Dutch Oven Cinnamon Raisin Bread
Note: I do not have a dutch oven. Instead, I used an extremely deep soup pot with a lid. My results were the same.
It has been a few weeks since I have baked something that seemed worthy of sharing. Simply cooking for survival has always been a boring concept for me. I felt it was time to make something that required a bit more labor in the kitchen. I have bread flour all over my counters, but I feel happy and fulfilled.
The smell alone will have you singing this bread’s praises for weeks
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups warm water (98F degrees or 45 seconds in the microwave)
2 ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast
2 tablespoon light brown sugar
3 ½ cups bread flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cup raisins (do NOT use an off-brand, I love the SunMaid brand for their sweetness)
Directions:
In a large bowl, add warm water, brown sugar and yeast. Let it sit for 10 minutes. Then stir in the flour, cinnamon and salt. The dough will be loose and sticky. Add the raisins and gently stir them in. Poke in the ones that fall to side as you mix and wrap the dough.
Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let it rise for an hour.
After an hour, turn your oven to 450F and then place your soup pot (or dutch oven if you’re fancy) with the lid on in the oven to heat for about 30 minutes.
Scrape out the dough out on to a well floured slice of parchment paper. The dough will still be sticky so dust your hands with flour so it wont stick to your fingers.
Gently fold the outer edges of the dough to the center to form a ball. Turn it over with the seam-side down and cover with a kitchen towel. Let rise for 30 minutes.
Carefully take out the pot. Remove the lid and gently lift the bread with the parchment paper and place inside. Cover with the lid and bake for about 35 minutes.
After 35 minutes, remove the lid and bake for 5 more minutes.
Let the bread cool down for about 15 minutes before you slice it.
Take a whiff of that beautiful dough and enjoy!
