bread

Raisin Bread: To Yeast or not to Yeast

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I have never liked raisins. Not even as a child. I would rather eat nothing than eat raisins. A while back I did a battle of Oatmeal Raisin Cookies and I have been sitting on a bag of raisins ever since. I don’t like them in salads or cookies but on occasion I have eaten Cinnamon Raisin Bread and enjoyed them that way. I decided to try a few different recipes to see if I could begin to use up my supply. I made one bread recipe with yeast & a quick bread recipe (with no yeast).

raisin both

I went with the no yeast recipe first. I love making quick breads. They are so “quick” & easy as the name implies. They almost always turn out delicious & moist which are the two basic criteria for a successful quick bread.

Cinnamon Raisin Quick Bread

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, divided
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup buttermilk or sour milk (I used 1tbsp lemon juice and enough milk to make 1  cup & let stand for 5 minutes)
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  •  1/3  cup raisins
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl combine flour, 1 cup sugar, baking soda, and salt.
  2. In a small bowl whisk egg, buttermilk, and oil. Add the wet ingredients to the dry & stir until just combined. Fold in raisins.
  3. Combine cinnamon and remaining sugar; set aside.
  4. Spoon half the batter into a greased loaf pan. Sprinkle with half of the reserved cinnamon-sugar; repeat layers. Cut through batter with a knife to swirl.
  5. Bake 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Let cool completely.

raisin no yeast_2

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

  • ½ cup milk
  • 1/3 cup warm water, approximately 110F
  • 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ cup butter, softened
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup raisins
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour plus a few tablespoons (to reach desired consistency)
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  1. Add warm water to a medium bowl. Stir yeast in water and set aside, about 5-10 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, warm milk in a small saucepan or microwave until it just starts to bubble. Let cool until lukewarm.
  3. Mix in egg, 1/4 cup sugar, butter, salt and raisins to yeast mixture. Stir in the cooled milk slowly.
  4. Add the flour gradually to make a stiff dough. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for a few minutes until smooth.
  5. Grease a large bowl and place the dough inside turning to lightly grease all sides of the dough. Cover loosely with a warm, damp cloth.
  6. Let rise until doubled in size (approximately 2 hrs).
  7. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface into a large rectangle, approximately 1/2 inch thick.
  8. Moisten the surface of the dough with 1 tablespoon milk.
  9. Mix together ½  cup of sugar & 1 tbsp cinnamon and sprinkle mixture evenly on top of the moistened dough.
  10. Roll the dough tightly (the long way). Tuck under ends and pinch bottom together.
  11. Place a piece of parchment paper inside the loaf pan (for easy removal), grease with butter, and add the loaf. Let rise uncovered for about an hour.
  12. Place in cold oven and set to 350F. Bake for 60minutes until lightly browned and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.
  13. Cool for 10 minutes in pan.
  14. Remove from the pan and let cool completely.

raisin yeast

 

 

Results:

Both breads were scrumptious. However…the yeasted bread was exceptional! The texture was what one would expect from a Cinnamon Raisin Bread & it looked more pleasing to the eye as the swirls were very pronounced. The cinnamon swirls were also more sticky compared to the quick bread. When you bit in to the quick bread, it had a sugar-cinnamon crust on top and in the middle, whereas the swirls in the other were slightly crispy & slightly gooey & sticky all at the same time.

Definitely take the time to make the bread with yeast. Also, the recipe can easily be doubled or tripled so you can make many loaves at once and place some in the fridge to bake at a later date. If this is done, once the dough is rolled out and rolled back up with the cinnamon-sugar mixture, cut in half or into thirds depending on how many loaves you are making. Place in the loaf pan with parchment paper and cover loosely. Place in the fridge and use within 1 week. When ready to bake, let stand on the counter or in a cold oven for 1 hour. Proceed to bake as previously directed.

 

Peach Muffins & Peach Bread

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It has been a long time since I have been able to bake. I moved up north and had temporary living arrangements where I did not have my kitchen or pantry items available to me for 2 months. I finally closed on my new home and have started the slow process of unpacking. The kitchen, however, was put together almost immediately.

My new kitchen has a wall oven. I have always wanted a wall oven. It’s so easy to put things in and take them out without ever having to bend over. I finally got to put it to good use these past few days. Baking Sunday occurred for the first time in a long time. For those of you who don’t know “Baking Sunday” is where I bake & do other things I enjoy while my other half watches football – a sport which I completely detest.

As I was looking through my cookbooks trying to figure out what to make, my sweetie saw a photo of fudgie brownies and said that it looked yummy. So I decided to make them. They turned out very dense and fudge-like as the name implied. I decided that the next day I would make muffins as I saw a recipe for “Muffin Monday” that looked yummy which called for canned apricots.

Seeing as how I have no can opener (it’s a long story) I needed something that had a tab on the lid or those fruit in syrup packs. I ended up buying peaches in syrup.

Peach Muffins adapted from Apricot Muffins

  • 1 3/4 cups flour
  • 1 /2 cup sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 (4) pack of diced peaches in syrup (4-4oz containers)
  • 1/4 cup syrup from the drained dice peaches
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 egg

Preheat the oven to 350F & line a muffin pan with liners. Drain the peaches but retain the syrup. Mix the first 4 ingredients together in a large bowl and mix the rest of the ingredients (except the diced peaches) in a medium bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined. Fold in the diced peaches leaving 1/2 to 2/3 cup to use in another recipe. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes on a wire rack. Remove muffins from pan and cool completely.

