Cinnamon Raisin Bread

I get a kick out of this photo, because I thought I was being just such the little photographer staging my breakfast scene. I was packing everything up when I realized I hadn't even bothered to turn on the overhead light in the dining room. And are those crumbs on my cutting board? Oh my. Well, that's what I get for operating a camera before I've had coffee.

Speaking of coffee, what's a better companion for your morning cuppa than a nice slice of fresh-baked cinnamon raisin bread? I love, love my bread machine. However, I rarely use it to bake a loaf from start to finish. Most often, I use to to make dough balls that I then shape into rolls, buns, pizza crusts, ect. The reason I avoid baking loafs in the machine is the size of the bread pan, which produces over-sized slices too large for a sandwich. But larger slices compliment this breakfast bread perfectly. I've made this recipe in the neighborhood of 50 times, and it has never failed me.

CINNAMON RAISIN BREAD

• 1 c. plus two tbsp water
• 2 tbsp butter, softened to room temperature
• 3 c. bread flour
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 1/2 yeast, quick active dry or bread machine
• 3/4 c raisins

1. Be sure to put the ingredients in your bread machine in the order determined by the manufacturer. For most machines, you'll want to start with water first. Cut softened butter into cubes and add next. Now add dry ingredients, starting with the bread flour and saving yeast for last. When adding the flour to the bread pan, I like to make sure it covers the surface of the water, sort of creating a floating barrier so that the remaining ingredients don't fall into the water.

2. Set your bread machine to run it's basic loaf cycle. Set it to a medium crust. I've done light crusts with this recipe in the past, and have found a darker crust recipe makes for better slicing.

3. Add the raisins at the Raisin/Nut signal. If your machine does not have a Raisin/Nut signal, as mine does not, add them when the machine starts kneading the dough for the second time.

4. After machine has finished, remove bread and allow to cool on a rack overnight. Wake up the next morning to a delicious breakfast!

Source: Betty Crocker Best Bread Machine Cookbook