This post is sponsored by Sun-Maid, but all opinions are my own.
I can't believe that we have already made it to holiday baking season and one of our favorite times of the year! This year has flown by for us, even considering we have been in our house for most of it. For many of us, this holiday season looks a little different from others. We are still going to make the most of it and continue many of our holiday baking traditions.
Did you know that November is National Raisin Bread month?! We love a good raisin bread (especially using our favorite Sun-Maid Raisins) and this simple No-Knead Cinnamon Raisin Bread is a favorite of mine to bake up in the kitchen with my girls. It's simple, rustic and delicious. We've baked this up a lot and it never disappoints. It's a great recipe to make for any time of the day and although we won't be enjoying this bread with our extended family and friends, we will be wrapping it up and giving to our neighbors as gifts this season.
I love including my girls when being in the kitchen, whether it be cooking or baking. It's a great way to not only make some fun and messy memories with them, but it's also a great math lesson, a lesson on sharing and taking turns and a little responsibility when cleaning up. Thankfully this recipe doesn't require a lot of clean up, but it does require some patience when proofing, which is also great for them to learn!
I always love to save a little dough for them to play with while waiting too! Besides eating the bread, this is probably their favorite part. I bring out some small rolling pins, cookie cutters and we snack on leftover Sun-Maid Raisins that didn't make it into the bread ;) They will play with this for hours (no kidding!) and I enjoy watching how creative they get when playing with the leftover dough.
I love how incredibly versatile Sun-Maid Raisins are- from baking to snacking to using for counting...as moms, we have to get creative as well! It also doesn't hurt that they are whole fruit with 0g added sugars and are naturally sweet. Naturally made with nothing but grapes and California sunshine, Sun-Maid Raisins’ timeless and trusted goodness has been a healthy snack for kids and grown-up kids alike since 1912. You can't go wrong with that!
This bread is seriously delicious as is, smothered in apple butter or even as French Toast the next morning! I encourage you all to get in the kitchen this holiday season and bake with your little ones. I promise you, despite the messes you make, the memories you are going to have are worth it!
For more holiday inspiration, tips and advice be sure to follow Sun-Maid on social via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can purchase Sun-Maid California Raisins from Walmart here .
No-Knead Cinnamon Raisin Bread
Yield: 1
Prep Time: 9 hours
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Additional Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 9 hours 55 minutes
Ingredients:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for sprinkling
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 3/4 cup water
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1 cup Sun-Maid Raisins
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
Instructions:
Place the flour, salt, yeast, brown sugar, and raisins in a large mixing bowl.
Combine water and milk and heat briefly until luke warm. You can either do this in a small sauce pan over low heat or in a heatproof glass measuring cup in the microwave for a few seconds. It should be lukewarm to the touch but not hot.
Add luke warm mik mixture to the flour and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until it forms a shaggy dough. The dough will be very rough, not at all smooth. --> My girls love this part!
Sprinkle dough with 1 Tablespoon of cinnamon and use a spatula to roughly "cut" the cinnamon through the dough. You want it distributed but not completely mixed in.
Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let it rise on the counter for 8 hours. Make sure you place the bowl in a warm place, away from any drafty windows or direct sun. The dough should double in size and become bubbly after 8 hours. I like to put mine in the oven where I know it will rise undisturbed. My girls take this time to play with leftover dough!
Once the dough has proofed, turn it out onto a lightly floured piece of parchment paper. Quickly turn the dough over a few times, shaping it into a round loaf. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for 1 hour more.
PRE-HEAT OVEN! 30 minutes before the dough is finished proofing, preheat the oven to 450 degrees and place a Dutch Oven (with lid) inside to heat on the center rack.
Using the parchment paper to lift, carefully transfer the dough (still on the paper) to the preheated Dutch oven. If desired, score the top of the dough with a sharp knife so that the bread can expand while baking. This isn't necessary but it makes a loaf pretty!
Use oven mitts to cover and bake for 30 minutes. Careful, the lid is very hot!
Remove the lid and bake an additional 15 minutes more to brown and crisp up the crust. If the loaf is looking too brown you can keep it covered for part of this time.
Carefully remove the bread to a cooking rack and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes but up to 30 minutes before slicing.
Tips for Proofing No-Knead Bread
Plan Ahead – calculate the entire time it will take you to proof and when you want to bake and eat this bread before you begin! It will take an entire 9 hours to proof (total) plus an additional 45 minutes to bake. It seems like a lot, but this truly is the easiest bread to make...I promise, it's worth the wait.
Warm Spot – find a warm spot to proof your dough. You don’t want a cold drafty area or direct sun!
Cover tightly – When proofing you want to cover your bowl tightly with plastic wrap so that no air can get in and dry out your dough. For the second proof, you will want to cover completely with a light weight dish towel. Don’t use anything that will deposit fuzz however. I like cotton or linen for this.
ENJOY!