IMG_0917

As I had leftover peaches and syrup I decided to make a quick bread to use them up.

Peach Bread

  • 2 cups flour
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup fruit syrup
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup diced peaches
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350F and grease a loaf pan with butter. Mix the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Mix the oil, eggs, syrup, & milk in a medium bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined. Fold in the peaches and walnuts and pour into greased loaf pan. Bake for 50-60minutes or until a toothpick near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in a wire rack and remove from pan to cool completely before slicing.

IMG_0921

 

Both were delicious. The muffins had a light peach flavor throughout with bits of diced peaches, but they were a little dense and not as moist as they could have been. The bread also had peach flavor throughout and bits of diced peaches but was very moist. It had a great texture with the walnuts as well. Thus, the bread wins this battle.

Pumpkin Bread Revisited

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After my last post on pumpkin bread I received a question from a dear friend asking if I wanted another recipe. Of course I said. She then proceeded to send me two recipes. If you don’t know, this friend is Emiglia. We met in France while studying abroad. We managed to become friends (and stay friends) even though we rarely see each other. More on that later perhaps. For now, more pumpkin bread.

She sent me a pumpkin bread recipe that called for dark chocolate chunks in it and one with a cream cheese topping. My other two breads that I had previously made were just classic, plain pumpkin breads. These are embellished, but by no means any more difficult to prepare. In fact, quite the opposite. These are much easier to prepare than my other recipes as you only need one bowl (well you do need a second bowl for the cream cheese topping, but only one for the bread itself) and you do not need a mixer of any sort. Emiglia is very good about keeping quickbreads quick and easy as the name implies.

When my other half came home and saw there was something in the oven, again I had the question, “What’s in the oven?” Again I responded, “Pumpkin bread.” The reply was, “Of course.” I just cannot seem to leave well enough alone. I think I would bake just about anything with pumpkin in it. Anyhow, I tried to explain that these were Emiglia’s recipes and I had to try them. I received an, “Uh Huh.”

Well, the verdict is in. They were both delicious. When it comes down to it, the chocolate chunk bread is the favorite of the two new recipes. It is so moist & filled with pumpkin flavor that is accented by dark chocolate. Need I say more? I urge you all to try them both (see recipes below).

 

Pumpkin & Chocolate Loaf: http://www.tomatokumato.com/pumpkin-and-chocolate-loaf/

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Quickbread: http://www.tomatokumato.com/pumpkin-cream-cheese-quickbread/

Pumpkin Bread

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What’s in the oven? Pumpkin bread.

What’s on the counter? Pumpkin bread.

I received a head nod of acceptance and a simple “ok” for a reply. I bake different recipes for the same item quite frequently in order to try and find the best version. This time it was pumpkin bread. It is September after all.

Once this time of year hits I go pumpkin crazy. I love pumpkin. You tell me it has pumpkin and immediatetly my ears perk up and my stomach gurgles. The only pumpkin item I do not like is pumpkin beer. I’ve tried many and have not liked any of them. Anyhow, I have been making a certain pumpkin bread for years. It is delicious, moist, flavorful, and I have never had any complaints. I happened to come across another pumpkin bread recipe that looked appealing, so I decided to try it out against my go-to bread.

The recipes are completely different from each other but both result in yummy pumpkin bread. I have had numerous people try them and I have an almost tied vote. Some people cannot choose and only two more people has chose my classic pumpkin bread over the newcomer. I honestly don’t know which I like better.

My classic recipe is slightly sweeter and is a bit fluffier. The new recipe is slightly more dense but the spices are a bit more fragrant. The new recipe definitely looks prettier shape wise for breads. All in all, I like them both. Since the person I bake for most often prefers my classic, that is what I will stick with.

IMG_0642 (Both Breads side by side. My classic on the left and the newcomer on the right)IMG_0648IMG_0649

(My classic on the left and the newcomer on the right)

In case you were wondering about recipes, they are as follows.

Pumpkin Bread

…Better Homes and Gardens:                                         …Martha Stewart:

3 cups sugar                                                                    1 cup sugar, 1 cup brown sugar

1 cup cooking oil                                                              1/4 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs                                                                               4 eggs

2/3 cup water                                                                   1 2/3 cup buttermilk

3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour                                             3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda                                                            2 tsp baking soda & 2 tsp baking powder

1.5 tsp salt (I just do 1)                                                    1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon                                                                 2.5 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg                                                                    1/2 tsp nutmeg

(I add a dash of clove & allspice)                                      1/4 tsp all spice

1 15 oz can pumpkin puree                                               2 cups canned pumpkin puree

For both recipes:

  • two loaves are made. Grease the loaf pans and set aside.
  • Preheat the oven to 350F.
  • Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside
  • In another large bowl beat sugar and oil and then add eggs

For the Better Homes & Gardens recipe:

At this point…

Alternately add the flour and water beating on low until just combined. When finished, beat in the pumpkin. Spoon into prepared pans. Bake for 55-65 minutes or until a wooden toothpick near the center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans. Allow to cool completely. Wrap and store overnight before slicing.

For the Martha Stewart recipe:

At this point:

Add the pumpkin and beat until combined. Alternately add the flour and buttermilk, (ending with the flour) beating on low until just combined. Spoon into prepared pans. Place pans on baking sheet. Bake for 55-60 minutes (rotating pans half-way through) or until a wooden toothpick near the center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans. Allow to cool completely.

 

Enjoy delicious pumpkin bread as a end result!