Cinnamon Raisin Bread-Traditional Newfoundland

Method for dough:

WHITE BREAD

Ingredients:

8 1/2 Cups, White flour 

2 Tbsp, yeast, traditional or fast rising  

2 Tbsp, melted butter or margarine, plus extra for hands and pans 

1/2 to 1 Tsp, Sea salt 

2 Tbsp, sugar 

3 Cups, warm water, MORE IF NEEDED

Prep time: 10 minutes, Mixing time: 10 minutes, Rising time: 3 stages at 30 minutes each, Baking time: 30 to 35 minutes 

Method: 

• Combine in large bowl: 8 cups flour, 1 tbsp sugar and 1/2 to 1 tsp salt, mix together. 

• In another bowl, add dry fast rising or traditional yeast with 3 cups warm water and 1 tbsp sugar, Let rise for about 5 minutes. 

• In another bowl melt butter or margarine. 

• In flour mixture make an hole in the middle to pour your yeast and warm water and butter, mixing all ingredients together with a wooden spoon or kitchen aid until it thickens, then keep adding 1/2 cup of flour to work dough together. 

•  ( If you need to add more warm water this should be done during the mixing stage.)

•  This can be done with your hand or kitchen aide with a hook.

• Knead dough, add more flour if necessary until dough is smooth, elastic and no longer sticky and you can hear cracking of the dough when folding dough. Keep working dough into a ball.

• When completed sprinkle some flour over the top of dough, then cover with a piece of parchment paper and a towel.

• Let dough rise in a warm place until dough rises for 30 minutes then knead it down.

• Repeat this step letting the dough rise again for another 30 minutes, after risen don’t deflate dough before cutting it. 

• After your dough rises, cut in small pieces forming it inwards into a ball 6.4 oz, then place in your bread pans. Make three buns in one pan, you can also have some dough to make 1 full loaf of bread or bread buns, tray of 10 each of 1.7 oz, or Toutons / bankers small flat pieces of dough.

• Makes 3 loafs of bread, one tray of bread buns, keep covered and in a warm place until bread rises half the size you started with, but only for 30 minutes.

• Pre-heat oven at 350 degrees F, bake bread for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown, depending on your oven, when bread is baked remove from oven and take out of your pans and place it out on a (cooling rack). This prevents bread from getting moist on the bottom.

 Glaze bread with butter or margarine, cover with a towel, serve hot or cold. 

BAKERS TIPS:

• After bread cools put them in plastic bags and freeze, this will keep bread soft and fresh when thawed
• I always mark the sign of a cross a few times on top of the dough, then cut the top of the dough like a cross to see texture. Crossing your bread is optional, this is an old NL tradition

Method for cinnamon raisin bread filling: