Thursday, March 24, 2011

Gluten Free Cinnamon Raisin Bread (or wheat version)

An easy bread machine sweet bread. Full of a burst of cinnamon flavor; a moist and tender bread that is wonderful for breakfast or brunch.

1 cup water, warmed to 125-130˚
4 T. butter, room temperature
2 t. cider vinegar
2 large eggs, room temperature
½  cup granulated sugar
1 t. GF vanilla extract
2½ cups gluten free flour blend + ½ t. extra xanthan gum (or use regular wheat flour and no xanthan gum if not doing gluten free)
¼ cup milk powder
1 T. active dry yeast
1¼ t. salt
1 T. ground cinnamon
¾ cup raisins
½ cup nuts, chopped

Whisk liquid ingredients and sugar together in a medium-sized bowl.
 In separate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients, ending with cinnamon.

Pour the liquid ingredients into your bread pan, followed by the dry ingredients. Set your bread machine to the Quick Bread or 2 hour cycle. Allow bread machine to mix the batter thoroughly for 3-5 minutes, by you assisting this process with a rubber spatula if necessary. Add the raisins and the nuts.

Now, before the oven begins heating up, pull the paddle out of the bread pan and smooth over the top of the dough. This will avoid the paddle sticking in this sweeter-than-usual loaf at the end of the baking time and will help maintain the integrity of the loaf.

 Makes: One loaf.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Lambs & Hyacinths?

The promise of Spring is in the air.

And with God's faultless timing, the hyacinths pop their heads out of the earth in February, precisely in time for the birth of the Spring lambs.
So...stay tuned for the appearance of our little boy and girl "hair" lambs, Ricky and Lucy. Coming soon...right around Mother's Day when they will be fully weaned from their momma.