my first cookbook

i was lucky enough to grow up in a home that loved food and had a mom and grandmas who were wonderful cooks and shared that love with me. apparently they were shaping my future, although i don't think any of them knew what food styling was at the time. one of the first recipes i remember making was from a kid's cookbook called My First Cookbook for cinnamon raisin bread. it was fun to see how yeast made the dough rise, i loved kneading with my little hands and then eating the beautifully swirled bread warm out of the oven with a little butter was a perfect end to the lesson. i'm sure there are much more interesting cinnamon swirl bread recipes out there but this one is such a wonderful memory and when i made it again recently, i realized that it's actually really good - the loaf didn't last long in our house!

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

makes 2 loaves

2 cups milk

1 pkg active dry yeast

5-6 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

2 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup raisins (optional)

heat milk over medium heat until it steams and tiny bubbles come to the edge. cool 10 minutes. place yeast, 5 cups flour, 1/2 cup sugar and salt in a mixing bowl and combine. add 2 tbs of butter and milk and stir until a stiff dough is formed. knead for 5 minutes or until smooth. place in an oiled bowl, cover and let rise 1 hour. punch air out of dough, cover and let rise 30 minutes. grease 2 loaf tins and 1 tbs of butter. combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside. roll out dough into a thin rectangle. spread 4 tbs butter over dough and then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and raisins, if using. tightly roll the dough, starting from one long edge and cut the dough in half. place each half in a loaf tin, seam side down. cover and let rise for 30 minutes. preheat oven to 350 degrees F. spread remaining butter on the tops of the loaves and bake 35 minutes or until lightly golden and hollow sounding when tapped with your knuckle. cool on a wire rack & enjoy!