Whole-wheat cinnamon bread
Though the health benefits of whole grains are well known, plenty of people still can't get over the taste.
Accustomed to the puffy softness of white breads, some people balk at the strong flavor and chewy texture that comes with whole grains, especially in whole-grain breads. There are easy ways around this.
First, try baking whole-grain bread at home, where you have more control over the consistency of the final product. Second, try a transitional recipe, one that blends whole-wheat and white flours.
Johnson & Wales University baking instructor Peter Reinhart has developed an innovative technique that makes it relatively simple to produce whole-grain breads with rich flavors and pleasant textures.
Reinhart uses a two-day method where he creates two “pre-doughs” that separate the functions of flavor development and leavening. On the second day the two doughs are combined into a final dough, which then is formed into loaves and baked.
This technique gives you more flexibility. Traditional bread must rise several times, then be baked without delay. With Reinhart's method you can create the two pre-doughs, called the soaker and the starter, in little time, then hold them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days before combining them into a final dough for baking.
This recipe for transitional cinnamon raisin bread from Reinhart's book “Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads,” looks daunting but requires less than an hour of hands-on time.
The resulting bread is moist with a crisp crust and pleasant texture. Whole-grain skeptics and lovers will appreciate the comforting cinnamon flavor and the personal touch that goes into home baking.
Toasted walnuts or pecans give this bread an extra-rich feel, but are optional. To toast nuts, spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast them in a 400-degree oven, checking them often, until they begin to brown, about 7 to 10 minutes.