Whole Wheat cinnamon swirl raisin bread

From the outside this bread looks like ordinary boring wheat bread.  But there is a surprise inside....raisins and cinnamon!  This bread has a crunchy outside but is soft on the inside.  The cinnamon and raisins are so flavorful I just eat this bread toasted and plain, no butter or jam required.  Of course, like all yeast breads you have to have patience, but the wait is worth it and you will have enough bread to supply you for two weeks......unless you get really hungry and just can't help yourself and before you know it you sat down with a loaf and now it is all gone.  When I was baking this bread it made my whole house smell like cinnamon.  This bread is also very good for you:

115 Calories,  1.8 g fat, 23 g carbs, and 3.2 g of protein.

You will need:
2 cups of bread flour
2 cups whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
1 large egg
2 tbsp canola oil
3 tbsp honey
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp instant dry yeast
cooking spray
2/3 cups raisins
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

To make the dough, warm up 1 1/4 cups water (about 120-125 degrees F).  Add the water to a large mixing bowl with the bread flour, whole wheat flour, nonfat dry milk, egg, canola oil, honey, salt, and yeast.  Fit your stand mixer with a dough hook and mix for about 3 minutes on the lowest setting.  Increase to the next highest speed and mix for about 5 minutes.  When the dough has come together, shape it into a ball and place in a bowl that has been covered lightly with canola oil.  Roll your ball around so that it is covered with oil as well then cover it and let it rise for about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

When your dough is about 30 minutes away from being done, soak your raisins.  Place them in a bowl and pour boiling hot water over the top of them.  Let them soak for about 30 minutes.  If you skip this step, the raisins will take the moisture out of your bread.

When the dough is finished rising, cut it into two pieces.  Roll each one out to about an 8 inch square.  Mine were more like rectangles, I tried really hard to get a perfect square and it just wasn't happening.  Next time I think I will roll them a bit thinner so that there is even more of a swirl.  Maybe an 8 inch by 15 inch would be better.  Sprinkle cinnamon so that it covers the bread dough and then add some brown sugar.  You can add as little or as much as you like of the cinnamon and brown sugar.  To be healthier I didn't use all of my brown sugar.  Evenly distribute the raisins onto both breads.

Tightly roll up your bread.  I pushed down onto every roll to make sure the raisins were really snug in there dough blanket.  If a raisin escapes make sure you put it right back in....no raisin left behind!  When your done rolling press down on both ends with the heal of your hand and tuck it.

Place each loaf, seam side down into a lightly greased 9X5 inch pan.  Let this rise for another hour and 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.  Brush the loaves with canola oil and bake until golden brown....about 25-30 minutes.  Remove from the pan and transfer to a rack.

Cranberry Orange granola

 

This Granola is perfect to take with you on hikes or camping trips.  It has the same base recipe as my Mango Ginger granola and is just as easy to make.

4 cups rolled oats

pinch of salt

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup chopped pecans

1 tbsp zested orange peel (about 1 orange)

1/2 tsp orange extract

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup brown sugar

First put the oats, salt, cranberries, pecans, and orange zest in a large glass bowl.

In a large sauce pan add the brown sugar, vegetable oil, and honey.  cook on medium until the mixture is boiling and the oil is mixed with the brown sugar.  Remove from the heat and add the orange extract.  Be careful when you do this because the mixture can splash a little bit.  Hot syrup does not feel good on your hands....trust me.  Quickly stir the extract in and then add to your oat mixture.  Try to do this fast because the syrup will start to harden and make it hard to mix.

Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees F.  Spread the granola evenly onto a cookie sheet  and cook for about 15 minutes.  Make sure you are stirring the granola every 5 minutes to make sure it is evenly cooked.  When the granola is done the oats will be browned and the mixture will still be soft.  Place it on the counter and let it cool.  When the granola cools it hardens, store it in an air tight container or zip lock bag.

This granola has a nice citrus after taste which goes well with plain yogurt and honey, or just something to snack on this summer while your working on the garden.

Whole Wheat bread

This bread is easy to make and it will make your whole house smell like a bakery.  I strongly suggest making your own bread, it saves money and is healthier to you because there isn't a large amount of sugar, or corn syrup.  This bread only takes a long time to make because of the waiting period while it is rising.  I like to make it on my day off because I can lounge around the house while it is rising and it takes little effort.  One loaf lasts me about a week and I freeze the other loaf, So I make bread twice a month.  I am only feeding two mouths though so for a family you may go through bread a lot faster.  I put this recipe together by looking at many recipes and picking what I liked and changing what I didn't like.  For example I used soy milk instead of water or regular milk, and I use honey instead of sugar.  The amount of bread flour is tentative because each time I make the bread, the amount varies.

Whole Wheat bread

2 1/2 cups soy milk (you can use regular milk if you like)
1/2 cup honey
1 1/2 tbsp yeast
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 1/2-3 1/2 cups bread flour
1/2 cup wheat bran
3 tbsp oat bran
1 1/2 tsp salt

First you need to warm up your soy milk so the honey will dissolve.  Put it in a sauce pan with the heat on low.  Don't bring it to a boil, just warm it up and stir until the honey is completely dissolved.

The soy milk mixture is going to wake up your yeast so make sure it is just the right temperature, about 100 degrees F.  If you don't have a thermometer just touch the milk with your fingertip to make sure it is warm but not so hot your burning yourself.  Pour the soy milk into a small  bowl and sprinkle the yeast over it.  Let that sit for about 5-10 minutes.  You can see that the yeast makes a brain like texture on the top and it will foam a bit.

In a large mixing bowl add the whole wheat flour, 2 1/2 cups bread flour, wheat bran, oat bran, and salt.  Mix together and make a well in the center.  When the yeast mixture is done sitting, pour it into the well.  Fit your mixer with a dough hook and turn it on low, mixing until everything has come together.  Slowly begin adding the rest of the bread flour until the dough is no longer sticky and has pulled off the edge of the bowl and climbed up your dough hook.  You can do this step without a mixer, just using your hands but it will take a bit longer and you will have to knead it longer in the end.

Place your dough on a floured surface.  I left mine a little sticky so that I could knead the rest of the bread flour in by hand.  Sprinkle a bit of flour on the top of the dough and put some on your hands.  Knead for about five minutes.  If the dough becomes sticky just add a bit more flour.

In the end your dough should be smooth and have an elastic texture to it.  Shape it into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl (using olive oil).  Turn your dough around in the bowl so that your dough is covered lightly with olive oil.  Cover with plastic wrap and place in a draft free warm area for about an hour.

Deflate the dough and cut into two pieces.  Shape them into two loaves and put them in lightly greased bread pans.  Cover this and let it rise for about an hour.  After your bread has doubled in size, heat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Put your bread in on the lower middle rack (so the top doesn't burn) and cook for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown.  To make your bread pretty you can cut slits in the top and give it an egg wash over the top.  Egg wash is just a beaten egg which is then brushed over the top of breads and pastries to give it a golden shine.

Let it cool for a bit then dig in!  I ate this with some jam I canned last year.  It is a cinnamon grape jam I made with grapes from a neighbors garden.