Tea Bread Tuesday: Cinnamon Raisin-Bran Bread

I left work at 2:25 P.M. today.  As I write this, we are in the middle of a blizzard, and are expecting the biggest snowstorm to hit Chicago since January 1967.  The wind gusts are incredible!  The snow has been falling steadily since early in the afternoon, and forecasters are telling us that we are not even in the thick of it yet! 

I got home at 5:00 P.M.  My husband hadn't made it home yet, and he normally has an even longer commute than I do.  Baking was the perfect activity to keep worry at bay, and . . . it's Tea Bread Tuesday!

This recipe came from the back of a box of Hodson Mill unprocessed wheat bran and what attracted me to it at first was the name of the bread - Cinnamon Raisin Bran Bread.  I'm very fond of every single one of those ingredients!  So, in between looking out the window, and worrying about Lee, and taking a long distance phone call from a cousin who entreated me not to drive tomorrow because she had had a "vision,"  I baked the bread.

The bread was O.K., nothing particularly special about it, but it did fill the house with wonderful, cozy smells, so when my husband walked in, he had a warm treat, and a fresh pot of coffee waiting for him.  He got home at 6:00 P.M.  Here's the recipe:

1½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1½ cups unprocessed wheat bran
1½ cups seedless raisins
¼ cup softened butter
1½ cups hot water
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 375°F.  Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.  Combine in a separate bowl wheat bran, raisins, butter and hot water.  Mix until the butter melts.  Add egg and vanilla extract.  Beat well.  Add the mixed dry ingredients and nuts; stir until all ingredients are moistened.  Spread batter in an oiled 9x5x3 loaf pan and bake for 45-60 minutes.  Cool before slicing.  Yield 1 loaf.

Tea Bread Tuesday: Apricot Raisin Bread

It's a true testament to how good this bread is, that, even though I botched the baking time, it still came out delicious. 

I should rename this bread "Discombobulation Bread" in honor of my mood while I was preparing it.  I couldn't get a system going as I prepared the bread.  I was so distracted that I kept losing track of what I was doing and had to measure a few ingredients a couple of times . . .  I even remarked to my DH that this bread was a lot of work, just because it called for soaking the apricots and raisins in boiling water . . . that little extra step was frustrating me to no end!

I finally popped it in the oven, and ran upstairs to my office to file a couple of warranty booklets that had been lying around since Christmas, then on top of my desk I noticed a friend's birthday card I'd been meaning to send . . . then there was the envelope with my friend's new address that had to be transferred to my address book . . . then there was a sock that needed to be put away, not two socks, mind you, just one . . . and where's the second one?  Ah!  There it is!  In the sock drawer!  And, since I was upstairs, I decided I may as well take my shower and get dressed . . . and while shampooing my hair, I suddenly remembered:  THE BREAD!!!!  I yelled down at my DH to check the bread, but it was already too late - the bread wasn't burned but it was definitely overdone, and somewhat dry.

So instead of a moist tea bread, I ended up with a bread that had the texture of panetone - a dry Italian fruit cake.  But heck, I wasn't about to throw it out!  We've been dunking it in our tea and coffee!

The bread was so tasty!  I'll be making this one again for sure - but baking it for the correct time . . . after I take my shower . . .

Here's the recipe (from The Silver Palate Cookbook):

1 cup boiling water, approximately
¾ cup coarsely chopped dried apricots
½ cup raisins
3 tablespoons plus ½ cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup oil
2 eggs, beaten
2¼ cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk
3/4 cup unprocessed bran

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease a 9 x 5 x 3 inch bread pan.
2. Pour boiling water over apricots and raisins just to cover.  Let sit for 10 minutes.  Drain well and add 3 tablespoons sugar.  Mix well.
3. While fruit is soaking, add the remaining ½ cup sugar to the oil and beat well.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating until well mixed.
4. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together and add alternately with milk and bran to oil mixture.  Fold in fruits.
5. Pour mixture into prepared pan.  Bake for 1 hour, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes.  Remove from pan and cool on a cake rack.

1 loaf

Tea Bread Tuesday: Honey Raisin Bread

This was very good; great texture and very moist. Would I make this one again? I'm not sure. There isn't a thing wrong with it, but nothing about it screamed "Make me again!" Although, come to think of it, I did make it again: I made a second loaf so I could use up some of the leftover ingredients. I'm sure my co-workers will have more to say about it tomorrow . . .

Here's the recipe:

1½ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup packed brown sugar

2½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup bran flakes cereal (I used Kellogg's All Bran)

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg, slightly beaten

¼ honey

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 cup raisins

1. Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

2. In a separate bowl combine the cereal, milk and vanilla extract. Let soak for about 5 minutes.

3. With an electric mixer, add egg, honey and butter to the milk and cereal mixture, mixing thoroughly.

4. Stir into dry ingredients just enough to moisten. Do not over mix.

5. Fold in raisins.

6. Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake at 350° F for one hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

7. Cool in pan for about 10 minutes, then remove from loaf pan and finish cooling on a wire rack. When completely cool, wrap in plastic wrap overnight.

Oatmeal weather

Actually, it's always oatmeal weather for me. Here's how I prepare it:

Basic Ingredients:

½ C. steel cut oats
2 C. water
2 tsps. extra virgin coconut oil
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
1 pinch salt
¼ C. raisins
1 T. raw honey

Optional:
1 T. wheat germ
1 T. ground flax seeds

Bring water to a boil in a non-stick saucepan. Add all ingredients except for the honey and turn the heat down to a simmer. Cook on very low heat, stirring occasionally, for approximately 30 minutes. The oats should be creamy but still chewy. Add optional ingredients after removing from heat. I'm told this preserves the nutrients from being destroyed by the heat. Drizzle honey on top just before serving. Yields 2 bowls and a contented tummy.

This is one of three methods I use for cooking oats. During the week, I make it in a slow cooker and wake up pretending that my own personal chef got an early start and made this treat just for me. It's not so hard to pretend, really, what with steam rising from the pot and the kitchen smelling of cinnamon and freshly brewed coffee. I also make it with rolled oats when I'm in a hurry, but the recipe above yields the creamiest porridge, so I make it on Sundays, and then I have enough left over to start Mondays right. The older I get, the more I appreciate the simple goodness of oatmeal. Goldilocks and the Three Bears had the right idea.