We started baking bread each week back in September when I realized
1) The cost of the organic bread was way more than what we could make at home.
2) I wanted to bring more bread baking to our weekly rhythm.
I found a lovely bread tutorial (see this post for details) that has now
become the tried and true bread we eat. I have even perfected a high loaf
so that I may slice thinly and it voila! Looks even better than the bakery.
As a treat, we made homemade cinnamon raisin loaf today. In the past,
all my breads would be flat or undercooked or just not turn out.
But since mastering the basic loaf, I can adjust and add things to my liking.
This is a good lesson that applys to many things in life including Daily & Weekly
Rhythm.
This time of year we tend to want to wipe away old habits and things that aren’t
they way we want them to be. But to try to do it all at once can really cause
frustration and overwhelm!
Have you ever started cleaning out a messy closet or garage and halfway through
you realized this was way more than you bargained for? Sometimes, a small
project leads to a much bigger one we didn’t plan.
For establishing a consistent daily/weekly rhythm choose one main area that is
the most troubling. (Bedtime? Dinner prep? Getting out the door in the morning?)
Focus on ways to improve that one thing. Then tweak if necessary. Take a week, maybe
two to see if it is working or if it can be improved even more.
Only when you have that area the way you like, then move to something else.
You may be inspired by “fixing” something easy, such as getting up early in the
morning before your children, or creating a quiet time in the afternoons.
Sometimes one success will lead you to
look around and do more!
The point is, take it slow to make it last. If not, you may end up
overwhelmed and want to ditch the whole plan.
Here is that yummy cinnamon raisin bread recipe and my girls
making it.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1 cup warm water ( must be between 110-115 degrees)
- 2 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup raisins
- 8 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons milk
- For Inside Loaf:
- 1 cup white sugar
- 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted ( approx.)
Directions
- Warm the milk in a small sauce pan on the stove until it just starts to bubble, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat.
- Let cool until lukewarm, about 120-125 degrees.
- Dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside until yeast is frothy, about 10 minutes or so
(make sure your water is at the correct temperature or the yeast won’t activate.) Then mix in eggs, 1/2 cup
sugar, butter salt and raisins (stir in the cooled milk slowly so you don’t cook the eggs.)
Add the flour gradually to make a stiff dough. - Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for a few minutes until smooth.
- Place in a large, buttered, mixing bowl and turn to grease the surface of the dough.
- Cover with a warm, damp cloth and let rise (I like to let my bread rise in the oven with the light on.
It has just the right amount of heat and keeps the bread out of drafts.) Allow to rise until doubled,
usually about 1 1/2 hours. - Roll out on a lightly floured surface into a large rectangle 1/2 inch thick.
- Moisten the dough with 2 tablespoons milk and rub all over the dough with your hands.
- Mix together 1 cup of sugar and 3 tablespoons cinnamon and sprinkle mixture evenly on top
of the moistened dough. - Roll up tightly (the long way).
- The roll should be about 3 inches in diameter.
- Cut into thirds, and tuck under ends and pinch bottom together.
- Place loaves into well greased (you can use Crisco or butter for this) 9 x 5 inch pans and lightly grease tops of loaves.
- Let rise in warm place, uncovered, again for about an hour.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until loaves are lightly browned and sound hollow when tapped.
- Remove from oven and let cool on rack.
- Take melted butter and spread over tops of loaves.
- After about 20 minutes, lay loaves on their sides and remove from pans.
- Allow to cool before slicing.
Donna I tried the Farmgirl Fare bread recipe and I love it! I do prefer whole grains but sometimes you just want a good slicing bread- so hard to have a sandwhich on crumbly or slightly-risen bread!!! That one sure does the trick, and I hope to experiment adding some whole grains to it. Thanks for the inspiration.