A warm, gooey variation of an old standby, whole wheat Very-Little-Bother Bread…. Only this is better, because who can beat butter, cinnamon sugar, and raisins?
Almost no one. That’s right.
And since it’s made with freshly ground flour and a healthier fat, who can complain?
I believe the key to making this bread with whole wheat flour is to go heavy on the flavorings – the butter, sweetener, spice, and raisins. If you don’t, you’ll get what lots of other new whole wheat bakers get – regular but delicious bread that only faintly tastes like cinnamon raisin. Not enough to eat it by itself, but enough that making it into a sandwich seems absurd.
If you feel bad about adding more butter and sweetener, simply pick up a loaf of cinnamon raisin swirl bread at the grocery store and read the ingredients. Feel better? At least you can still pronounce all the ingredients in your homemade bread.
I like how FishMama put it when she shared her buttercream frosting recipe over at Good Cheap Eats. I’d rather have a little more butter and sugar than partially-hydrogenated whatever.
Meanwhile, let us know what you think of this Healthified Sweet:
Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread
Makes 1 loaf
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 of this recipe’s worth of Very-Little-Bother Bread, using freshly ground whole wheat flour (that is the whole point after all, right?)
- Softened butter (lots of it)
- Sweetener (honey, brown sugar, granulated sugar, or a combination – my personal preference to make it healthier and crowd-pleasing)
- Ground cinnamon
- Raisins (optional)
DIRECTIONS
- When Very-Little-Bother Bread is ready to be made into a loaf, on a floured surface roll the dough into a long rectangle until it is 1/2 in. thick
- Using a spatula or butter knife, spread the softened butter on the dough. Spread it nice and thick (the butter and other flavorings will melt into the dough as it bakes, giving it the sweet cinnamon-y flavor we all love)
- Liberally sprinkle (or drizzle if you’re using honey) the rest of the ingredients on top of the butter, making sure you use more sweetener than cinnamon
- Starting from one of the shorter ends of the rectangle, carefully roll the dough like a sleeping bag (if you used mostly honey, it will spill out and make a sticky mess. Roll gently and remind yourself it’s healthier than using granulated sugar)
- Tuck the ends of the roll under in order to shape it into a loaf and make it fit the loaf pan
- Place the loaf in a greased loaf pan and allow it to rise for 30 minutes
- Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit
- Slice. Serve warm. Enjoy.
For more delicious inspiration, visit Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace!
Have any other ideas to make it healthier but still delicious? Do you use a different variation of this bread? Share your thoughts and ideas!
4 comments
1 ping
Brenda
08/03/2010 at 3:28 PM (UTC -6)
This sounds delicious!
Grumps
08/03/2010 at 4:32 PM (UTC -6)
Take out those raisins, and the recipe will be perfect!
Can’t wait to try it when we’re together again.
And you are right – you have to go heavier on the flavor. I’m glad a healthy-conscious person agrees with me.
Kimberly
10/23/2011 at 12:53 PM (UTC -6)
I am just wondering after looking at the recipe for the plain sponge bread used for this recipe if you must allow the formed loaves to rise for 30 minutes as the recipe for sponge bread specifies.
Can’t wait to try this!
Steph
11/01/2011 at 8:08 PM (UTC -6)
Kimberly – I believe I’ve always allowed the loaves to rise before baking them. I’ll update the recipe to reflect that – thanks for pointing it out!
The Cheapskate Cook » I Spent All of Our Grocery Money…
09/29/2010 at 11:16 AM (UTC -6)
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