![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kitchenklutzContinuing to work my way through variations in the Panera Bread Cookbook, I made some modifications and came up with an extra-tasty alternative to their Cinnamon Raisin White Bread --
Cinnamon Toffee Chip Raisin Bread (with Icing)
Ingredients:
Starter
* 1 cup warm water (not too hot, as we want to allow the yeast to bloom, not kill it)
* 1 - 2 teaspoons active dry yeast (the original recipe calls for 2 teaspoons of fresh yeast, and with active dry you usually halve that measurement, but I noticed in making these loaves that 1 teaspoon didn't allow it to rise as much as I'd hoped; however, that may have just been because of how I formed the loaf after initial rising)
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
Dough
* 3/4 cup warm water
* 3 tablespoons agave nectar or honey (I prefer agave nectar for the simple reason that it doesn't crystallize and congeal in cold winter weather)
* 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
* 5 tablespoons vegetable shortening, butter, or margarine
* 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 cup bread flour
* 2 teaspoons cinnamon
* 1 tablespoon salt
* Starter
* 1 1/4 cups raisins (dark or golden, either can work)
* 1 cup toffee chips (basically one 8-oz package; Hershey/Heath offers bags of them coated in milk chocolate which are usually available in the baking supplies section of local supermarkets
Icing
* 1 cup confectioner's sugar
* 2 tablespoons milk
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Method:
1. To create the Starter, combine the water and yeast in a medium mixing bowl. Stir to dissolve the yeast fully. Add the flour to the bowl and stir until the ingredients are fully incorporated. Cover with a cloth and ferment the starter at warm room temperature for 30 minutes.
2. For the dough, combine the water, agave nectar/honey, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir to dissolve the yeast fully. Add the butter/margarine/shortening, flour, salt, cinnamon, Starter, and raisins. Mix the dough on low speed for 3 minutes. Add the toffee chips and continue to mix on low speed until the dough is fully developed, scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula if necessary. Remove the dough from the mixing bowl.
3. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a smooth ball. Place the dough on the counter, in a proofing basket, or on parchment paper on a baking tray and cover with a warm damp cloth to rest at warm room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
4. Here you have two options on how to proceed.
Option 1 (icing spiral dough): Mix together the confectioner's sugar, milk, and vanilla extract and stir until smooth. Roll each piece of dough out into flat oblongs, spread the icing across the top of both oblongs, then roll each piece of dough up to create two lengthy cylinder-loaves. Cover with a warm damp cloth, and proof at warm room temperature for 30 minutes.
Option 2 (icing topping): Form the dough into loaves, cover with a warm damp cloth, and proof at warm temperature for 30 minutes. Do not mix the icing at this point for Option 2.
Gently score the top of the loaves with a sharp knife, spray lightly with water, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes until the crusts are a deep golden brown and the middle of the loaves is 190-200 degrees F.
5. Remove the bread from the oven and place on a cooling rack for 30 minutes. If the bread was baked in loaf pans, remove the bread from the pans before cooling.
If baking Option 2 in step 4 above, now is the time to mix the confectioner's sugar, milk, and vanilla together, stirring until smooth. Dribble lines of icing across the top of the cooling loaves.
I haven't yet made Option 1 myself, but I'm including it in this recipe because of other spiral breads and cookies I've made before. With option 1, you'll get icing in a spiral pattern throughout the dough; with option 2, you'll get icing as a topping on an already tasty-bread.
As with most Panera recipes, there's quite a bit of waiting around for the bread to rise, but this bread is definitely worth it. I received a ton of compliments on it, and would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone.
Cinnamon Toffee Chip Raisin Bread (with Icing)
Ingredients:
Starter
* 1 cup warm water (not too hot, as we want to allow the yeast to bloom, not kill it)
* 1 - 2 teaspoons active dry yeast (the original recipe calls for 2 teaspoons of fresh yeast, and with active dry you usually halve that measurement, but I noticed in making these loaves that 1 teaspoon didn't allow it to rise as much as I'd hoped; however, that may have just been because of how I formed the loaf after initial rising)
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
Dough
* 3/4 cup warm water
* 3 tablespoons agave nectar or honey (I prefer agave nectar for the simple reason that it doesn't crystallize and congeal in cold winter weather)
* 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
* 5 tablespoons vegetable shortening, butter, or margarine
* 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 cup bread flour
* 2 teaspoons cinnamon
* 1 tablespoon salt
* Starter
* 1 1/4 cups raisins (dark or golden, either can work)
* 1 cup toffee chips (basically one 8-oz package; Hershey/Heath offers bags of them coated in milk chocolate which are usually available in the baking supplies section of local supermarkets
Icing
* 1 cup confectioner's sugar
* 2 tablespoons milk
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Method:
1. To create the Starter, combine the water and yeast in a medium mixing bowl. Stir to dissolve the yeast fully. Add the flour to the bowl and stir until the ingredients are fully incorporated. Cover with a cloth and ferment the starter at warm room temperature for 30 minutes.
2. For the dough, combine the water, agave nectar/honey, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir to dissolve the yeast fully. Add the butter/margarine/shortening, flour, salt, cinnamon, Starter, and raisins. Mix the dough on low speed for 3 minutes. Add the toffee chips and continue to mix on low speed until the dough is fully developed, scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula if necessary. Remove the dough from the mixing bowl.
3. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a smooth ball. Place the dough on the counter, in a proofing basket, or on parchment paper on a baking tray and cover with a warm damp cloth to rest at warm room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
4. Here you have two options on how to proceed.
Option 1 (icing spiral dough): Mix together the confectioner's sugar, milk, and vanilla extract and stir until smooth. Roll each piece of dough out into flat oblongs, spread the icing across the top of both oblongs, then roll each piece of dough up to create two lengthy cylinder-loaves. Cover with a warm damp cloth, and proof at warm room temperature for 30 minutes.
Option 2 (icing topping): Form the dough into loaves, cover with a warm damp cloth, and proof at warm temperature for 30 minutes. Do not mix the icing at this point for Option 2.
Gently score the top of the loaves with a sharp knife, spray lightly with water, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes until the crusts are a deep golden brown and the middle of the loaves is 190-200 degrees F.
5. Remove the bread from the oven and place on a cooling rack for 30 minutes. If the bread was baked in loaf pans, remove the bread from the pans before cooling.
If baking Option 2 in step 4 above, now is the time to mix the confectioner's sugar, milk, and vanilla together, stirring until smooth. Dribble lines of icing across the top of the cooling loaves.
I haven't yet made Option 1 myself, but I'm including it in this recipe because of other spiral breads and cookies I've made before. With option 1, you'll get icing in a spiral pattern throughout the dough; with option 2, you'll get icing as a topping on an already tasty-bread.
As with most Panera recipes, there's quite a bit of waiting around for the bread to rise, but this bread is definitely worth it. I received a ton of compliments on it, and would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone.
