cinnamon oatmeal raisin bread

They say man cannot live by bread alone. This was said because cinnamon oatmeal raisin bread probably hadn't been discovered.

I've been meaning to make this recipe, from The Fresh Loaf, for a while now. Like just about every recipe I make that I talk about. I kept thinking of a slice of raisin-studded cinnamon bread toasted and slathered with butter and honey for breakfast. Finally, I made it.

Featuring the obvious, cinnamon and raisins, this also had oatmeal. You couldn't really tell, though, because the oats were soaked before being mixed with the flour. I like texture in my bread, so next time I'd either not soak all of them, or not soak them at all. They did add a more nutritious element, along with whole wheat flour, so this isn't as bad as, say, a cinnamon roll disguised as a slice of bread. Not too sweet, either, which I liked, though I'd have added just a bit more honey, or boosted it with some sugar, to enhance the flavor a bit more.

While mixing this bread, I accidentally added all the flour at once and it was much too dry. I fixed this by adding just enough water to get things mixing, knowing that the raisins, which were soaked and not pat dry, would also help. (A note for adding water: It might seem to be really sticky at first, and you'll be tempted to add additional flour. Don't. Just knead it a bit to allow the water to be absorbed by the flour.)

There's a ton of raisins. It might seem like too much, but it isn't. Often times I skimp on the fruit and realize after the fact that I shouldn't have, as the dough expands and the raisins do not.

With two tablespoons of cinnamon, the dough ended up turning a bit grey. Weird, huh? I think with less cinnamon and a bit more of the sweet stuff you could get away with whiter, more enhanced flavor, though I'm not complaining at all.

Another note was that this bread was quite dense. The loaves were like weights, I swear I could have gotten some strength training in after they baked. The recipe says it makes 3 8x4-inch loaves, and I only have two of those, so I figured 2 9x5-inch loaves would be appropriate. While they rose well, and I don't think they would have had I made 3, they still were rather dense. If anything, this is a very filling bread to have on hand for a sweet bite that'll leave you satisfied, and is also good for you.

And what to do with extra bread? You make French toast! And you douse it with powdered sugar. Slices of bread soaked with a creamy custard-like mixture of eggs and milk, flavored slightly with nutmeg and sugar (hoping it would help caramelize the crust -- I don't know if this worked), then fried on the skillet until crispy and golden.

This has been a very technical post in terms of what I've told you. I'm almost boring myself. Almost, because I find what I have to say very important.

I will be submitting this bread to YeastSpotting, a place where great bread comes together.

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cinnamon squares

As many of you already know, Dorie Greenspan has been going around the blogosphere not just by individuals making her recipes, but through the Tuesdays with Dorie group. The recipes they made looked delicious, so of course like most things I'm interested in I put off picking up her book until months after the initial idea struck.

In the library, in the cookbook section, I spotted Baking ~ From my home to yours and remembered how I wanted to check it out.

A few days later, sometime around midnight, I was browsing the epically delicious recipes looking for a simple enough one to make. What I mean by "simple" is that I don't have to wait for the butter to soften to room temperature since I rarely plan that far ahead. When my eyes passed over the recipe for Cinnamon Squares, and my eyes noted that the butter was melted, that settled matters.

Featuring a full on cinnamon flavored cake, this would best be described as a tricked out coffee cake with the layer of chocolate chips that are dusted with a combination of sugar, cinnamon, and espresso powder. After all is assembled and baked, a rich coating of melted chocolate with butter is spread and swirled on top. I never really understood the craze you people have about chocolate (yes, you know who you are) until I woke up around brunch time the next day (or the same day, later on) and licked the melted chocolate-butter spoon.

So the only step that caused me to pause was how the recipe states to place the baking pan on a baking sheet, which I assumed was to promote even distribution of heat. My oven could be off, but after 40 minutes the cake wasn't done, though I took it out and watched the stages of sinking take place. Lesson learned: You may think it's a great idea to bake late at night, but do try to remember that you then cannot become disinterested when the mixing is over and the dishes remain to be washed and the cake needs a few more minutes to bake.

All in all, I will be making this again. Since the cake part wasn't overly sweet and given that I used semisweet chips in place of bittersweet, I enjoyed this for breakfast, although I really ate it for brunch. Perfect at all hours of the day. Perfect for a lazy baker. Or as Dorie said, in a few more words than this, it's as good at a brunch as it is as a midnight snack.

Stay tuned for more to come from this cookbook.

Recipe after the jump

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Cinnamon Squares

ingredients ~
1 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon plus 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped, or 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

frosting ingredients ~
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

directions ~

1. To make the cake: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan and line the bottom with parchment or wax paper (I think I greased the paper). Place the pan on a baking sheet.


2. Stir 2 tablespoons of the sugar, 2 1/2 teaspoons of the cinnamon and the espresso powder together in a small bowl.


3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, the remaining 1 1/4 cups sugar, the baking powder, salt and the remaining 1 tablespoon cinnamon. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs and vanilla. Pour the liquid ingredients over the flour mixture and gently whisk until you have a homogeneous batter. Now, using the whisk or a rubber spatula, fold in the butter with a light touch, just until the butter is absorbed. You'll have a smooth, satiny batter.


4. Scrape half of the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle the chocolate over the batter and dust with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Cover with the rest of the batter and smooth the top again.


5. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the cake is puffed and beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan; a thin knife inserted into the center will come out clean. Transfer the cake to the cooking rack and let it rest for 15 minutes before unmolding it onto another rack. Peel off the paper, invert it onto the first rack, and cool to room temperature right side up.


6. To make the frosting: Put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and fit the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Cook, stirring gently and often, just until they melt. (Now, I just placed the chocolate and butter right in the heatproof bowl because I was lazy when I made this. I understand the point of a double boiler and I use it often, but in case you don't want to go through the trouble I'm here to tell you that as long as you pay close attention, use a little lower heat and stir just as often, the resulting frosting will be fine.) Be careful not to overheat the mixture so much that it thins out; the chocolate should be smooth, very shiny, thick and spreadable. (If it thins, leave the frosting at room temperature for a bit, until it thickens a little.)


7. Using an offset metal icing spatula or a table knife, spread the frosting in generous sweeps and swirls over the top of the cake. Allow the frosting to set at room temperature, then cut the cake into 9 squares, each about 2 1/2 inches on a side.