Worth the wait

Sometimes, waiting around can be a difficult task for me to handle.  Quite often, I am some one who thrives on efficiency.  Spending most of a Saturday morning waiting around for this cinnamon raisin swirl bread to rise was definitely worth the wait. I found the recipe on a blog that I have been reading frequently, called Cate's World Kitchen. She is an avid runner, enjoys photography, and loves to spend time in the kitchen.  I sincerely enjoy reading her entries and couldn't resist making this bread when I stumbled upon it.  After mixing the ingredients and kneading the dough, you must wait for it to rise.  After pounding it down and forming a loaf, you must wait for it to rise, again.  You also must wait for it to bake in the oven and for it to cool in the pan before removing it.  The recipe says you must wait for the bread to be completely cooled before cutting into it, but by this time, we were tired of waiting and ate it warm. 
I will be the first to admit that I have had some major mishaps in the kitchen over the last few weeks.  From blowing up a glass jar of maple syrup to melting a bear shaped honey container into a pan on the stove to spilling red curry sauce all over my favorite shirt, I have had my series of disasters.  While making this bread, I had a minor mishap, thank goodness it only had a small effect on the finished product.  I am going to tell you what I learned about yeast so you do not make the same mistake that I did.  As for blowing up syrup and turning a teddy bear full of honey into a volcano, well, just don't let me in your kitchen.  Here's what happened: I emptied the packets of yeast into a large baking bowl and poured the warm milk on top of the granules.  The yeast clumped together and didn't start to activate like yeast should.  I immediately called the baking emergency hot line (my Mama) and she quickly told me that the warm liquid should be poured into the bowl first, adding the yeast on top of the warm milk. Each granule of yeast must be exposed to the warm liquid (in this case, milk) in order to activate and not clump.  In an attempt to rescue the yeast, I stirred it using a fork to break up the clumps. Eventually, began to foam.  The bread didn't rise quite as much as I would have liked, but was still darn good.   I know yeast scared some people, but please, don't let it.  It's not a scary as you might think. This bread will be made again, no question about it.

Cinnamon Swirl Bread (Cate's World Kitchen)
2 tablespoons dry active yeast
1 teaspoon granulated sugar + 1/4 cup
3/4 cup warm milk (not hot)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons agave or maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 1/4 cups bread flour, plus additional for rolling
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
2/3 cup raisins
Combine the warm milk, yeast, and 1 tsp sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let stand 5 minutes, then stir in 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, salt, butter, vanilla, agave, and egg and mix well. Add the flours gradually, then mix with the dough hook on medium speed for 10 minutes.
Cover the bowl and let the dough rise for about an hour and a half.
Roll the dough out to a rectangle about 10″ by 20.”
Combine 1 tsp cinnamon, the brown sugar, and the raisins in a small bowl. Spread evenly over the dough then roll up and pinch the ends closed. Put in a greased loaf pan, cover, and let rise for about 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Bake the bread for 40-45 minutes, until golden brown on top. Cool in the pan for about 20 minutes, then turn out of the pan and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.