Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Cinnamon Raisin Bread - Low Carb & Grain Free


Today has been a productive day here and I'm making progress in my kitchen. I was notified this morning that my appliances are in and they should be scheduled for delivery this week. I'm supposed to get a call this evening or tomorrow with the delivery details.

Over the weekend, I experimented a bit and made a loaf of Cinnamon Raisin Bread. While I'm typically not a big fan of raisins (I do not care for them in cookies at all), I do like a few of them in Cinnamon Raisin Bread. I tweaked my grain-free bread recipe a bit and made a Cinnamon Raisin version. I've been enjoying it for a few days now. I had some toasted yesterday for breakfast and had some again for breakfast this morning spread with cream cheese; much like a bagel. It's nice having the variety and I'm really enjoying it. Raisins are one of those fruits that are higher in sugar, both because they are a dried fruit and because they are dried grapes which are already high in sugar in their natural form. So, for those of us limiting our carbs and sugar, they should be eaten sparingly. The entire loaf of this bread contains only 1 ounce of raisins (a small single serving box). That little box spread out over the entire loaf probably only adds between 1 to 1.5 grams of sugar per slice (depending on how thick you slice it) and an additional 1 gram or so net carbs. The 1 ounce box of raisins has 20 grams of sugar and 20 net carbs which is not bad when you divide it up into that many servings. I easily get 18 to 20 slices from my loaf, but even if I wanted to slice it more thickly, it still wouldn't be bad. I use a USA Pan loaf pan (8.5" x 4.5") to bake this bread in. If you've never tried these pans before, it would be worth trying just one to see how nice they are -- nothing sticks to them. They are well made.  I snapped some photos below as well as posted the recipe. Enjoy!


Cinnamon Raisin Toast

Never thought I would be looking at Cinnamon Raisin Toast on my plate again!

Made better with butter!
I love these pans -- USA Pans -- I just picked this set up at Bed Bath & Beyond



Cinnamon Raisin Bread (Grain Free)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup coconut flour, sifted

1-1/3 cups blanched almond flour
2/3 cup ground chia seeds
3 teaspoons baking powder   
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup granular Swerve Sweetener (or granular equivalent to 1/2 cup sugar) 
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1-ounce box of raisins
1 cup whole eggs (about 5 large eggs)
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray an 8.5-inch x 4.5-inch loaf pan with oil.


In a medium bowl, mix first 8 dry ingredients together with a whisk to help break up any lumps. Add raisins and toss to coat with flour mixture to prevent sticking together.


In a small bowl, beat eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Stir in melted butter and vinegar. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Dough will be thick and sticky and will become fluffy. 


Scoop dough into greased loaf pan. Lightly smooth top of loaf with a spatula. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes; reduce temperature to 325 degrees and bake an additional 55-60 minutes (lightly cover with foil if top browns too quickly). Let sit in pan for 5 minutes; remove and cool completely on a wire rack. Slice with a bread knife or sharp serrated knife.


*Note: It's important to measure your eggs to make sure you have 1 full cup of eggs for this recipe. 

    

10 comments:

Betty Anne said...

This sounds like what I need for breakfast tomorrow!! Could I ask how you toast slices of the bread--in a toaster, the broiler, or a toaster oven? My bread slices don't seem to toast evenly.

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Betty,

I toasted this in my regular toaster that has settings to toast one side or 2, etc. But, if you have a toaster oven, I think that would probably be the best way to toast it. My toaster allows me to lift the bread up about an inch sticking out to remove easily. Grain free breads are a bit more soft/fragile than bread that is made with yeast...so if you have a toaster oven, I'd probably use that. :-)

Linda @ Fit Fed and Happy said...

It looks mighty yummy!

Peg said...

Hi Ayla, well this is definitely on my must try list. I used to enjoy raisin bread back in the day and haven't had it in many years. Oh and thank you for the tip on using the toaster oven.

Thanks again for your experimentation and hard work in coming up with delicious recipes for those of us who aren't as talented as you in designing recipes.

Anonymous said...

I don't have chia seeds. Can I substitute ground golden flax seed instead?

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Anonyous,

You could use ground flax instead of chia, but would need to change the proportions a bit -- I would reduce the almond flour to 1 cup (instead of 1-1/3 cup) and increase the flax substitute from 2/3 cup to 1 cup. That's what I would try first. Let me know how it turns out if you try the flax version. :-)

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Thanks Linda! :-)

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Thanks so much Peg. I hope you enjoy it. Keep an eye on the bread in the toaster or toaster oven. They burn more easily than wheat based bread. You are more than welcome...I hope you enjoy it! :-)

Anonymous said...

This was so yummy! I was lazy so I used the chia seeds whole & it still turned out great :) Took your recommendation too and purchased a USA loaf pan at BB&B - best loaf pan ever! Thanks so much for sharing your recipes, they are best.

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Thanks so much (Anonymous)!

So glad you enjoyed it and glad you like your USA loaf pan as much as I like mine. I think its well made and I have never had anything stick in their pans at all. Glad you are enjoying my recipes and thanks so much for letting me know! :-)