Every once in a while- an old recipe deserves to be re-visited. Especially those that were made and posted before I had photography on my blog (or just had my really bad photography). I actually feel bad for those recipes- despite the fact that they are innatimate objects- to me they have personalities and memories that deserve to be showcased.

Like this Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread. First posted in March of 2009. It’s personality speaks of comfort and smiles on a rainy afternoon, where coming home from school to a warm kitchen and the smell of freshly baked bread spiked with cinnamon is paramount to heaven.

And since I (along with every other parent alive I imagine) want our children to come bounding through the door and into our waiting arms after school today, I will then slice thick pieces of this bread, lightly toast, slather it with butter and with noted presence sit down with my girls and listen to what happened at school today. Listen to everything they thought about and what they learned and who they played with. I won’t be checking email. I won’t be listening to voicemail, or doing the dishes, or swiffering or emptying the dishwasher, or whatever else I am always doing so that I am only half paying attention. Today I will just be a mom. A grateful one.

By the way- this is a crazy recipe that makes 3 loaves of bread. I know that is a lot- but what better time of year to make extra and give it away? It also freezes well.

Warm the milk in a small sauce pan until the milk begins to bubble. Immediatley remove the milk from the heat and allow to cool to warm.

In the bowl of a standing mixer, pour the yeast in. Gently add the tsp of sugar and then pour the water, (temperature taken with a thermometer) over the yeast. Let the yeast rise without touching it for about 10 minutes.

Fit the mixer with a paddle attachment and add the milk, sugar, eggs, cinnamon, salt, butter and raisins. When things are nicely combined, remove the paddle attachment and add the dough hook to your mixer.

Slowly, about 1-2 cups at a time, add the flour to the mixer (turned to low). When all of the flour has been added, turn the mixer to medium and leave it to mix for about 5-6 minutes. The dough should be smooth and come away from the sides of the bowl on its own. Add the raisins and mix briefly until they are well incorporated.

Using a bit of flour, gently scrape the dough from the mixer, smooth it into a ball, and add it to a greased bowl. Cover the top of the bowl and set the dough somewhere warm. It should take about 1-2 hours for it to double in size. Make sure that you adjust the saran wrap to accommodate the growth of the dough.

When the dough is ready, put it on a lightly floured surface.

Roll it out into a rectangle about 12”x24”, and about a ½” thick.

Brush 2 tablespoons of milk over the dough, or enough to make sure that the dough is completely covered in a thin layer. Then evenly sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar combination over the dough.

I then take the rolling pin and gently roll it over the cinnamon sugar so that it is forced into the dough.

Roll it up the long way, (like you are making a giant cinnamon roll).

When you have rolled the whole log up, slice it into thirds, about 8” each. Add each 8” log to a greased loaf pan, and lest rest while the oven is preheating to 350 degrees.

Put the bread in the oven, and bake about 30 minutes or until the crust looks golden brown and is hard when you thump it.

Slice and eat immediately, or store in an airtight Ziploc or Tupperware. Freezes well too.