Walnut Raisin Bread

Hi Everyone!

I thought I would share with you real quick a yummy, healthy treat that we are enjoying this week.  :) It is what I call Walnut Raisin Bread.  Now, I like sweet rolls just as much as anyone else--but I do NOT consider them healthy enough to be a breakfast meal for either myself or my family!  But my Walnut Raisin Bread, well, I put that in an entirely different catagory!  It is real simple to do--one of those foods that you don't really need a recipe for, but sometimes if we do not write it down in a recipe format we kind of forget to make it.

So I thought I would just sort of remind you of doing this type of thing here--just to get your creative juices flowing!  All you have to do is make up a batch of your favorite bread dough--any kind.  If your family only eats bread with white flour, use that--but consider making it a bit healthier by substituting some of the white flour with whole wheat flour in this recipe.  I promise your family will devour this bread whole wheat or no whole wheat, so it is a good chance if you are trying to change taste buds just a bit to find whole wheat more acceptable.  For myself, I will make my bread dough with 100% whole wheat, but I do use the white whole wheat flour that my Walmart store is carrying now.  This is still all whole wheat, but is from a white wheat grain, so makes a lighter color and a bit lighter texture bread.

ANYWAY, so mix up your favorite bread dough recipe.  Once you are at the point in your recipe where you are going to shape the dough and put it in the pans, before you do that roll out your bread dough on the counter and spread a thin layer of applesauce on it.  Then sprinkle away with raisins and chopped walnuts.  You can add cinnamon at this point if you want to, or corriander, or even fresh orange zest (YUM!).  Sometimes I will put on a little sprinkle of brown sugar--just a touch, because I am still trying to keep this a "regular" food and not a "dessert" food!  Once you are done doctoring up your bread dough, roll it up, pinch your seam closed, and place in your bread pan.  Bake it following the times and temperature that your bread recipe calls for.

Once your bread is cool, slice it carefully and toast for breakfast!  I use a toaster oven, which is easier to keep my bread from falling apart when you have swirls in it like this bread does.  Yummy!  For me, this is just as yummy as a sweet roll, but I can eat it for breakfast and feel like I am getting some real nutrition when I eat it.

Hope you enjoy this bread as much as I do! One loaf of this in my house is gone in one meal, so if you are making it you might want to consider making more than one!

~Susan