Cooks magazine Cinnamon Bread
In the newest Cook's Magazine there is a cinnamon raisin bread recipe. Beware-this takes quite awhile to make. The end result were 2 amazing loaves of bread that looked like they walked out of a bakery. There was no separation of cinnamon in the bread's interior. True cinnamon raisin flavor!!
Tags: Perfect cinnamon bread
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Replies to This Discussion
- Reply by skeptic7 on February 12, 2012 at 9:58 pm
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Is the magazine, Cook's Illustrated, that you are talking about? I didn't like the article since the author seemed to have reinvented the wheel and wanted to be praised for it. The author had fallen in love with a Japanese bread made with bread flour and then decided to try the recipe using all purpose flour and was shocked that she had to compensate for the change.
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- Reply by mrscindy on February 12, 2012 at 10:03 pm
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Christopher Kimbal is the owner/baker behind Cook's Illustrated. He re-does several recipes every month. And, yes, some of them are the 'Best'. He does a good job. But, please, 800 times of making blueberry scones. I hope I could get there quicker than 800 times!
~Cindy
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- Reply by skeptic7 on February 12, 2012 at 11:47 pm
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I have the magazine since the beginning and there are three "Best" Focaccio recipes and the later versions don't explain how they are an improvement over the earlier ones. Also the first magazines had recipes that called for normal ingredients and now they start calling for rather expensive ingredients and tools. Did you see the review of the saute pans? I mainly use different size cast iron pans for everything, and a cast iron chicken fryer is a great deal cheaper.
Oh I was wrong in my previous post, the author, David Souza, is using bread flour. However I still think he is patting himself on the back for reinventing the wheel. He discovered that a high fat, high sugar bread requires a lot more kneading? He doesn't explain how to tell if the dough is kneaded enough. He doesn't explain why he is adding the salt last after the dough is mixed. He adds more flour instead of just kneading longer when the butter isn't adequately incorporated. I haven't made cinnamon swirl bread but I have done high fat stollen and panetonne and king cake and thats how I deal with butter.
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- Reply by Mike Nolan on February 13, 2012 at 10:20 am
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I don't always agree with CI's recipes or their reviews of cooking equipment. They're totally off base on 'white bread' IMHO.
My favorite whisk is one they rated towards the bottom, and some of their favorite knives don't work for me, either. Their recommendation on grill mitts was a good one, though.
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- Reply by ZenSojourner on February 13, 2012 at 8:18 pm
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half the time the stuff they "review" isn't even available anymore by the time the magazine hits the newsstands.
I've given up on them for reviews of anything. Sometimes the things they are rating a piece of equipment "down" for are exactly the same things I WANT in that piece of equipment! I wish I could give you a specific example of that but it's been almost 3 years since I've even looked at their site, but it shocked me how arbitrary their picks seem to be sometimes.
And the "we've tested these recipes thousands of times" thing just doesn't go over with me. What, it takes you THOUSANDS of mistakes before you figure it out? Plus, there is ALWAYS more than one way to skin a cat, or bake a loaf of bread. The idea that their recipes are perfection never to be modified in any way shape or form is just ludicrous, especially when, as has been pointed out, they keep modifying them THEMSELVES. I, too, have noticed the trend away from every day ingredients to tony expensive hard-to-find things. Not an improvement, IMHO.
That said, apologies to the OP. It's not that we mean to rain on your parade, it's GREAT that you've had a bread success! We encourage you to branch out and learn more than CI will ever be able to teach you, though. You may find you can get wonderful raisin bread without having to bend over backwards!
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- Reply by mrscindy on February 14, 2012 at 9:15 am
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You're right, horses272, it probably WAS an amazing loaf of bread and we're sure you had a wonderful time making it. CI does, ocassionally, hit the nail squarely on the head. As a matter of fact, I tried his Blueberry Scone recipe and, I must admit, it was the very best Blueberry Scone I had ever had.
So, to give the devil his due, you were right to post your results and share those results with us. We apologize for being so negative. Sometimes we get a bit jaded, but your results were noted and I'm sure someone else will try this recipe because of your posting!😄 Please don't stop trying new recipes and posting your results. That is the way we all learn!
