Pillsbury cinnamon swirl raisin bread

I haven't been doing a-lot of crafty things lately,but I have been doing a-lot of eating! Tomorrow I will be 8 months pregnant and I am really feeling it. The heaviness that is,but I figure I might as well enjoy the treats while I can for now!  So today in the midst of my gluttonous rampage I am going to share a delicious recipe with you.
This recipe is derived from The Pillsbury Cookbook.

Can you tell that I have used this a bit in the past 10 years of my married life? Well anyway the recipe today is.............
   Pillsbury cinnamon swirl raisin bread 

Ingredients for dough
5-6 Cups all purpose flour (or bread flour)
3 Tblsp sugar
2 tsp salt
2 pkg active dry yeast ( I did two tblsp)
2 Cups warm room temp water
1/4 Cup oil or shortening
1/2 tsp cinnamon 
1 cup raisons


Filling                            
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
Melted butter or margarine


Topping ( I added this)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
About 1 tblsp milk


Warning: I have slightly altered this recipe from it's original version.


Step 1
    Mix water,sugar and yeast in bowl. Let stand for about 10 min. (It should get nice and foamy).


Step2
In a separate bowl mix together salt,2 cups of flour and cinnamon.


Step 3
  Transfer yeast mixture to a stand up mixer with a kneading hook. Add oil and dry mixture to the yeast. Start blending the dough together. Add in your raisins then slowly add in the additional flour until the dough does not stick to the sides. Add in about a 1/2 cup flour at a time. It shouldn't be really dry or sticky,but somewhere in between.


 Step 4
Kneading
     You have two options with kneading your dough.
Option A.
You can take it out of your mixer and knead your dough by hand on a floured surface for 8-10 minutes. 


Option B.
 Leave your dough in the mixer and let the dough hooks knead it for about 8 minutes. You will need to add little sprinkles of flour to the dough while it is mixing. I can usually tell when the dough is ready when it relaxes a bit.  


Step 5
   Make dough into a ball and transfer to a greased bowl. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap that has been greased. Follow with a dry cloth to cover the top. Now set in a warm place for 45-60min until it is doubled in size.
To check your dough to see if it is ready,stick your finger in it and  if it leaves an indent it is ready. If the indent doesn't stay then the dough is not ready.


Step 6
After dough has risen ,punch down dough several times to remove any air bubbles. Divide dough in half and shape into two balls.
Take one ball at a time and roll out into a 14x7 inch rectangle. 
Now spread melted butter over the top and then sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar filling. 


Step7
Starting with 7 inch side,roll up. Seal edges and place seem side down into a medium sized greased loaf pan. Now repeat step 6 and seven to make your other loaf.

 Step 8
Cover and let rise for about 30min or until the dough is 1 inch above the pan edges. 


Step 9
 Uncover and bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until the bread sounds hollow when tapped.


Step 10
After the bread has baked remove from the pan. Mix the powdered sugar and milk together in a small bowl to make a smooth glaze. Pour the glaze over the top of the hot bread. Allow the the bread to set for 30 minutes before cutting to get the best results.

All right,now it is time for you to give it a try. 


 Have a look at ,my first attempt at making this bread vs the second attempt.

Here is the second time around

Much better and so yummy! I hope you enjoyed this.


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