{the recipe redux} no knead honey raisin bread
Tuesday, March 20, 2012 at 8:48PM 
Things of which I am fairly certain:
-The debate about "which" sweetener is the healthiest choice seems neverending.
-The consensus that over consumption of any sweetener is counter productive to good health is fairly universal, even if that message gets pushed aside by beautiful pictures of coffee cakes and cupcakes.
Things of which I am continually intrigued:
-Honey is believed to have antioxidant & anti-allergy qualities (the latter, especially when a local honey is chosen from your area)
-Honey is occasionally, if not routinely, used as a salve for minor burns and has historically been revered as a cough suppressant of choice
One thing of which I am absolutely certain:
-Spring has sprung in my part of the world. And as long as there are flowers that bloom and bees that buzz, one of the most delicious tastes known to man will always be just a honeycomb away...and that makes me smile.
I. Love. Honey.
If I'm being honest, one of my favorite ways to enjoy it [look away if refined Southern baked goods are offensive to you] is as a topping for a hot, crusty buttermilk biscuit. No huge nutritional benefit there, but some dishes are just meant to be enjoyed.
However, in the spirit of ReDux, I certainly thought I could offer a more everyday-edible recipe to share.
Honey Raisin Bread follows in the footsteps of my recent No Knead Crusty Bread post. Once I saw how wonderfully easy that recipe was, I couldn't help but tweak a little to make it even more special.
All of this month's ReDux posts focus on two of nature's most wonderful sweeteners - maple syrup and honey. Depending on what part of the country each blogger finds him or herself in, I suspect you will get a wonderful discussion of why each blogger chose which sweetener. Having grown up in the South, honey is by far more a part of my food culture, so I'm looking forward to reading more maple memories for sure! And I hope you will enjoy them to as you check out the other posts below.
No Knead Honey Raisin Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/3 cup raisins
- 1/2 to 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon yeast
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 cup water
Instructions
Combine flours, raisins, cinnamon, salt and yeast in a large bowl.
Combine water and honey. Add to flour mixture and stir until dough forms (dough will be fairly wet). Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place an enameled Dutch oven in preheated oven for 30 minutes.
Spoon dough out onto heavily floured surface and shape into a ball. Place dough in Dutch oven; cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes.
Let cool on a wire rack.