~Cindy
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- Reply by Mike Nolan on February 14, 2012 at 10:13 am
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It would be a boring world if we all agreed on everything, especially tastes in food.
Several years ago I transcribed the Apple Galette recipe from an episode of CI, I like both the crust and the topping a lot.
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- Reply by skeptic7 on February 14, 2012 at 10:56 am
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I'm glad that you enjoyed making and eating the cinnamon bread. I used to eat Cinnamon Raisin bread almost every morning when I was in college and admire a good loaf. I'm sorry for raining on your parade. Is this the first time you tried a cinnamon bread?
I've used Cook's Illustrated recipes before and still like think the Roast Beef Rib was the best recipe for that. I returned to baking after a hiatus with their earlier Boston Cream Pie.
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- Reply by frick on February 14, 2012 at 12:43 pm
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First off, guys, you may have misread horses272. He/she said "Cook's Magazine", not Cook's Illustrated. IMHO, not a good way to start off the week.
horses272, Congratulations on your excellent result with your cinnamon raisin bread. I'm sorry I do not subscribe. I wouldn't mind having one recipe that is perfect, instead of the 20 or so hanging around in my files.
I just ran across an old issue of CI opened outward to their Baked Ziti (with cottage cheese instead of ricotta) and my notes on it said "Best Baked Pasta I've Ever Made". So, that will be on the menu this week. Of course it included a cup of heavy cream but if you can afford the richness, and want a truly excellent pasta dish, this is the one. If you took it to a party, people would be begging for the recipe.
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- Reply by mrscindy on February 14, 2012 at 3:45 pm
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Frick, after reading your post I went back and checked and you were right. The OP had said Cook's Magazine. So, I went in search of Cook's Magazine to see what it was. I had never heard of it.
All I could find, anywhere, was Cook's Illustrated Magazine. Is there a Cook's Magazine that I'm missing? I, too, would appreciate a great recipe for Cinnamon Raisin Bread.
~Cindy
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- Reply by cwcdesign on February 14, 2012 at 3:58 pm
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Cook's Illustrated was originally Cook's Magazine in it's first incarnation. According to that font of information, WIkipedia, Christopher Kimball started Cook's in 1980 (I remember it), later sold it to Conde Nast. After Conde Nast shut it down, he reacquired the name and then started Cook's Illustrated in 93.
The things you can learn on the interwebs :-)
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- Reply by ZenSojourner on February 14, 2012 at 5:02 pm
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Actually I don't think there is a "Cook's Magazine". Googling it brings up - Cook's Illustrated. And there is a recipe in the recent CI magazine for cinnamon bread.
I actually got the CI cookbook from the library, I forget what it was called, a big thick one though. There was literally not a single recipe in it I felt like copying down.
They do have some good recipes, but even a blind pig finds an acorn once in awhile!
Sorry, couldn't resist. Seriously, I find them no better on average than any other recipe source, and I mainly rely on other recipe sources these days. I used to be a serious ATK fan, but - they disappoint too often. I don't think they're any WORSE mind you. Just no better. And sort of full of themselves, which is the big turn off for me.
But I'm glad the OP found a recipe he liked and that worked for him. If there is a mistake in the magazine we think we're talking about, maybe he could post a link to the correct one? We all love cooking, a new cooking magazine could only be a Good Thing.
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- Reply by frick on February 14, 2012 at 7:03 pm
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I think horses 272 is deserving of an apology.
How can we expect people to report good (or bad) results from a recipe when that's the kind of response they get? It was a little grumpy to turn his reported pleasure over his good result into a harangue against CI. That could have been the subject of a new thread.
I have a few issues of Cook's Magazine; they must be older than I thought.
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- Reply by Mike Nolan on February 15, 2012 at 10:07 am
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I certainly apologize if people think we hijacked a thread or turned it negative.
FWIW, it does appear that the original poster is referring to the cinnamon swirl recipe in the March issue of CI:
http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/article.asp?docid=36481
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- Reply by mrscindy on February 15, 2012 at 12:40 pm
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Frick is right. I think I'm the one that started the harangue about CI, and it certainly wasn't fair to the OP. After reading the recipe for the cinnamon bread, I will probably try it. And that is based on the fact that it got such a good review. Like I said a few days ago, I have had some great results with CI recipes, so I should not have been so quick to be negative. I apologize.
