Ingredients (1 loaf)
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon shortening
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 1/8 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup raisins
Make the Dough
In a small saucepan, combine the milk, shortening, and molasses. Heat over low heat, stirring occasionally, just until the shortening is melted.
Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool until it’s lukewarm, around 100-110F. If it’s too hot, it will kill the yeast.
Pour the lukewarm milk mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Let it sit for ~10-15 minutes, until the yeast is foamy. If nothing happens, your yeast is likely dead.
Add the flour and salt to the bowl. Using the paddle attachment, mix on low speed until the ingredients are just combined into a shaggy dough.
Switch to the dough hook and knead on medium speed for ~10-12 minutes. The dough is ready when it is smooth, elastic, and passes the windowpane test.
Add the raisins and mix on low for another minute, just until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
First Rise and Shaping
Lightly oil a large bowl. Form the dough into a ball and place it in the bowl, turning to coat it with oil.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let it rise in a warm place for about an hour, or until it has doubled in size.
Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface. You shouldn’t need any flour. Gently deflate it and shape it into a rough rectangle.
Tightly roll the rectangle into a log that’s about the same length as your loaf pan. Pinch the seam at the bottom to seal it well.
Final Proof and Bake
Place the loaf, seam-side down, into the prepared pan.
Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and let it rise for another ~1-1.5 hours, or until the dough has risen about an inch above the rim of the pan.
About 30 minutes before baking, preheat your oven to 350F.
Bake for ~30-35 minutes, until the top is deeply browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 185-190F.
Let the bread cool in the pan for a few minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Do not slice it until it is fully cooled.
Raisin Bread
Ingredients
Ingredients (1 loaf)
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon shortening
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 1/8 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup raisins
Instructions
- Heat milk, shortening, and molasses until shortening melts. Cool to lukewarm (100-110F).
- Pour milk mixture into stand mixer bowl, sprinkle yeast on top. Let stand 10-15 minutes until foamy.
- Add flour and salt. Mix with paddle attachment until combined.
- Switch to dough hook, knead 10-12 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- Mix in raisins on low speed for 1 minute.
- Place dough in oiled bowl, cover, let rise 1 hour until doubled.
- Shape into rectangle, roll tightly into log, place seam-side down in greased 9×5 loaf pan.
- Cover, let rise 1-1.5 hours until dough is 1 inch above pan rim.
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Bake 30-35 minutes until deeply browned and internal temp reaches 185-190F.
- Cool in pan 5 minutes, then remove to wire rack and cool completely before slicing.
