Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Unfortunately, I won’t be spending Mother’s Day with either my Mom or my Mother-in-law this weekend 😦  Living away from family stinks, but I am fortunate and grateful that I will be seeing my Mother-in-law next weekend and my Mother the weekend after that!!!  For this post, I decided to share with you some delicious Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Bread that I adapted from Peter Reinhart’s cookbook The Bread Baker’s Apprentice.  I actually baked this bread for my sister’s baby shower brunch (stay tuned for more details on the baby shower!).  I was baking a few other things that weekend for the shower, so I completely forgot that I was out of raisins!  I’m not a huge fan of raisins in bread, so it wasn’t a big deal.  I also decided to use whole wheat flour in addition to the all-purpose flour, so you’ll notice that the cinnamon swirls aren’t as visible with the whole wheat flour.  I assure you that the wonderful cinnamon taste was still there even if you can’t see it.  This bread is perfect to bake for a Mother’s Day brunch.  Enjoy and Happy Mother’s Day to all you Mamas out there!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 4 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp instant yeast
• 1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup water, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups raisins (optional – I left them out)

Directions:

1. Stir together flours, sugar, salt, yeast, and cinnamon in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Add the egg, butter, buttermilk, and water and stir on low speed until ingredients come together to form a ball.  If the dough seems too sticky, add flour.  If it seems too stiff, add water.
2. Switch paddle attachment to dough hook and begin kneading on medium speed for 6 minutes.  Add flour if necessary.  If adding raisins, add in at the last 2 minutes of kneading.
3. Lightly oil a large bowl with canola oil and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling to coat the dough in oil.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place a dry kitchen towel on top.  Allow to rise for 2 hours at room temperature.
4. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces and form into loafs.  Grease 2, 9″ loaf pans and place dough inside.  Spray the tops with cooking spray and cover with plastic wrap and dry kitchen towels.  Allow dough to rise another 1 1/2 hours.
5. Place the oven rack in the middle shelf and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Place the loaf pans on a baking sheet making sure the pans don’t touch each other and bake for 20 minutes.  Rotate pans 180 degrees and continue baking for another 20-30 minutes or until golden brown on top.
6. Immediately remove the bread from their loaf pans being sure not to burn yourself.  Allow the bread to cool for at least 1 hour before slicing.

*Adapted from Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice

Check out these other sweet treats that would be perfect for a Mother’s Day Brunch:

• Apple Buckle
• Cantaloupe Sorbet
• Carrot Cupcakes w/ Cream Cheese Frosting and Sunflower Seeds
• Chocolate Lavender Brownies
• Fig and Apricot Biscotti
• Fig and Raspberry Tart
• Italian Ricotta Pie
• Lemon Ricotta Pancakes w/Fresh Figs & Honey
• Peanut Butter Banana Bread
• Pineapple Bars
• Rhubarb and Cardamom Streusel Muffins
• Strawberry Banana Muffins
• Strawberry Scones

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Mexican Bean Salad

It’s almost Cinco de Mayo, so I wanted to share with you one of my sister’s recipes that my family loves!  This Mexican Bean Salad is delicious and so easy to make.  There’s no stove tops or ovens involved; all you do is throw the ingredients together and allow them to sit in your refrigerator so the flavors can blend.  We’ve had this salad as a side dish numerous times with various entrees including shrimp kabobs, grilled chicken, etc.  I love simple salads like this because they remind me of bbqs and summer.  While DC has been a little too steamy for me as of late, I’m hoping that spring (i.e. 70’s) will decide to stay here for at least a few more weeks before the extreme humidity begins!  What are your favorite recipes for Cinco de Mayo?

Salad Ingredients:

• 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can sweet corn, rinsed
• 1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
• 1/2 cup sliced scallions/green onions
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

 Dressing Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp cider vinegar
• 3 tbsp canola oil
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

 Directions:

1. In large bowl, mix salad ingredients and in another small bowl, mix dressing ingredients with wire whisk until blended.
2. Pour dressing over salad; toss to mix. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours to blend flavors.

*Adapted from Betty Crocker

Trail Mix Granola Bars

I hope you had a wonderful weekend!  I made these Trail Mix Granola Bars this past weekend.  The recipe has been adapted from Jenna’s of Eat, Live, Run.  I have to be honest… these bars are amazing and are highly addicting.  I literally ate half of them in two days.  I am obsessed with these bars because they’re so easy to make and don’t even require you to turn your oven on!  I also love these babies because they are healthy; they don’t have any eggs, butter, corn syrup, etc.  They have peanut butter and honey to bind them and a bunch of yummy additions like unsweetened coconut, dried fruit, and nuts.  You can add whatever fruits or nuts you’d like.  They are easy to make and are healthier than the store bought granola bars.  You might even save some money too!  Enjoy 🙂

Ingredients:

• 1 cup honey
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup flax meal
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 3/4 cup dried fruit ( I used a mix of dried berries)

Directions:

1. Combine the honey, vanilla, salt, sugar and peanut butter in a medium sized saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for about four minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. In a large bowl, combine all other ingredients. Pour the boiling honey mixture over the oat mixture and toss well.
3. Grease a 13 x 9″ pan and press down mixture (I wet my fingers so they weren’t sticking as much).
4. Chill in fridge for an hour, or until firm, before cutting into bars.

*Adapted from Eat, Live, Run