I was asked to make the communion bread for church last Sunday.  A big responsibility!  I needed to make sure that it was at least part whole wheat, but other than that I had free-reign.  I wasn’t sure what I wanted to make, so after some internet browsing I decided on this no knead honey raisin bread.  While there were some humorous comments about the theology behind raisins in communion bread, I thought the mildly sweet bread was a great way to think about the sweetness of life!  At least that’s my cover story for the raisins!

This bread was really tasty.  It reminded me of cinnamon raisin bagels and would be delicious with a cream cheese spread, or toasted with butter, or just plain.  I used a combination of flours because I had them on hand, but you can use whatever you have on hand.

Honey Raisin Bread

Makes 1 smallish loaf

Adapted from The Professional Palate

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup golden raisins
• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp yeast
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 cup warm water

Combine flours, raisins, cinnamon, salt, and yeast in a large bowl.

Mix honey and water, add to dry ingredients and stir until a dough forms.  Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature overnight.

Preheat oven to 450°F.  Place an enameled Dutch oven in preheated oven for 30 minutes.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form into a ball.  Carefully place dough into the hot Dutch oven, cover with lid and bake for about 22-25 minutes.  Remove the lid and bake an additional 10-15 minutes.

Carefully remove the bread from the Dutch oven and let cool on a wire rack.