Cinnamon raisin bread + sandwich

I love my new kitchen. I love it so much I stayed in all weekend using its brand new appliances. I did a bunch of cooking and baking, I'll have to split it all up into different blog posts.

I've been wanting to bake my own bread for some time and always thought it would be tricky (yeast, rise, etc... all seemed too complicated for me). I decided to go for it yesterday. It was so easy, I ended up making 2 loaves of cinnamon raisin bread (one for my parents). There's nothing like a fresh loaf of homemade bread!!! I never want store-bought bread ever again. I love that it's so versatile, you can pretty much add in whatever you want (herbs, fruits, spices, cheeses, etc.). These are definitely the first loaves of many more to come.

I made a sandwich for lunch today with this bread. I put 2 slices in an oiled skillet, then flipped over after a few minutes to brown the other side. I added half a slice of swiss cheese to each piece of bread, 2 slices of turkey, and topped with thin slices of granny smith apples. I sandwiched the two parts together onto a plate and promptly devoured.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread
Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Yields one 9x5" loaf
3/4 cup warm water
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
3/4 cup warm milk
4 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour

2-3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
dark brown sugar and cinnamon (as much as you want)
raisins

Place the warm water and honey in large bowl. Sprinkle in yeast, stir until dissolved and let stand until creamy.
Add the warm milk, salt, and 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour; blend well.
Stir in whole wheat flour and mix well.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 to 8 minutes.
Place in a lightly oiled bowl and turn the dough to grease the top.
Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Punch the dough down and turn onto a lightly floured surface.
Roll out dough until about 1/2-1" thickness and spread melted butter or margarine, then top with as much brown sugar, cinnamon, and raisins as you wish.
Roll up the dough and tuck in the ends. Form into a loaf and place into the prepared pan.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes or until top is golden brown and the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Remove loaf from the pan and cool on a wire rack.