golden brown.
  13. Let the bread cool in its pan for 5 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

~Emily Kager

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