cinnamon raisin bread

I love making bread... while it's time consuming and at times can be complex the result is so worth it.  When I worked at Scott's Pastry Shoppe, the only thing I could eat there after awhile was bread.  The sweet sweet smell of the bakery at times ruined my desire to eat anything sweet from there.  It was all incredibly delicious but it was no longer appetizing after awhile... but the bread, fresh warm, soft bread was always amazing!

So I decided to try a cinnamon raisin bread ... it's delicious!  enjoy :)

2 cups plus 1 1/2 teaspoons warm water (100 degrees to 110 degrees)

2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

5 3/4 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting

2 tablespoons nonfat powdered milk

4 teaspoons sugar, plus more for sprinkling

1 tablespoon salt

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 cups dark raisins

Canola oil, for bowl and plastic wrap

Cinnamon Filling

1 large egg, beaten

3/4 cup sugar

7 teaspoons cinnamon

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 large egg white, beaten

In a large mixing bowl (Kitchenaid), combine 1/4 cup warm water and yeast. Let sit until yeast is foamy, about 10 minutes. Add flour, powdered milk, sugar, salt, 3 tablespoons melted butter, and 1 3/4 cups warm water. Mix, using the paddle attachment, on low speed for 1 minute.

Change to dough hook, and mix on medium-low speed for 7 minutes. (Or knead by hand, 15 or 20 minutes.) Add raisins, and mix on medium-low speed until dough is firm but not dry, until well mixed in.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface, and knead by hand into a ball. Place dough, smooth side up, in a large, lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap; let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.

Use a cooking spray and spary two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans generously, and set aside. In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon, and set aside. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface, and cut in half. Cover one piece of dough loosely with lightly oiled plastic wrap.

Roll the other piece of dough into a 10-by-12-inch rectangle. Brush with half of the beaten egg, sprinkle with half the cinnamon sugar, and drizzle with half the melted butter. Rub the surface with the back of a spoon to blend butter and cinnamon sugar. Starting at a short end, roll up dough tightly, and pinch together along crease. Roll the dough back and forth to make it cylindrical, and pinch the ends together. Transfer to a loaf pan, seam side down, and cover loosely with lightly oiled plastic wrap. Repeat process with second piece of dough. Let loaves rise in a warm place, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Thirty minutes before this final rise is completed, heat oven to 425 degrees.

Brush tops of loaves with egg white, and sprinkle each loaf with sugar. Bake 15 minutes; lower oven to 400 degrees, and bake 15 minutes more. Remove from oven; cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing.