Home Bread-Bakers v118.n016.7
[Advanced]

Americanized Irish Raisin Bread

Reggie Dwork <reggie@jeff-and-reggie.com>
Sun, 06 May 2018 22:36:44 -0700
v118.n016.7
* Exported from MasterCook *

                      Bread, Americanized Irish Raisin

Recipe By     :
Serving Size  : 10    Preparation Time :0:00
Categories    : Bread                           Bread-Bakers Mailing List
                 Ethnic                          Fruit
                 Grains                          Hand Made
                 Low Fat                         Posted
                 Side Dish                       Snacks
                 Stand Mixer                     Want to try

   Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
                         Starter:
   113                g  white whole wheat flour -- organic preferred (1C)
   113                g  cool water -- (1/2C)
      1/8      teaspoon  instant yeast
                         Dough:
                         all of the starter
   241                g  Unbleached All-Purpose Flour -- (2C)
   1 1/4      teaspoons  salt
   32                 g  potato flour -- or instant potato flakes(3T 
flour or 1/3C flakes)
   50                 g  brown sugar -- (3T)
      1/2      teaspoon  baking soda
   2 1/4      teaspoons  instant yeast
   57                 g  butter -- (1/4C or 4T)
   113                g  lukewarm milk -- (1/2C)
   170                g  golden raisins -- dark raisins, or a 
combination; or currants (1C)
                         Topping:
      1/4      teaspoon  ground cinnamon
   7                  g  confectioner's sugar -- (1T)
   14                 g  cold water -- (1T)

This soft sandwich bread, studded with raisins, is our American take 
on "fancy" Irish bread. While everyday Irish bread is made with 
baking soda and whole wheat flour, ours has just a touch of whole 
wheat; adds yeast to the leavening, and begins with an overnight 
starter, which improves flavor, texture, and keeping qualities. The 
raisins are a salute to American-Irish soda bread, typically made 
with both raisins and caraway.

PREP: 15 mins. to 25 mins.
BAKE: 35 mins. to 40 mins.
TOTAL: 10:50 to 20:05

To make the starter:
Combine the flour, water, and yeast in a small bowl, mixing until all 
of the flour is moistened. Cover the bowl, and let the starter rest 
overnight (or for up to 20 hours or so), at room temperature; it 
doesn't need to be placed somewhere warm. It will expand and become a 
bit bubbly.

To make the dough:
Combine the starter with everything except the raisins. Mix and knead 
to make a smooth, soft dough. The dough will seem dry at first, but 
as you knead it'll soften up.

Place the dough in a greased bowl or greased 8-cup measure, cover it, 
and let it rise for 60 to 90 minutes, until it's noticeably puffy 
though not necessarily doubled in bulk.

Gently deflate the dough. Knead in the raisins; your hands are the 
best tool here.

Shape the dough into a log, and place it into a lightly greased 8 
1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan. Cover the pan with a large overturned bowl, 
or tent it lightly with greased plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise 
until it's crowned about 1/2" to 3/4" over the rim of the pan, 60 to 
90 minutes. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350F.

Uncover the bread. Mix the cinnamon, sugar, and water, and brush it 
over the loaf.

Bake the bread for 20 minutes. Tent it loosely with aluminum foil, 
and bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, until it's golden brown 
and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers at 
least 190F.

Remove the bread from the oven, and turn it out of the pan onto a 
rack to cool. Cool completely before slicing. Wrap airtight, and 
store at room temperature for up to 5 days; for longer storage, wrap 
well and freeze.

TIPS:
We like to bake this bread for New Year's Day. Irish tradition 
designates January 1 "Day of the Buttered Bread." An old custom 
involved placing bread-and-butter sandwiches on the doorstep, to show 
that all within were well-fed - a talisman against famine in the coming year.

Why use a starter to make this bread? It's not sourdough, not 
particularly "artisan..." We find that a simple overnight starter 
both enhances bread's flavor AND its keeping qualities; the short 
amount of "extra" fermentation raises the bread's acidity level just 
enough that it stays fresher longer.

If you use currants instead of raisins, you'll have a greater 
distribution of fruit throughout the loaf, due to currants' smaller 
size. How about if you simply increase the amount of regular raisins, 
for more fruit in each bite? We tried that, and found increasing the 
raisins slowed fermentation considerably, and also affected the 
bread's final rise, due to sugar leaching from the raisins into the 
dough. It made a nice loaf, for sure; but it was denser. If that's 
what you're after, use 2 cups raisins, and bake in a 9" x 5" loaf pan.

Omit the cinnamon topping, if desired; it's not critical, but adds a 
nice hint of spice. The topping amounts as written make more than 
enough; we did it that way simply because it's easier to measure a 
tablespoon each confectioners' sugar and water than 1 1/2 teaspoons 
each. Drizzle the excess over your morning oatmeal!

This bread makes a marvelous grilled cheese sandwich. Slice bread, 
and spread one side of each piece with mayonnaise (yes, mayo; it 
makes a beautifully crisp, golden brown crust). Top bare side (no 
mayo) of bottom slice with Cabot Seriously Sharp cheddar and thinly 
sliced Granny Smith apple. Top with remaining slice, mayo side out. 
Fry slowly in a lightly greased pan, until bread is golden brown and 
cheese has melted.

Source:
   "King Arthur Flour Co."
S(Internet address):
   "<https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/irish-raisin-bread-recipe>"
Yield:
   "1 loaf"
                                     - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 261 Calories; 6g Fat (18.7% 
calories from fat); 6g Protein; 49g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 
14mg Cholesterol; 389mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean 
Meat; 1 Fruit; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 1 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

NOTES : 2018 - 0301