More bread baking this weekend! I started a soaker with the grains for another loaf of Multi grain on Saturday morning. I had intended to start it on Friday night and bake the bread on Saturday but... We had ultra yummy "Homemade-Pizza-Ala-Dan" for dinner Friday night and it distracted me from my bread plans. I wish I had taken a picture of the pizzas. They were super delicious!! He made one for the kids with just olive oil, mushrooms, truffle salt and fresh mozzarella and one for us with all of the above and sliced tomatoes and spinach. Sooooo Gooood!! Well, the best laid plans... blah, blah, blah.
Anyway, it all worked out for the best anyway since I wanted to make a couple of different kinds of bread this weekend and trying to do them both at the same time would not have played out well. So, as previously stated, I started the soaker for the multi-grain first thing in the morning and then got to work kneading up a batch of cinnamon raisin bread. I wasn't sure what to expect. The bread did not raise as high or as fast as the multi grain I made last weekend but it did do exactly what the recipe said it should so I figured we were good.
It smelled so good while it was baking! I LOVE cinnamon and I especially love Penzey's Vietnamese Cinnamon (which I used in abundance in this recipe.) It was very difficult to wait the suggested time before cutting into it. I think I shorted it a little... I maybe waited 45 minutes instead of an hour. YUMMY! The recipe made 2 loaves. We ate most of one Saturday night and took the other one to Dan's Mom's house this morning for her Birthday brunch.
After we got home from Janet's, I started in on the multi grain loaf. I made just a few changes this time. (I added a tablespoon of flax seed and a tablespoon of flax meal.) It rose like crazy, just like last weekend and made a beautiful huge loaf. I haven't tasted it yet so I can't report to that end. I can, however, tell you that I made a fantastic veggie sandwich last week using my bread and not only did it taste terrific but it was so beautiful that people in the lunch room were commenting on it!! It feels good to have people notice and comment on things that you take pride in! I want to try some different recipes and techniques. I'd love to make some chewy, big-holed Italian breads like ciabatta or the like. Won't happen next weekend... Off to Oly, but I can guarantee that it will happen soon and whether you like it or not, you will hear all about it!
