This simple raisin bread recipe uses no bread flour or bread machine, and is the perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea on a chilly morning

You’ll need

Ingredients

• Plain (all purpose) flour
• Caster sugar
• Salt
• Instant yeast
• Egg
• Warm milk
• Soft room temp butter
• Raisins
• Cinnamon

EQUIPMENT

• Kitchen scales
• Large bowl
• Loaf pan
• Small bowl
• Cling wrap

Tips

• Make sure your wet ingredients are all room temperature. It makes all the difference. There is a whole science behind it but to make it short; cold eggs, butter, and milk can affect the texture and rise of baked goods. So take the time before baking to take these products out of your fridge and allow them some time to get to room temperature.
  That’s about 10 minutes for eggs, 10 minutes for milk, and 30 minutes for butter.
• Swap raisins out for your favourite dried fruits. Prunes, apricots, and currants will all be delicious substitutes. Dried pears or apples would both pair nicely with the cinnamon. Simply substitute the raisins for equal amounts of your chosen dried fruit.
• During proofing, store dough in the oven. The ideal temperature for proofing dough is about 20c or 72f. This is can be hard to achieve in colder climates or during the colder months. There are many proof hacks to cheat the dough’s proof temperature. I’ve achieved the best results by placing the bowl in the oven along with a bowl of freshly boiled water. I place the dough bowl on a separate rack at opposite sides of the oven (so it doesn’t get too hot).
  You can also place the bowl in a sink with warm water or if you’re getting some sun, place it on a windowsil with a tea towel wrapped over the bowl.

Step by step video

The rundown

• Add flour to a bowl, add sugar and salt to on side of the bowl, and yeast to the other. Mix some flour into the separate piles before mixing all together

• Add wet ingredients to flour mixture and gently stir until combined

• Smooth dough surface and cover bowl with cling film. Let dough proof for 1 hour. Or until dough has doubled in size. Yeast works best with a warm, humid climate. 

• Add raisins and cinnamon to dough and mix gently until evenly placed

• Scoop dough out of bowl and place in baking tray, form into a log and cover with cling film and let the dough proof for a further 30 mins

• Take the cling film off and brush the surface of the dough with melted butter

• Bake for 20-25mins at 190 degrees Celsius (375 Fahrenheit) or until golden brown and cooked through. Use a skewer or fork to pierce middle of bread, skewer should come out mostly clean

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