When I think of a slow, easy Sunday, I think of baking a loaf of raisin bread. Of course, I bake two loaves, one to eat fresh and one to toast or to make french toast with later in the week.
I’ve added egg yolks, sugar and butter to the basic bread dough to make it an enriched dough. This will slow down the first rise and proving of the dough (second rise), so don’t panic when it doesn’t perform as well as your other breads.
On a Sunday, I love to take a nap in the afternoon . To make sure my dough doesn’t over rise, I often pop it into the fridge for it’s second rise once it’s in the bread tin and take it out once my nap is over. Any dough can be left in the fridge to prove, so give it a try over night too.
To make one loaf:
750ml white flour
5ml salt
80ml castor sugar
10ml dried yeast (or 20g fresh yeast)
250ml milk
1 egg yolk
1 egg
60g soft butter
100g raisins or fruit cake mix
Grease a bread tin.
In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, salt and butter.
In a jug, measure the milk, add yeast and egg.
Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour milk mixture into the well.
Mix together well until it comes together in a slightly sticky dough.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5 to 8 minutes until it becomes a smooth, elastic dough. Press your finger into the dough, it should spring back quickly.
Place into a clean glass bowl and cover with clingfilm. Allow to rise for about an hour or until doubled in size. To check if the dough is ready and not under proved, press your finger into the dough and the dough will not spring back, it will remain how you pressed it.
Turn out dough onto a clean surface and knead again for about a minute.
Roll out into a rectangle slightly longer than the tin.
Place raisins or cake mix over the dough evenly and press lightly into the dough.
Roll up the dough in a tight roll, pinch the join tightly .
Place the join under the roll. Tuck each end under the roll and place into the prepared tin.
Cover with a cloth and allow to prove till it doubles in size. Overnight in the fridge or for an hour in a warm spot. ( not in direct sun)
Preheat oven to 220ºC
Brush the top of the bread with a little egg that has been beaten lightly.
Place bread in preheated oven and turn down the temperature to 200º immediately.
Bake for 15 minutes and turn down the temperature to 180ºC before baking for another 30 to 35 minutes.
Remove from the oven.
Heat 60ml of castor sugar with 60ml of milk over a medium heat until it boils. Remove from heat and immediately brush over the top of the bread to give a shiny top.
Allow loaf to cool before slicing.
Never store bread in the fridge, this makes it go stale, instead keep it in a airtight container.
- 750ml white flour
- 5ml salt
- 80ml castor sugar
- 10ml dried yeast (or 20g fresh yeast)
- 250ml milk
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 egg
- 60g soft butter
- 100g raisins or fruit cake mix
- Grease a bread tin.
- In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, salt and butter.
- In a jug, measure the milk, add yeast and egg.
- Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour milk mixture into the well.
- Mix together well until it comes together in a slightly sticky dough.
- Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5 to 8 minutes until it becomes a smooth, elastic dough. Press your finger into the dough, it should spring back quickly.
- Place into a clean glass bowl and cover with clingfilm. Allow to rise for about an hour or until doubled in size.
- Turn out dough onto a clean surface and knead again for about a minute.
- Roll out into a rectangle slightly longer than the tin.
- Place raisins or cake mix over the dough evenly and press lightly into the dough.
- Roll up the dough in a tight roll, pinch the join tightly . Place the join under the roll. Tuck each end under the roll and place into the prepared tin.
- Cover with a cloth and allow to prove till it doubles in size. Overnight in the fridge or for an hour in a warm spot. ( not in direct sun)
- Preheat oven to 220ºC
- Brush the top of the bread with a little egg that has been beaten lightly.
- Place bread in preheated oven and turn down the temperature to 200º immediately.
- Bake for 15 minutes and turn down the temperature to 180ºC before baking for another 30 to 35 minutes.
- Remove from the oven.
- Heat 60ml of castor sugar with 60ml of milk over a medium heat until it boils. remove from heat and immediately brush over the top of the bread to give a shiny top. Allow loaf to cool before slicing.
