Classic Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Can you smell it? That cinnamon bread aroma fills the whole house and all my senses, that's why I couldn't keep this recipe to myself! It's a delicious bread! This cinnamon and raisin bread is a very easy bread to prepare. It requires little kneading and I call it bread... although it would be just as fair to call it cake, since it's right there in the middle of both (it's a bread that requires leavening, but you won't have to knead it for a long time).

Bread or not, with or without raisins, what is also a delight is baking it the way bread is meant to be - in a cast iron loaf pan! The truth is that this Lodge pan has been a real discovery. It is giving me as much joy as it gives me muscles! (yes, we must admit that it is a bit heavy...). Thanks to its cast iron material, it reaches a very high temperature (as breads require), and thanks to that, in this pan a crust remains and you get a fabulous baking of the dough! I hope you are encouraged to try this recipe, and if you are also encouraged to try the pan, I would love to know what you think of it.

Ingredients:

For the dough:

• 240 ml warm milk
• 2 large eggs (at room temperature)
• 1 cup raisins (take a cup of latte filled with raisins)
• 75 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 560 g of wheat flour
• 2 tsp salt
• 50 g of sugar
• 2½ tsp dry yeast

For the filling:

• 100 g of sugar
• 100 g brown sugar
• 3 generous tablespoons of cinnamon
• 3 tbsp melted butter (you will use them separately)

Lodge Iron Loaf Pan

Preparation:

1. In a glass, add one or two fingers of warm milk and add the yeast. Mix and let it rest for a few minutes.
2. Meanwhile, and optionally, turn on the oven top and bottom heat to 40 ºC (it will be a perfect warm place to let the dough rise later).
3. In a bowl, sift the flour, salt and sugar.
4. In the KitchenAid bowl with the dough hook attachment attached, add the dough hook, add the yeast and milk mixture, and also add the eggs, the remaining milk and the raisins. Turn the mixer on to medium-high speed for 2 minutes to beat the eggs.
5. Reduce speed to medium and add the butter. Then, add the flour a little at a time (1/2 cup at a time) until it is completely incorporated.
6. Continue kneading for 5-7 minutes. The dough should be smooth and easily pull away from the sides of the bowl.
7. For the oven (we just wanted it to be warm to let the dough rise).
8. Remove the dough from the KitchenAid and place it in a lightly oiled bowl, covered with cling film (it's important to keep it covered well so the dough doesn't dry out). Allow to rise in a warm place (the oven, if you've turned it on for that purpose) until it has doubled in size, about 1 to 2 hours.
9. Deflate the dough by squeezing it with your knuckles and transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two parts. Roll each half out into a rectangle approximately 25 x 50 cm.
10. Brush each dough rectangle with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Mix the dry filling ingredients (white sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon) and spread evenly over the dough rectangles, leaving about a 1/2 inch border on each side unsweetened.
11. You have now got 2 loaves, and you will need to bake them in two batches or at the same time if you have two loaf pans. So, lightly grease the Lodge cast iron loaf pan (you can also line it with parchment paper if you like).
12. Starting from the short side of the rectangle, roll each rectangle of dough into a cylinder or log, with the "seam" facing down.
13. Place the dough cylinder in the prepared loaf pan and cover with cling film for 30 minutes to rest (if you have 2 loaf pans, prepare the other pan and let the second cylinder rest inside that one as well; if not, leave it on a tray, tightly covered with cling film or a damp cotton cloth).
14. While the dough is resting, preheat the oven to 180°C.
15. Brush the bread in the pan with a little melted butter and bake for 35-40 minutes.
16. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan onto a cooling rack.
17. If you have the second cylinder to bake, place it carefully inside the mold, let it rest for 10 minutes after handling, brush it with butter and bake.
18. Slice, serve and enjoy this delicious bread (or rather, these loaves!).