Reinhart's Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Bread

When the whole grain grain bug started acting up again, I knew immediately that a cinnamon raisin bread was in my future. I made a white flour version of this bread eons ago and I figured it was time to give this classic a healthier twist. It took me a while to get my act together and plan ahead but once I did, this recipe, also from Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads, was fairly simple to make. My bread wasn't a really high riser but I think I gave it less kneading time than I should have. This bread is yummy. I LOVE cinnamon with a passion so this was a no-brainer. Paired with homemade pumpkin butter, it is simply divine. 

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Bread
From Whole Grain Breads

Soaker:
1 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
3/8 tsp salt
3/4 cup any type milk
1 cup raisins

Biga:
1 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp yeast
6 tbsp any type of milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg

Final dough:
Soaker
Biga
7 tbsp whole wheat flour
5/8 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp yeast
1 1/2 tbsp honey or date syrup
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cinnamon sugar

The night before you want bread, make the soaker and biga. For the soaker, combine the flour, salt and milk in a bowl and mix until the flour is hydrated and a dough is formed. Add the raisins and knead in thoroughly. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for twelve to twenty for hours.
For the biga, mix all of the ingredients together to form a dough. Knead until the dough is tacky. Let rest for five minutes then resume kneading to smooth out the dough. Transfer to a clean bowl, cover well and refrigerate for at least eight hours.
The next day, remove the biga from the fridge to take off the chill.
Chop the soaker and biga into small pieces and place in the bowl of your mixer along with the flour, salt, yeast, honey and cinnamon. Mix with the dough hook on low for a minute bring the dough ingredients together into a ball. Mix an additional two minutes to fully incorporate all the ingredients Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead by hand until the dough is smooth and tacky but not sticky, incorporating only enough flour to handle the dough. Let the dough rest for five minutes before giving the dough its final knead. Place the dough in an oiled bowl. Cover and let rise for about an hour, until the dough is about one and a half times its size. When the dough has risen, turn out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into an eight inch square. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar and roll up jelly roll style. Place in a greased or parchment lined 8x4 inch pan. Cover and let proof until the loaf crests above the pan. Towards the end of proofing, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the pan in the oven and reduce the temperature to 325 and bake for twenty minutes. Rotate and bake an additional twenty minutes or so until the loaf registers 195 degrees.

Transfer the bread to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Yummy goodness spread with pumpkin butter. Homemade pumpkin butter. :)