7 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sugar, divided (add 2 tablespoons if making 3 loaves)
2 packages active dry yeast
2 eggs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon salt
6½ - 7 cups bread flour
2 tablespoons cinnamon (add 1 tablespoon if making 3 loaves)
½ cup raisins
Butter (optional, for brushing on baked bread)
Directions
In a medium bowl, combine water, 1 teaspoon sugar, and yeast. Let it sit until foamy – about 5 minutes.
In a large bowl (a stand mixer is best), combine eggs, vegetable oil, and buttermilk.
Add the yeast mixture, salt, 3 tablespoons of sugar, and 4 cups of flour. Beat well.
Switch to dough hook and add remaining flour ½ cup at a time until dough comes away from the side of the bowl cleanly.
Knead by machine for 5-6 minutes. If you are kneading by hand, move dough to a floured surface and knead 7-8 minutes, adding as little flour as possible. The dough shouldn’t be sticky, just soft and elastic.
Place dough in a greased bowl, turning several times to coat thoroughly. Cover and let rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
While bread is rising, soak the raisins in ½ cup of hot water. When dough has doubled, drain the raisins and blot with a paper towel. Punch down dough. Place on lightly floured surface and briefly knead raisins into dough. Don’t worry too much about getting them evenly distributed.
If you are using 9-inch by 5-inch bread pans (measured from the top), divide dough into two parts. If you are using pans that are smaller, divide dough into three parts.
On a very lightly floured board, working with one piece of dough at a time, roll each piece of dough into a 15-inch by 8-inch rectangle, with the short side facing you. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon cinnamon over the sugar.
Roll dough away from you, pulling back gently as you roll to keep the dough snug. Pinch the ends and seam firmly to seal.
Thoroughly grease your bread pans, or use an oil-flour spray. Place rolled dough in pan with the pinched seam down. Cover and let rise for about 1 hour, or until almost doubled.
Heat oven to 375 F.
Bake until bread is a rich golden brown – approximately 40 minutes. Allow to cool on the rack for 10 minutes before de-panning the bread. The bottom should be lightly browned, and it should sound hollow when tapped. If not, return to the oven for a few more minutes.
If desired, brush the top of each hot loaf with butter.
Recipe by Premeditated Leftovers™ at https://premeditatedleftovers.com/?p=28894