The Fresh Loaf

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First cinnamon and raisin bread

macette's picture
macette

First cinnamon and raisin bread

My first raisin and cinnamon bread is now on its final rise. The recipe I used turned out a very sticky dough I didn't want to add a lot of extra flour so took it out of the mixer and kneaded awhile my hand. I thought maybe the raisins were causing the problem just wasn't going into a ball like white bread. I kneaded in the mixer for about 5 minutes then some hand kneading. It looks ok just hope it rises again...fingers crossed. 

macette's picture
macette

Lechem's picture
Lechem (not verified)

Need more time in the oven. Stick it back in for a few more minutes.

If it's not baked properly it'll start to go off and stink in 2-3 days.

macette's picture
macette

thank you Lechem, it's in the bin...:-( I cut it in half to put half in the freezer and the middle was raw...I will know next time to leave it longer and I will do a temperature test. My first major disaster but will try again when I get over it...lol

drogon's picture
drogon

It won't be that un-cooked in the middle if the ends are OK. I'd have toasted it...

Going to have to make some myself now... We have a friend staying for the weekend - I'm sure she'll like some :-)

-Gordon @moorbakes in Devon

Lazy Loafer's picture
Lazy Loafer

Cinnamon will affect the yeast to some extent. I make a cinnamon raisin bread that also has some whole wheat flour, rolled oats, oat bran and wheat bran in it. It's enriched with milk, maple syrup and grape seed oil. That all makes it a wet, heavy dough, so I let it bulk ferment at room temperature for a couple of hours then put it in the fridge for a day or two to develop further. I shape it in the evening and leave it at room temperature until it has risen a bit, then put it back in the fridge to finish proofing overnight, baking it in the morning. It will have risen nicely by then. I bake it for 50 to 55 minutes at 350F and make sure the internal temperature is at least 190F. It's still a moist, fairly dense bread but very nice done this way.

Hope all this helps.

macette's picture
macette

I had no idea it would take that long to cook, I had it in for 35 min at 180. But have learned a lesson today. It rose beautifully I was so pleased when I took it out of the oven. If I had sliced it from one end I wouldn't have known it was raw in the middle, I cut it in half....very steep learning curve....lol thank you for the info this recipe was quite basic, but more than the white loaf..it did have an egg,butter,all milk for the liquid, raisins and cinnamon as extras. The longer bake would of really helped. The pic is the end bit so close but so far...:-(

Lazy Loafer's picture
Lazy Loafer

That looks very nice, really. Just a little more time to rise (bulk ferment, to develop the gluten) and a little more time to bake (350F, not Celcius!) and I think you've got it. Personally I don't like trying to knead raisins (or anything else, for that matter) into partially developed dough, so I always add them in at the beginning and just give the dough time to develop in the fridge. If there is enough moisture in it that usually works.

Norcalbaker's picture
Norcalbaker

When anything coarse like dried fruit, nuts, or seeds is added to a dough it severs the gluten network. It sounds like you kneaded the raisins in during the initial mix.

To successfully bake bread with add-in:
1. Soak dried fruit, nuts, or seeds in warm water for a minimum of 20 mins to soften. Drain well
2. Mix add-ins into the dough after the initial mix, knead, and first rise. Add-ins at the beginning will damage the gluten network and the weight of heavy add-ins inhibits the first rise.
3. Adding a tablespoon or two of vital white gluten to your dough will markedly improve the quality of dough and its ability to to take add-ins

A very sticky dough is caused by a few things, including not enough gluten, damage to gluten structure, and over-kneading.

When the crust browns before the interior bakes, it's a temperature issue. However, temperature is not just the setting on the oven dial. It's how the dough responds to the oven heat based on how it was prepared.

Oven heat will cause expansion in volume if the dough is properly prepared.

If the dough is not properly mixed and proofed, the dough will not expand properly during the bake.

Development of the gluten network during preparations determines how the dough expands to the oven heat. There is no amount of temperature or bake time that will correct issues created during the mix and knead. In the first 10 minutes, oven heat sets the crust and kills the yeast; further expansion will be inhibited. If the gluten structure was not properly developed during the mix and knead, the interior will not expand enough; the crust will set further inhibiting expansion. The result is a raw or wet gummy interior and an overly brown crust.

 

macette's picture
macette

Sounds like Raisin bread is a very complicated business for a beginner I think I might have to delay my raisin bread until I learn more. I think I need to practice more on easier breads. Thank you for the info a great explanation of what happens it really is a science and I have a lot to learn. 

bread1965's picture
bread1965

All good comments above.. be sure to let your bread totally cool before you cut into it as well! It looks like you cut into it within 4 hours of proofing and baking by the time of your messages.. I'll often leave my breads for at least 6-8 hours or even overnight before cutting into them.. there is so much heat in the final bread you want it all to continue to cook through and cool down.. that said, you need to bake longer as said above.. it's all part of the journey.. enjoy!

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

if you've got a microwave.  Wrap the bread in MW foil and zap it.  The waves head right to the moisture.  You may have to play around with the timing but you can gelatinise the dough.  I would cut the loaf into blocks or cubes of equal size, like a six slice block, wrap it up and zap it on high for 3 minutes, then let it cool, unwrap and check the crumb.  And get back to us, I haven't zapped raisin bread yet.  

Raisins on the surface tend to burn so when the little things try to pop out during shaping (they love to do that) I push them back in or pull them off and stick them deep into the bottom dough.  If the raisins are added in the final shape, before rolling up the dough, they tend to stay inside and behave themselves.  

Very good results for your first try!   

macette's picture
macette

Lots of great help and advice people, thank you so much...I have made every mistake mentioned here. But hopefully i will remember them before I do this again. Good to know the MW trick, thank you. I had the cooking time all wrong but will remember the foil next time. And yes I did cut the loaf when I thought it was cool but was within the 4 hours. The stuff you guys know is amazing...I am waiting on my white sandwich loaf to do her second rise after being in the fridge all night, the first one was really lovely so fingers crossed for this one. And Gordon could you post your raisin bread recipe to see if I have better luck next time, toasting would not have saved my loaf...lol

macette's picture
macette

My beautiful white loaf rose magnificently and looks amazing. I practiced taking the temperature and got a wonderful 195 F. so I will be double checking from now on. Sprayed top of loaf with water...lovely thin crispy top also a bath of hot water in the bottom of the oven. So I did refrigerate dough over night straight after kneading oiled and put in plastic tub. Took out this morning knocked back and left resting 15 min. Shaped and let rise, then baked. This loaf is just flour, sugar,yeast,salt, and milk/water. As sandwich loaves go it's lovely....so happy --