Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread

Recipe from Pastry Affair

Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread

Ingredients:

For the dough:

2 tsp active dry yeast

235ml (1 cup) warm milk

80ml (1/3 cup) warm water

2tbsp granulated sugar

1 ½ tsp salt

60g (¼ cup) butter, melted

120g (¾ cup) raisins

445g (3 ½ cups) strong white bread flour

For the cinnamon swirl:

70g (1/3 cup) granulated sugar

2tsp ground cinnamon

1 egg, beaten

Method:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the milk and water and sprinkle over the yeast. Set aside for 5-0 minutes, until frothy (add a pinch of sugar if it is not frothy after 10 minutes). Mix in the sugar, salt, butter and raisins. Gradually add the flour and mix until the dough comes together, adding a splash of water if necessary, to achieve a smooth but not too sticky dough.

2. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 7-10 minuted. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with cling film and leave in a warm place to rise for 1 ½ – 2 hours, until doubled in size.

3. For the cinnamon swirl, mix together the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl until completely combined.

4. Punch out the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out into a 9x15 inch rectangle. Brush the egg over the top of the dough, then sprinkle over the cinnamon sugar. Roll up the dough, starting with the shortest end, folding down the ends. Transfer to a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan, seam side down. Press the dough down so that it reaches the corners evenly. Cover with a kitchen towel and leave for a further 40-60 minutes. Preheat the oven to 280C/350F/mark 4.

5. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the bread is golden and sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly before slicing.

Banana Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction

Frosted Pecan Banana Bread

Ingredients:
115g (½ cup) unsalted butter
150g (¾ cup) brown sugar
2 eggs
80g (1/3 cup) yogurt
480ml (2 cups) mashed bananas (about 4 bananas)
1tsp vanilla extract
250g (2 cups) plain flour
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
1tsp baking soda
¼tsp salt
½tsp cinnamon
70g (½ cup) pecans, chopped
For the frosting
112g  (4 ounces cream cheese)
60g (¼ cup) unsalted butter
120g (1 cup) icing sugar
1tbsp milk
pinch salt

2tbsp pecans, chopped, to sprinkle on top


Method:
1. Grease and line a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. Preheat the oven to 180◦C/350F/mark 4.

2. Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the yogurt, bananas and vanilla.

3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt ad cinnamon. Gradually fold into the wet ingredients. Briefly mix until there are no more flour pockets, then fold in the pecans. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes, cover with foil, then continue to bake for a further 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes away clean.

4. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

5. For the frosting, beat together the cream cheese and butter until soft and creamy. Sift in the icing sugar and beat until combined. Add the milk and salt and more icing sugar as required to reach desired consistency.

6. Spread the frosting over the cooled banana bread and sprinkle with the additional chopped pecans.

Apricot & Fig Tea Loaf

Recipe from Poires au Chocolat

Apricot Fig Tea Loaf

Ingredients:
125g dried apricots
125g dried figs
100g sultanas
½ vanilla pod
200ml Earl Grey tea
150g pecan halves
100g light brown sugar
pinch salt
1 egg
225g plain flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
2tbsp milk


Method:
1. Place the apricots, figs and sultanas into a saucepan. Split the vanilla pods, scrape out the seeds and add the seeds and pod to the pan. Stew the tea until it takes on a deep amber colour. Pour the tea over the fruit and cook over a low heat, covered, for an hour, stirring occasionally.


2. Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/mark 3. Line a 9x5 inch loaf tin with baking paper or lightly greased foil.


3. Toast the pecan halves in the oven for about 5 minutes. Chop the pecans into small chunks and set aside.


4. Drain the fruit, reserving about 50ml of liquid. Top up the liquid to 80ml with water and return to the pan. Add the sugar and salt and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Pour into a large mixing bowl.


5. Chop the apricots and figs into small chunks and stir into the sugar syrup. Beat the egg and add to the mixture. Sift the flour and baking powder and mix in. Add the milk and mix until well combined. Transfer the mixture to the prepared tin and bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the loaf comes out clean (a piece of foil or greaseproof paper may need to be used to cover the top of the loaf to stop it browning too much).

Cherry Morning Rolls

I actually made these a couple of weeks back, but it took me a little while to get round to doing this post. Unfortunately, it may be difficult for me to sustain my rate of a post per week... blame the homework/essays/coursework/revision. I did, of course do a little Mother's Day Creation, but haven't quite finished with the photos yet, so I will try to get that done over the next couple of days.

These rolls could be adapted by changing the preserves or nuts- you could even replace the preserves with chocolate chips (and the almonds with hazelnuts or pecans). A Christmas version of these could also be done by adding a dusting of nutmeg or perhaps using a jam complimented by sherry. They are great while still warm from the oven, but will stay fresh for a couple of days- and freeze well, too. I found the recipe from Always With Butter's blog, but the recipe for the dough was found on Food Network.

When you roll up the dough, after having spread it with the butter, preserves, cherries and almonds, some of the filling will ooze from the roll, creating a disturbingly red-splattered counter top. This is fine- you can just scrape up the filling and push it into the folds, but make sure you have cleared enough space on your work surface for this.

Remember to start preparing the dough the night before, as it needs to rest in the fridge overnight pre-baking.

If you can't find frozen cherries on their own, they can usually be found in bags of mixed frozen berries (I used some from Tesco which consist of 25% cherries).

Cherry Morning Rolls

Makes 8-10

Ingredients:
4 egg yolks

1 egg
50g (1/4 cup) caster sugar
85g (6tbsp) butter, melted
180ml (3/4 cup) buttermilk- if you don't have buttermilk, add about 1tsp of lemon juice to 180ml water

480g plain flour

2¼tsp yeast

1¼tsp salt

Filling:
40g (3tbsp) butter
85g (3/4 cup) frozen cherries, thawed and halved
370g (13oz)cherry preserves

55g (1/2 cup) slivered almonds

Frosting:
225g (2 cups) icing sugar, sifted
2tsp vanilla extract

Method:
1. Whisk the egg yolks, egg, sugar, butter and buttermilk in a freestanding mixer, and add half the flour, the yeast and the salt. Knead the mixture together with a dough hook and add a further three quarters of the remaining flour. Continue adding the flour until the dough stops being sticky, but is still moist and smooth, then continue to knead lightly for 5 minutes.

2. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for 30 seconds before placing into a large, lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl and leave for 2 hours, or until doubled in size.

3. Butter a 9x13 inch casserole dish. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll out into a rectangle measuring 18x12 inches.

4. Spread the butter and cherry preserves onto the dough and sprinkle the cherry halves and almonds on top.

5. Roll up the dough into a log and slice into 12 equally-sized rounds (1 inch- thick each)- bear in mind that a fair bit of the filling will ooze out of the sides, but this can simply be stuffed back in through the folds. Arrange the rounds into the casserole dish, so the spiral of filling in each piece is facing up. Cover the dish in cling film and refrigerate overnight.

6. Fill a roasting tin two-thirds full with water and place on the bottom rack of the oven (while it is off) Uncover the casserole dish and place on the middle rack of the oven. Leave for 30 minutes before removing both pans and preheating the oven to 350F/180◦C/mark 4. Place the casserole dish in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

7. Add a couple of tablespoons of milk or water to the icing sugar in a medium-small bowl until evenly incorporated. Add the vanilla extract more milk/water as required to reach a runny, but not too thin consistency. Drizzle the frosting over the rolls once they have cooled, then slice out each roll and serve.