~Cindy
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- Reply by GinaG on February 15, 2012 at 2:07 pm
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Mike,
It's the April issue.
Cindy,
I know it blows your mind that CI tested a recipe 800 times, but all that testing is not confined to their test kitchen.
They also have home cooks and baker's testing recipes for them, which is extremely helpful considering their objective, which is to make recipes fool-proof to those who have little to no experience.
CI is always looking for testers.
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- Reply by Mike Nolan on February 15, 2012 at 3:57 pm
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Their website says it's March/April, is CI a bi-monthly?
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- Reply by Mike Nolan on February 15, 2012 at 4:46 pm
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Hey, we all do that from time to time, sometimes that's where the best ideas come from!
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- Reply by BakerIrene on February 15, 2012 at 5:08 pm
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WARNING: I AM ABOUT TO RANT AND RAVE ABOUT SOME AMERICANS MAKING BREAD...consider yourselves warned and stop reading now if you want.
I read this CI article and recipe on the heels of the KAF Paczki blog that has a grossly oversalted and dry dough, and then the blogger wondered why her rolls didn't rise...
It's been well known for more than 100 years that a rich dough and a sweet dough require the preparation of a sponge: cooled scalded milk, enough flour to make a runny batter, and the active dry yeast. This research originated in the era when ADY was introduced to replace fresh cake yeast.
The sponge sits for a half hour or so: just long enough to guarantee that the yeast has a head start on the rich or sweet ingredients, as they both retard the growth of the yeast.
I honestly do not know why Frank (the European bakery chef) at KAF doesn't give the entire test kitchen staff a lesson in European rich dough baking. There are so many kinds of traditional breads from so many cultures that share the requirement for the sponge. It would sell MORE KAF unbleached flour which is also required for those doughs.
But no, they throw everything into a machine and whale away just to get something out of the oven two hours later. It's more important for the day staff to get out the door on time...and the poor consumers who follow those recipes never get to learn just how fine a rich or sweet bread can be with just a little care. Same exact ingredients: but what a difference.
It's like there never was a Julia Child who spent decades taping the European methods of excellence including yeast dough baking like brioche...
OK end of rant. I don't have a camcorder or a webcam, but this is such basic stuff. This is something that can be taught to 12 year old kids.
PS YES I do listen to Car Talk. Learned a lot from those guys over the years.
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- Reply by GinaG on February 15, 2012 at 5:37 pm
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BakerIrene,
It isn't clear to me what your thoughts are on the CI article, but it seems the author went to reasonable lengths to rule out potential problems for others and did a good job of helping the reader understand the why's of the what's. Did I miss something?
I ask because I'm interested and you personally were a tremendous help in steering me in the right direction on the subject of enriched dough pretty recently.
GinaG.
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- Reply by BakerIrene on February 17, 2012 at 2:08 pm
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Gina, here's my list in addition to the other postings about this piece of pomposity:
--first of all it says 1.5 cups (1.5 pints) water--ERROR
--if you mix a bread dough with whole milk and egg, you do NOT need all that butter to make a moist loaf--only LESS FLOUR. If you can't pinch-seal a rolled loaf, THE DOUGH IS TOO DRY.
--all the article's shaping contortions are a waste of time. Yeast dough rises best when undisturbed--none of this BS about "folding" to "trap more air". I give rich or sweet dough a towel around it if the house is cool.
--punching down is apparently an utterly lost art that never came into the door at Cooks Illustrated.
I punch down my fully risen dough by rolling it out--it doesn't toughen up. Properly punching down to get rid of ALL the CO2 is the ONLY way to let the yeast raise the bread in the pan and oven.
I add the cinnamon and sugar (no fat), roll up, seal the seam. Then I fold the roll in half and twist it like you would wring out a towel--which you can only do when the dough was hydrated enough in the first place. It makes a really nice swirl in the bread.
And people justabout kill for my bread when they see it--never mind what kind. Because it's moist and chewy and flavourful, and has a shelf life longer than anybody's appetite.
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- Reply by BakerIrene on February 17, 2012 at 2:11 pm
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He doesn't tell you how common Vital Wheat Gluten is, or why you might want to add it if you can't buy bread flour.
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