Brown Sugar-Raisin Bread (Williams-Sonoma)

Imagine... living in a world with no friends?

Sad and lonely?... I can and can't imagine.

Like most people, these brown-sugar-raisin breads need friends... I mean friends like brown sugar and raisins. - LOL!

This brown sugar-raisin bread recipe from William Sonoma Baking Book is suggested by my baking friend, Joyce from Kitchen Flavours for our bake-along with another baking friends, Lena from Frozen wings. For this bake-along, I have baked this recipe into two versions: 1) miniature brown sugar-raisin bread rolls and 2) a simple loaf with just brown sugar swirl.

Interestingly, I have found that the bread base itself from this recipe can't live on its own. Its life without raisins and brown sugar seems dry, sad and boring. Although this bread base is spongy, it requires the additional moisture and taste from brown sugar and raisins to complete and express out its best texture and taste.

You will see what I mean about friends... Like I said, my life is good because I have friends :)

My miniature brown sugar-raisin bread rolls

Shaping a loaf with just brown sugar swirl

This brown sugar bread looks and smells good...

... but it needs more "friends" :)

This classic brown sugar-raisin combination works the best!

My brown sugar loaf with a nice beautiful glow plus...

... pretty brown sugar swirl and spongy texture but ...

... it is never as good as these brown sugar-raisins rolls!

Here's the recipe from William Sonoma baking book or this
(with my notes and modification in blue)

Makes two 9-by-5-inch loaves

1 tbsp active dry yeast
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1 1⁄4 cups warm water (105° to 115°F)
1 cup warm milk (105° to 115°F)
(for half amount, replaced with 17g milk powder and same amount of water)
3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
(I used softened)
1 tbsp salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
6 to 6 1⁄4 cups bread flour, plus more as needed
(for half amount, I used 450g bread flour)
3⁄4 cup golden raisins*
3⁄4 cup dark raisins*

For the filling:
2⁄3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar mixed with 4 1⁄2 tsp. ground cinnamon*

In a bowl, sprinkle the yeast and a pinch of the granulated sugar over 1⁄2 cup of the water and stir to dissolve. Let stand until foamy, about 10 mins.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine the remaining 3/4 cup water, the milk, butter, the remaining granulated sugar, salt, egg and 2 cups of the flour. Beat on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the yeast mixture and 1⁄2 cup of the flour and beat for 1 minute. Add the raisins, then beat in the remaining flour, 1⁄2 cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Switch to the dough hook. Knead on medium-low speed, adding flour 1 tbsp at a time if the dough sticks, until smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes. Transfer the dough to a greased deep bowl and turn to coat it. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1⁄2 hours.

Instead of using an electric mixer, I've placed all my ingredients (except raisins and brown sugar fillings) into my bread-maker and use "dough" setting to knead and prove the bread dough for 1 hr. I didn't use any warm or scalded milk and replaced it with milk powder plus water instead. 

Lightly grease two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans*.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board. Divide the dough in half and roll or pat each half into an 8-by-12-inch rectangle. Lightly sprinkle each rectangle with half of the filling, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides. Beginning at a narrow end, tightly roll up each rectangle into a compact log. Pinch the ends and the long seam to seal in the filling. (I had to trim off the excess edges to fit into my 10cm x 20cm loaf tin.) Place each log, seam side down, in a prepared pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until the dough is about 1 inch above the rim of each pan, 1 to 1 1⁄2 hrs.

Preheat an oven to 350°F (or 160°C fan forced). Bake until the loaves are golden brown and pull away from the sides of the pan, 35 to 40 mins. Turn the loaves out onto wire racks and let cool completely.

* I have made the bread dough using half the amount recipe. After proving, I have rolled and shaped 2/3 of my bread dough to make the brown sugar swirl bread with 40g light brown sugar + 1 tsp ground cinnamon fillings in a 10 x 20cm loaf. 

I mixed in 1/4 cup of raisins into the remaining 1/3 of my bread dough and divided it into 4 portions. Each portion was roughly rolled and sprinkled with 5g light brown sugar and further shaped like mini Swiss roll. All breads were proved for another hour, were applied with egg wash and baked at 160°C fan forced for 35 mins (loaf) and 15 mins (rolls).

Happy Baking
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