Golden Raisin Cinnamon Swirl Bread

First things first, in the bowl of a stand mixer stir together the water, 1/4 cup of granulated sugar and the yeast. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes until the yeast is nice and bubbly (and your kitchen is smelling like heaven).

Meanwhile whisk together the milk, egg, egg white, and salt and set aside.

Once the yeast is foamy stir in the milk mixture, and then mix in the raisins and 4 tablespoons of butter. NOTE: the butter is not melted, so it will appear sort of chunky. Don’t worry—the flour will take care of it!

Once all of those ingredients are mixed together, turn the mixer on low and add 3 cups of the flour. Once it’s almost combined continue adding the flour in 1/4-cup increments until you have a stiff dough that doesn’t stick to the sides of the bowl.

Dump the dough out onto a floured board and knead for about 3-4 minutes until the dough is nice and smooth. Coat the same mixing bowl in a little oil and add the dough back into it, turning to coat the dough with the oil. Cover with a damp towel and let it rise in a warm place (I put mine on top of my dryer while it was running) for about 60-90 minutes until doubled in size.

Once the dough has risen, cut it in half and roll each half out into a 9×13-inch square. Brush each square with 1 tablespoon of melted butter and sprinkle each one with 1/4 cup of granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon. Roll them up very tightly; place each one in a well-greased 9×5 pan.

Cover with a damp towel and allow the loaves to rise for another 45-60 minutes until you have a nice rounded top. In the last few minutes of rising, preheat your oven to 350 F.

Bake at 350 F for 30-45 minutes or until done. The best tip I’ve ever heard for this is to knock on the side of the pan; if it sounds hollow then it’s done! When done, remove the bread from the oven. Immediately and carefully remove the loaves from pans and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. DEVOUR!