Orange Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Photo: flickr user Ned Raggett

Ingredients

1 cup Orange Juice to 1 ⅛ C, (⅔ C)

2 tablespoons Butter Or Margarine (1 ¼ T)

2 teaspoons Cinnamon (1 ¼ t)

1 teaspoon Orange Peel greated, (⅔ t)

3/4 teaspoon Salt (½ t)

2 teaspoons Sugar (1 ¼ ts)

3 cups Bread Flour (2 C)

2 1/2 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast (1 ½ t)

1/2 cup Raisins (½ C)

Preparation

Small Loaf: 1/2 C orange juice, 1 T butter or margarine, 1 t cinnamon, 1/2 t grated orange peel, 1/3 t salt, 1 t sugar, 1 1/2 C bread flour, 1 t active dry yeast, 1/4 C raisins

I microwave the OJ and margarine for 1 minute, to warm it.

* We have the Hitachi machine that makes a loaf of a little less than 1-1/2 pounds. It handles 3 cups of flour very well, but seems to have a harder time forming a dough ball with greater amounts of flour. One thing that I noticed with the recipes in this cookbook is that frequently the "Large" recipe calls for a total of more than 3 cups of flour/oatmeal/wheat germ. The Hitachi has difficulty in dealing with this. (If I am around when I start the bread, I can help it get started; however, most often I bake bread on the timer, so that it is ready for breakfast.) The "Medium" recipe, however, often produces a short loaf that lasts for about 10 minutes around here. What I have found is that a larger loaf is produced by using the proportions of liquid to flour that the Hitachi cookbook suggests: use 1-1/8 cup of liquid to 3 cups of fl

** I have also found that there is absolutely no difference in volume of the bread or how well it rises if I use 1-1/2 teaspoons of yeast rather than 2-1/2 teaspoons. The most critical element to producing a good loaf seems to relate to the temperature of the ingredients.

If you keep your yeast in the refrig, allow it to warm up for about 1/2 hour before making the bread.