(Pictures at the end!)
Last week I mentioned that I would be trying out a cinnamon raisin bread recipe, and let me tell you, I am absolutely amazed by how this recipe turned out. I shouldn’t have doubted or underestimated this recipe as the title literally states it is the “World’s Best Cinnamon Rasin Bread.” First, let’s discuss why I chose to make this particular loaf. It’s quite simple: cinnamon raisin bread holds a place in my heart. I have been obsessed with it since I was young, and to prove this I’ll share with you that I once ate 9 slices of cinnamon raisin bread all at once. Anyways, enough about my eating habits, let’s talk about what went well and what didn’t with this recipe. First of all, the recipe had a great video that was easy to follow, and it also included good tips such as letting the bread rise in the oven to keep it away from any drafts. I also remembered to do some nice deep slits this time to allow for air to escape and I made sure to knead lots! Despite these wonderful things, there were quite a few things I would do differently if I ever made this bread again, so I made a list!
- let the eggs warm up a little bit before beginning and thaw the butter a little more before mixing it into the eggs and sugar.
- This is because the butter was clumpy and hard to mix in.
- Cook the milk at a lower temperature.
- If the milk is cooked at too high of a temperature it may form a film over the top causing it to clump up. Because of this, I had to strain the milk through a mesh strainer before incorporating it into the recipe. Though this didn’t compromise how the bread turned out, it added an extra step and an extra dish to wash, which is something I’d like to avoid next time.
- Make enough dough for two loaves instead of three. I thought I would make all 3 loaves but then remembered I only had 2 pans so I ended up making two massive loaves. This didn’t ruin the quality, they’re just HUGE.
- Next time if I make enough dough for three loaves I could attempt baking the third loaf’s amount in a muffin pan and make little cinnamon roll muffins.
- This recipe was more of a cinnamon bun type of loaf, which is super yummy, however, I would prefer something more like the dempster’s cinnamon raisin bread which doesn’t have the swirls and is less like a cinnamon bun. This is my fault for not finding a recipe that attempted to replicate that. In a sense, I learned that cinnamon raisin bread recipes can differ quite a bit!
Here are some photos of the life of cinnamon raisin bread:
Next week I’d like to attempt making my own tortillas for burritos and sandwiches! I love a good wrap but after seeing how simple the ingredients are from this recipe I think I will have no trouble making some homemade wraps. I found this homemade tortilla recipe, which once again claims to be the “best ever,” so I am excited to see how they turn out!
Through this free inquiry project, I have gained so much more confidence in making things from scratch. For example, I have recently been into protein pancakes. They’re super quick and simple and not to mention they taste amazing. The one downside is that they’re SO expensive, and as a university student on a budget, I cannot afford to be spending $10 plus dollars every few weeks on the smallest amount of pancake mix. So I decided I would try to make my own, but we all know protein powder is just as expensive if not more! To get around this I decided I would have to make my own protein powder. I did this with hemp hearts, oats, almonds, and quinoa! All I did was throw it all in a blender and blend it up. I then used that powder to put in this homemade protein pancake recipe I found online. I changed two things from the recipe, I added ½ cup of chocolate chips and I did not use the buttermilk powder as it was optional. I used the mix this morning, and I have to admit I was very nervous they wouldn’t turn out that good but they were absolutely amazing and tasted just like the expensive mix I had bought a couple of weeks ago! I am so proud of my progress so far, it’s only been a couple of weeks and I feel like I already have to start challenging myself more!
I’m looking forward to making some tortillas next week! Stay tuned to see how they turn out 🙂
