Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • 1 cup milk (- whole milk)
  • 2¼ tsp active dry yeast
  • 1 tbsp white granulated sugar
  • 3¼ cups all-purpose flour (I use unbleached by bleached is fine)
  • 1 cup raisins
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp salt (I use fine sea salt)
  • 1 egg (large)
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter

Instruction

  • Put the raisins in a bowl and cover them with hot water for 15 minutes and then train off the water.
  • In the bowl of a stand-up mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the warm milk, yeast, and granulated sugar. Let it sit for 4 to 5 minutes so the warmth of the milk can activate the yeast.
  • In a separate mixing bowl, combine the flour, raisins, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg. Mix until all combined and the raisins are coated with the flour mixture.
  • Add the honey, salt, egg, and butter to the yeast mixture. At slow speed mix quickly, 30 seconds.
  • Add the flour mixture and mix at slow speed until all the ingredients are incorporated, no more dry flour is loose in the bowl.
  • Increase your mixer speed to medium and mix for 4 to 5 minutes. The dough will be wet but as you mix the gluten develops, and it will become less sticky. If you don’t have a stand-up mixer, you can knead the dough on a floured surface for 8 to 10 minutes. Put approximately ¼ cup of flour to start.
  • Oil a large mixing bowl. Transfer the ball of dough to an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise for 90 minutes into a warm, draft-free place.
  • Butter a loaf pan (9.25 x 5.25 inches). Set aside.
  • Punch the dough down and transfer it to a lightly floured surface (use about ½ tablespoon of flour).
  • Flatten out the dough into a rectangle measuring about 8 x 10 inches, and roll into a log, and place it into the prepared pan.
  • Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for 15 minutes. Score the top of the bread and cover it. Let it rise for an additional 30 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to350°F so it's good and hot when you're ready to bake.
  • Bake the bread into the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 195 degrees (If you use 1 cup of water instead of 1 cup of milk your internal temperature will be 190 degrees F).
  • Remove the bread from the pan and let it cool on a cooling rack.