Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Bread

This whole wheat cinnamon raisin bread brings the classic flavors of cinnamon raisin bread to a 100% whole wheat dough. 

Along with whole wheat flour, this bread includes raisins, toasted pecans, as well as cinnamon both in the dough and in a swirl you can see in each slice. 

A couple of toasted and buttered slices of this bread for breakfast will carry you all of the way to lunch. The bread is hearty and filling, with a super moist crumb. 

This bread takes a couple of days to make. First, you make both a preferment and a soaker with most of the ingredients. 

After you mix the soaker, which contains flour, salt, milk (any kind, including soy or rice milk), and the raisins, you let it sit covered for 12 to 24 hours at room temperature. This really softens the grains and mellows the flavor. 

At the same time, you mix a biga of whole wheat flour, a small amount of yeast, milk, oil, and an egg, cover it, and refrigerate it for 8 hours and up to 3 days. 

Sometimes it's difficult to make 100 percent whole wheat flour taste good even though it's the more nutritious option. This method really makes a difference. 

This method of using both a soaker and biga (preferment) in whole grain breads was developed by Peter Reinhart and introduced in his book, Whole Grain Breads: New Techniques, Extraordinary Flavors, first published in 2007. He has an entire chapter in the book discussing the method. If you want to learn more about baking breads with whole grains, definitely get the book. 

If you really want to geek out on baking bread with whole grains, be sure to check out Peter Reinharts's Bread Revolutions: World-Class Baking with Sprouted and Whole Grains, Heirloom Flours, and Fresh Techniques. 

Can you tell I'm a big fan? I have six of his books, including two dedicated to pizza. 

While making this bread is a two-day process, most of it is hands off. Plus, the schedule is very flexible. 

I did have some issues with the first rise, in that it barely rose (in fact, I was worried that I forgot the yeast). I decided, after two hours, to go ahead and shape the loaf for the second rise. Thankfully, it rose as expected and rose even more in the oven. In fact, the dough had great oven spring. Have faith in oven spring! 

Tips for making this whole wheat cinnamon raisin bread:

First, the baking time will vary because of the lower baking temperature. It really helps to have an instant read thermometer to check if the bread is done. It's much more reliable than thumping the bottom of the loaf to see if it sounds hollow. 

Keep an eye on the loaf to make sure the top is not over browning. When the top is brown enough, tent it with foil. 

To toast the pecans, heat a skillet over medium-low heat and add the nuts. Cook, stirring regularly, until the pecans are fragrant, five to ten minutes. 

Finally, be sure to cool the loaf completely before slicing it. Bread is still "cooking" as it cools. 

This bread actually develops flavor over time, and even tastes better after a couple of days. If you love Raisin Bran, try substituting this bread for breakfast. So good. 

Whole wheat cinnamon bread recipe variations:

Instead of pecans, you can substitute toasted walnuts. You can also skip the nuts if you or your family members aren't big fans. 

For the soaker, you can substitute a multigrain cereal, such as Bob's Red Mill, for half of the whole wheat. You will definitely need a kitchen scale because the volume will not match. 

You can leave out the cinnamon swirl if you prefer. 

Welcome to this month's Bread Bakers. Our theme is whole grains, and our host is Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm. 

• Zesty South Indian KItchen: Einkorn and Spelt Whole Wheat Flour Sourdough Bread 
• Passion Kneaded: Marble Wheat Loaf 
• Magical Ingredients: Multigrain Carrot Rolls 
• The Wimpy Vegetarian: Oatmeal Rolls with Molasses
• Making Miracles: Seedy Soft Sandwich Bread 
• Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Sourdough Boules with Quinoa, Oats, and Sprouted Seeds
• Food Lust People Love: Sourdough Sprouted Spelt Blini 
• Sneha's Recipe: Spelt Banana Bread 
• A Messy Kitchen: Sweet Wheat Braid
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls
• Ambrosia: Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread 

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Yield: 16 servings

Author: Karen's Kitchen Stories

This whole wheat cinnamon raisin bread brings the classic flavors of cinnamon raisin bread to a 100% whole wheat dough.

Ingredients

For the Soaker

• 170 grams (1 1/3 cups) whole wheat flour
• 3 grams (3/8 teaspoon) salt
• 170 grams (1 cup) milk, buttermilk, yogurt, soy milk, or rice milk. I used a combination of milk and sour cream. 
• 170 grams (1 cup) raisins

For the Biga

• 170 grams (1 1/3 cups) whole wheat flour
• 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
• 85 grams (6 tablespoons) milk, buttermilk, or other milk, at room temperature
• 56 grams (1/4 cup) vegetable oil
• 45 grams (1 large) egg, slightly beaten

Final Dough

• All of the soaker
• All of the biga
• 56 grams (7 tablespoons) whole wheat flour
• 5 grams (5/8 teaspoon) salt
• 7 grams (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast
• 28 grams (1 1/2 tablespoons) honey
• 4 grams (1/2 teaspoon) ground cinnamon
• 85 grams (3/4 cup) toasted and chopped pecans
• 56 grams (1/4 cup) cinnamon sugar - (9 heaping teaspoons sugar plus 2 teaspoons cinnamon) 

Instructions

To Make the Soaker

1. Combine everything but the raisins in a bowl and stir until all of the flour is hydrated, about a minute. 
2. Knead in the raisins with wet hands until evenly distributed. 
3. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours. After 24 hours, refrigerate for up to 2 more days. If you do refrigerate it, be sure to remove 2 hours before mixing. 

To Make the Biga

1. Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl. Knead with wet hands in the bowl for 2 minutes. 
2. Let rest for 5 minutes. 
3. Knead one more time with wet hands for another minute. 
4. Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 8 hours to 3 days. 
5. Remove from the refrigerator about 2 hours before mixing the final dough. 

To Make the Bread

1. Cut the soaker and biga into 12 pieces each. Add them to the bowl of a stand mixer. 
2. Add the flour, salt, yeast, honey, and cinnamon. Mix with the paddle attachment on low for one minute. Switch to the dough hook and mix on medium low for about 3 minutes, until you have a cohesive dough. The dough should be slightly sticky. 
3. Add the pecans to the mixer and mix on low for 1 to 2 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and let it rest for 5 minutes. 
4. Knead the dough for one more minute by hand, adjusting the flour and water. The final dough should be very tacky. 
5. Place the dough into an oiled bowl and let rise until it rises to about 1 1/2 times its original size, 1 to 2 hours. 
6. Dust your work surface with flour and turn the dough out. Pat it into a 8 inch square. Sprinkle the surface with the cinnamon sugar and roll it up tightly into a loaf. 
7. Place the loaf into an oiled 4 1/2 inch by 9 inch loaf pan and cover with oiled plastic wrap. Let rise for about an hour, until the loaf crests above the pan. 
8. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. When the dough is ready, place the loaf in the oven and reduce the oven heat to 325 degrees F. Bake for 20 minutes and rotate the pan and continue baking for another 25 to 45 minutes, until the loaf registers 195 degrees F (or sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom). When the dough is thoroughly browned, tent with foil to prevent over browning while continuing to bake. 
9. Cool completely on a wire rack. 

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2021/04/whole-wheat-cinnamon-raisin-bread.html

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Created using The Recipes Generator

Recipe adapted from Peter Reinhart.