Cinnamon-Raisin Bread

The perfect bread to eat with butter, or jam, or to use in french toast, or bread pudding. So many options. It has juicy raisins in it, and a wonderful cinnamon flavor, but the best part is eating it and knowing you made it.

Ingredients:

In a measuring cup pour 1 1/4C warm water, not cold or hot to the touch.
Put 3T oil in the water,
also 2T whole milk and
3t active dry yeast. Let it dissolve and whisk briefly.
Then whisk in 1 egg. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl add:
4C bread flour
3T ground cinnamon
2t salt
1/2C brown sugar

Mix the ingredients in the bowl briefly, then pour in the water mixture, combine with your hands, knead into a ball, take the ball out onto a floury surface and continue kneading, for about 6 minutes. You are creating gluten.
Add 1 1/4C raisins, and knead them into the ball, knead for about another 5 minutes.

Spray a large bowl with oil, it needs to be large enough for the ball to double in size. Place the ball in the bowl, cover well with plastic wrap, place in a warm area until the dough has doubled. This may take 40 minutes- 1 hour and a half.

When the dough has doubled, take it out by turning the bowl upside-down, and with your hands gently create a square by pulling the edges, then lay one half over the other, like an envelope. Spray a loaf pan. Put the dough into the loaf pan, brush the top with whisked egg yolk, and place it in a warm spot for about another 40 minutes, until the dough has almost doubled.

Heat the oven to 350F, and place the loaf pan in the oven for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. The crust should be a darker brown. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove and place on a cooling rack, cool for another 20 minutes, slice and enjoy.