Feel free to cut this recipe in half, this will make a good sized 2 loaves. Add more or less raisins or use dried apricots, cranberries or cherries if you want, You could also add nuts or seeds to make it more like a granola bread. You can substitute margarine for the butter if you are vegan just make sure it’s not the low fat stuff, half of that is water. You can use this to make French toast the next day but I love to toast it and smother in peanut butter.
Spiced Raisin Bread
1 cup of raisins
1/4 butter melted
1 cup of boiling water
1 cup of cold water (not ice cold this is to bring down the temperature)
1 tsp salt
3 tbspn Molasses
2 generous tsp of yeast
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp Chinese five spice (if you have it) if you don’t just add the same amount of allspice
1 cup of whole wheat flour
4 cups of all purpose flour
Boil water
In a large ceramic or metal bowl add raisins and 1 cup of boiling water (you do this to rehydrate the raisins). Add butter/margarine, molasses, and salt. Test water temperature with finger and add 1 more cup of water. If the water is still very hot add cold water, if it has cooled down to almost body temperature add approximately the same temperature water.
Once mixture is at a good temperature add yeast and stir to dissolve completely.
Add spices to the water.
Mix in one cup of whole wheat flour, until there is no lumps then proceed to add white flour one cup at a time. At about the third cup of white flour you will need to use you hands. Start kneeding the bread as you add the last cup of flour. Dough should be well formed but still a bit sticky, if you add too much flour the raisins start to be pushed out of the dough.
Clean bowl, dose in oil and toss dough in the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and/or a towel and let rest until it has doubled it’s size.
Pre-heat oven to 375F.
Separate dough into 2 loaves, it’s a good idea to use a loaf pans for this recipe but it’s pretty when it’s shaped round too if you don’t have to loaf pans. Let rise in loaf pans, or after being shaped for about 30 mins.
Bake in oven for around 35-60 minutes depending on oven heat, size of loaf pans or shaped bread.
