Raisin Spice Bread

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 Tbsp instant or bread machine yeast
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger, dry
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 cup raisins
• approx 1 1/2 cups warm water

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix the flours, brown sugar, salt, yeast, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and raisins until everything is nicely distributed. Pour in 1 cup of warm water to start, then keep adding warm water until the dough comes together into a single ball and you do not see dry flour sitting in the bowl. You may need 1.25 to 1.75 cups of water, depending on how dry your flour is. If you are deciding between slightly wet and slightly dry, let it lean wet. Cover the bowl loosely and leave it at room temperature for 2 hours.
2. After 2 hours, the dough should look airy and soft. Dust it lightly with flour, lift it out of the bowl, and set it on a lightly floured work surface. Knead it gently a few times, just to even out the texture, then form it into a log that matches the length of your bread pan. Set the loaf in a bread pan that has been coated with non-stick spray. Cover it loosely with a moist towel and let it rise until doubled, about 1-1.5 hours depending on how warm your kitchen is.
3. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Brush the top of the loaf lightly with water. Bake the bread in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes, until the top is a deep golden brown. Take it out of the bread pan after baking, then let it cool completely on a wire rack before you slice it.