Bread Machine White Bread (Cinnamon Raisin Granny)

You can say goodbye to store-bought cinnamon raisin bread forever with this favourite recipe simply made in your bread maker. It hits all the right notes with the cinnamon-sugar flavour, a chewy crumb and plump, juicy raisins. Toasted and slathered with butter, you couldn’t ask for a better breakfast. But don’t count this recipe out when hosting a breakfast or brunch - it’s certainly nice enough for company.

1⅓ cup water (80°F-90°F)
1 egg
¼ cup skim milk powder
¼ cup brown sugar, packed
2 Tbsp. butter, room temperature
1½ tsp. ground cinnamon
1¼ tsp. sea salt
3¾ cups bread flour
1½ tsp. bread machine yeast

Add ingredients to bread machine pan in the order suggested by manufacturer, for example:

Add the water, egg, milk powder, sugar, cinnamon and salt to the bread pan.

Add flour 1 cup at a time ensuring that it is placed evenly across the wet ingredients.

Make a small indentation on top of flour and make sure it does not touch wet ingredients. Add yeast to the hole. It is important that the yeast does not come into contact with any ingredient except the flour.

Insert the bread pan into the bread machine, press it down to lock in place. Close the lid and plug the bread machine in.

Recommended Settings:
Cycle: Sweet
Loaf: 2 lb
Crust: Medium or Normal

Add cranberries at the time of the fruit/nut beep or 5-10 minutes before last kneading stops.

When bread is done, remove the bread pan using oven mitts. Turn over the bread pan and shake it to release the loaf. Let the loaf cool on a wire rack for about 30 minutes before slicing.

Cook's Notes:

• Resist the temptation to slice the bread right away. The steam trapped by the crust is still baking the bread, inside and releasing that too soon can result in slightly underbaked or crumbly bread.
• The bread will keep for a few days when stored in a bread box or airtight container at room temperature. If you have too much bread or want to bake a second loaf, freeze the bread for up to a month.
• If you don't have bread machine yeast, you can use active dry yeast, but it needs to be dissolved in water before being added to the machine.
• When your bread machine has been kneading for a few minutes, check the dough. If it seems too stiff, add a little bit of water and continue checking until it seems soft enough. If too wet, add more flour in small amounts until it seems to be soft yet not sticky.