The other day I was looking through one of my many food magazines that I get, and I came across a recipe for cinnamon raisin bread. I love cinnamon bread, I hate raisins, so I set about adapting this recipe and tweaking ingredients to make it work.
The recipe calls for buttermilk and I didn’t have any available. To remedy this problem I took 2 cups of milk and added 2 tsp of lemon juice to create buttermilk. There are a ton of substitutions you should remember for cooking, and the buttermilk trick is one I use a lot, because i never actually BUY buttermilk. To make buttermilk on the fly, add 1 tsp of lemon juice for every cup of milk and let it sit for about 5 minutes.
Maddie and I decided that in order to add a little fiber and make the bread a little healthier we should put in two cups of regular, white, unbleached flour and two cups of whole wheat flour. Most quickbread recipes can handle this substitution. using 100% whole wheat flour is tricky though, it doesn’t always work because white flour has special magic things in it that makes it better for baking. I don’t know what they are, I just know that using 100% whole wheat flour in a recipe = blah.
This will make the bread taste a little different but essentially gives you a healthier but great tasting cinnamon bread. While mildly sweet, this bread is heartwarming and a quick breakfast or on-the-go snack. This bread is also very moist and better tasting than the unhealthy and expensive cinnamon breads that you will find at the supermarket or Starbucks. I like mine not warmed up with a smear of butter, Maddie likes hers warmed up with butter. Either way, its a great recipe and makes two loaves, one for you and one for the freezer, or a friend.
Whole Wheat Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Ingredients
- 2 Cups all purpose flour
- 2 Cups whole wheat flour
- 2 Cups sugar divided
- 2 Teaspoons baking soda
- 1 Teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 2 Cups milk
- 2 Teaspoons lemon juice
- 1/2 Cup canola or vegetable oil
- 3 Teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
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Measure 2 cups of milk into a glass measuring cup and add the 2 Tsp of lemon juice. Set aside
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In a large bowl, combine both types of flour, 1-1/2 cups sugar, soda and salt.
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In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, buttermilk mixture, and oil.
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Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened, don't overmix.
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Combine cinnamon and remaining sugar in a small bowl and set aside.
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Spoon half of the batter into two greased loaf pans. Sprinkle with half of the reserved cinnamon -sugar; repeat layers. Cut through batter with a knife to swirl.
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Bake at 350 for 55-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.
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Cool in pans for 10 minutes before removing to wire racks.
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Wrap in foil, place in zip bag, and freeze for up to three months.
