Old Fashioned Cinnamon Raisin Braid
Submitted by desertflowers
Old fashioned cinnamon raisin braid made with potato dough for extra-soft texture. Three strands rolled in cinnamon sugar and braided into one gorgeous, fragrant loaf.
YIELD
1 loafPREP
20 minCOOK
80 minREADY
100 minThis braided cinnamon raisin bread gets its incredibly soft, tender crumb from an unexpected ingredient: instant potato flakes. The starch holds onto moisture during baking, keeping this loaf soft for days instead of going stale overnight like most homemade yeast breads.
The food processor does the kneading here, which cuts your hands-on time way down. You’re looking for a dough that’s soft and satiny but pulls cleanly away from the bowl. Add the warm water slowly through the feed tube because you may not need all of it. Too much and you’ll end up with a sticky mess that’s hard to braid.
Raisins get kneaded in by hand after processing. This keeps them whole instead of getting chopped to bits by the blade. Rolling each strand in the cinnamon sugar mixture before braiding means you get swirls of spiced sweetness throughout the loaf, not just on the surface.
Chef Tips
- Let the potato flake mixture cool to lukewarm before adding. Too hot and it’ll kill the yeast.
- When braiding, start from the center and work outward for a more even shape. Tuck the ends under firmly and pinch to seal so they don’t unravel during the rise.
- The loaf is done when it sounds hollow when you tap the bottom. If the top browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes.
Variations
- Cranberry walnut: Swap raisins for dried cranberries and fold in chopped walnuts for a holiday-worthy loaf.
- Orange glaze: Drizzle cooled loaf with a glaze of powdered sugar and fresh orange juice for a bakery finish.
Ingredients
Directions
Stir potato flakes into boiling water.
Cool until lukewarm.
Reserve.
Combine ¼ cup of the warm water, 1 tablespoon of the sugar and yeast.
Stir to dissolve yeast and let stand until bubbly, about 5 minutes.
Fit processor with steel blade.
Measure flour, dry milk, butter, remaining 3 tablespoons of the sugar and salt into work bowl.
Process until mixed, about 15 seconds.
Add potato mixture to flour mixture.
Process until mixed, about 5 seconds.
Add yeast mixture and egg to flour mixture.
Turn on processor and very slowly drizzle just enough remaining water through feed tube into flour mixture so dough forms a ball that cleans the sides of the bowl.
Process until ball turns around bowl about 25 times.
Turn off processor and let dough stand 1 to 2 minutes.
Turn on processor and gradually drizzle in enough remaining water to make dough soft, smooth and satiny but not sticky.
Process until dough turns around bowl about 15 times.
Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead ½ cup dark raisins into the dough.
Shape into ball and place in lightly greased bowl, turning to grease all sides.
Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let stand in warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Punch down dough.
Prepare Cinnamon Sugar. Divide dough into 3 equal parts. Shape each part into strand 20 inches long. Roll each strand in Cinnamon Sugar. Braid strands together and place in greased 9×5×3-inch loaf pan. Tuck ends under and pinch to seal. Let stand in warm place until almost doubled, about 45 minutes. Heat oven to 350℉ (180℃). Bake until evenly brown and loaf sounds hollow when tapped, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove immediately from pan. Cool on wire rack. CINNAMON SUGAR: ¼ cup sugar 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon butter or margarine, at room temperature Mix ingredients well.
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