Better Than Bakery Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Oh. My. Word.

This is the best bread I will ever make.
There is a local bakery that sells this delicious cinnamon raisin bread….mine is better.
Seriously. Not to brag…but when I found this recipe I knew this would be an awesome bread!

So without further adue ….

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

2 cups lukewarm water
1 cup buttermilk (if you don't have it on hand 1 cup milk and 1 tsp. lemon juice)
1½ T yeast
1½ T kosher salt
1½ T sugar
6½ cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
butter for greasing the pan
3 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/3 cup sugar
¾ cup raisins (if you are using them)Egg Wash

This is where I cheat a bit. I throw all of the first 6 ingredients into my bread machine and have the machine mix it up for me. I actually think it mixes and kneads the dough SO much smoother than I could ever get it myself.

Then I remove the dough from the machine and place it in a large glass bowl and cover it with Saran wrap  bowl (I spray the bowl and the top of the dough with Pam so the dough will not stick {it's a sticky sticky dough}).
I then turn my oven on for about 1min and let it warm up. Then turn it OFF.  Put the glass bowl in the oven and allow it to rise for about 2 hours or until it has doubled in size.

Once it is nice and puffy remove it and punch the dough down.
Cut off a piece of dough (thirds for smaller loaves or halves for bigger halves.
On a clean surface that is generously floured (remember it's sticky!) roll out your dough into a nice rectangular shape.
Beat an egg with about 1 Tbs of water, make sure it's nice and frothy. And brush the dough with the egg wash.
Sprinkle it generously with the cinnamon sugar mixture and sprinkle with the raisins if you are using them.
Next, begin to roll the dough starting at the end, roll and pinch the ends of the dough together. This will prevent it from oozing out when it's baking. 
Butter a bread baking dish and place dough seam side down into the pan and brush egg wash evenly over the dough.
Place a cloth over the top of the dough and allow to rest for 40 min in the oven with the light on (it adds just enough warmth to the oven).

Bake at 375 for 35-40 min or until bread sounds hollow when you tap it. 

Cool on a wire rack and try not to eat the entire loaf alone.

I'm not even going pretend that I wait until it's cool to slice and eat. I usually burn my tounge with my first bite.
It's worth it.

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