Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread

The air is cold, the skies are grey. I find myself admitting that fall is here and here to stay. After several rainy days in a row, I want to wrap myself up in a blanket and drink hot tea whenever I catch a glance out of the window. The trees are just barely taking on color, the leaves not yet gathering on the ground. The air is damp with fog and humidity, not with the crispness I love and remember. With a miserable weather forecast for the next few days, including a prediction of snow, I'm happy spending my time indoors.

I wonder if fall will feel the same in this new town, as it did back home.

When I finally let my hold on summer pass, the warm scent of vanilla and cinnamon begin to fill my kitchen. Cinnamon is the feeling of autumn for me, the essence of the season all bottled up in a single smell and taste. While pumpkin or caramel or apples may define the season for others, it is this single spice that warms my soul.

Each fall, as soon as the weather grows cold, I like to buy myself a loaf of cinnamon raisin bread. Toasted, with a spread of butter, is my version of autumn happiness. This year, instead of finding my loaf of bread on the shelf, I decided to make it myself.

The dough is made with milk to give the bread tenderness and melted butter to add a richness. While I mixed in 3/4 cup raisins, I would recommend a few more if you are a raisin lover and a few less if you are not—it can be tweaked to your personal tastes. The swirl of cinnamon is what makes the bread for me. Though the cinnamon is only rolled throughout the dough, the scent and taste seems to pervade the rest of the loaf, giving a pleasant flavor to each and every bite.

Enjoy when the season beckons and cinnamon is on the menu.

Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread evokes feelings and flavors of autumn. Bread dough is scattered with raisins, rolled out, spread with cinnamon and sugar, and rolled together to create a cinnamon swirl. Even though the outside of the loaf may not be beautiful, it really is the inside that counts with this bread. Spread with butter, honey, or peanut butter, this bread is taken to another level and makes a perfect chilly morning breakfast.

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Blueberry Braided Bread From Emma of Poires au Chocolat

I discovered Emma's blog, Poires au Chocolat, soon after starting my own. The French name drew me in, validating my equal love of chocolate and pear cake, one of the recipes that inspired me to begin blogging. Emma's photography mixes simplicity and honesty with ease and grace, making it feel as if I am in the kitchen alongside her. Her voice is so real and truthful that I feel like I've gotten to know her well, despite living an ocean away. Simply put, her blog is lovely.

I'm honoured to be writing for Pastry Affair today. I've been following along for a few years now, watching Kristin's path weave side to side, just like my own.

In short (if only life was this simple and factual), I started out studying medieval literature (Old and Middle English, Old French, Chaucer, Julian of Norwich and so on). In my final year, after two years of blogging, I decided to train in pâtisserie. I spent six months at Cordon Bleu. A few months later, I left pastry and my first cookbook proposal to return to Oxford and medieval literature.

Yet my path soon twisted again and last Christmas I chose to return to food instead of pursuing a career in academia. I've stayed in my favourite city and as well as working on my blog (supplemented by tutoring, much like Kristin did), I'm now developing another book idea. It's a book that will be all the better for the twists and turns of the past few years.

As Kristin said in a post last year, "my path may be riddled with curves, but I've learned to embrace the zigs and zags of my road."

Just like the braids of this bread, sometimes our dreams can be multiple and interwoven, each one taking priority at different times. One strand is at the front, then the next. Neither one ever goes away and both are always connected to the centre.

I'll always have my studies in the background, nudging me every now and again - is it my turn yet? I don't know at the moment if it will ever get a turn again - but then maybe it will, in one form or another. I've learnt that I never know until I hit the peak - that glorious, heady moment as a child when you reach the top of the swing, legs kicking to get higher, before you hurtle backwards again.

It's that moment when you realise you have no choice but to change, to pull the next strand on top, creating your braid. It repeats until you reach the end and the final strand is tucked under. How do I know if I have reached that point? I can only trust.

Though the braiding technique can look a bit intimidating, it's not bad once you've got your head around it.

There are lots of different ways to fill these braids. The first one I tried used lemon curd along with the creamy filling. I've also made a version filled with salted caramel, walnuts and meringue and a different bread recipe, which was pretty amazing (I made it for a challenge, I don't think I'd include meringue again). I like the creamy-fruit type for breakfast or brunch. I made a simple blueberry compote here but you could use other fruits or possibly use a not-too-sweet jam.

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Dill Dinner Rolls

The weather has been moody lately, unpredictable in its temperamental swings. The days are hot and humid; the oppressive heat makes me want to sit by the neighborhood pool and eat ice cream until I join the ice cream in melting at the bottom of the pint. The evening skies have an ominous gaze, as heavy clouds gather overhead and the wind begins to sway the tree branches—a punishment for the warm weather. The nights are filled with rumbling and flashing lights, with rain that floods the sidewalks and streets and leaves a ticker of weather warnings scrolling across the bottom of the television screen.

Summer can be a temptress, charming by day and wicked by night.

In the morning, as the previous night's rain begins to clear and the sun is still hiding behind the clouds, it feels like baking weather. Perhaps only the gray clouds can convince me to turn on the oven. Though the yeast in my refrigerator has been ignored for the bounty of summer berries, after an Italian dinner and an incredible loaf of bread, I couldn't resist pulling it out to play around with it again.

With the workout my grill has been getting so far this summer, I wanted to create a bread that would go well with all the roasted potatoes, vegetables, and corn on the cob that was coming off the grill.

Dill has long been one of my favorite herbs. After the countless dill pickles enjoyed on sandwiches and eaten straight from the jar, the herb left a positive impression on me. It wasn't unusual for me to fill an ice tray with leftover dill pickle juice to freeze into popsicles for later. While I've already played around with using dill in cheddar biscuits, I wanted this bread to be a little more adaptable.

This bread is basic recipe that you can customize, if you so choose. While I loved them plain and straight from the pan, you could throw in a bit of cheddar, spread them with cream cheese, or use the rolls to soak up a rich gravy.

Dill Dinner Rolls are made with fresh dill which adds a bright flavor. The bread is spiced with salt and pepper and the addition of olive oil adds a smooth, rich aroma. The bread dough is easy to work with and rises effortlessly. The rolls are baked together in a round pan, making them easy to pull apart to serve. With a spread of cream cheese, the light herb rolls make a lovely accompaniment to a summer meal roasted on the grill.

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