Raspberry Swirl Bread

I stumbled across this recipe for raspberry rolls with cream cheese icing a while back, and I started thinking about how I could make some raspberry rolls.  I had some frozen raspberries, so I figured I'd make my own  raspberry filling recipe and use my regular cinnamon roll dough.  That ought to work, right? 

Except that I didn't know how much 1/2 a tube of raspberry filling was (as called for in the roll recipe), and I didn't know how impossible it would be to roll the dough and cut it into rolls when I used all my filling.  So, I improvised and made Raspberry Swirl Bread instead of raspberry rolls.

Raspberry Swirl Bread

For Basic Sweet Dough:

• 1 cup milk
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup butter or margarine
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 4 to 4-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 package active dry yeast (2-1/4 tsp.)
  

Put all ingredients into breadmaker and use the dough setting. When dough is ready, prepare as directed below.

Or, if you don't have a breadmaker or simply enjoy the feel of working with the dough: In a large mixing bowl combine 1-1/2 cups of the flour and the yeast; set aside. In a saucepan heat and stir milk, sugar, butter or margarine, and salt till mixture is warm (120° to 130°) and butter or margarine is almost melted. Add to flour mixture along with eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.  Let rise once.

While dough rises, prepare filling.

Raspberry Filling

• 1 16 ounce package frozen raspberries (not packed in syrup) 
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup granulated sugar 
• 1 T lemon juice 
• 4 T cornstarch dissolved in 1/3 cup of water

In a saucepan combine the raspberries, water, sugar, and lemon juice.
Bring to boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the raspberries have broken down.
Dissolve the cornstarch in 1/3 cup of water and mix into the raspberry mixture.
Bring the mixture back to a boil and simmer for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat and cool completely, stirring every once in a while.

1. Once dough has risen, punch it down and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each half into a 12x8-inch rectangle.  Spread half of the filling on each rectangle.  Starting from one of the long sides, roll up very carefully and pinch edges to seal.  Using a large spatula to help support the dough, lift rolled dough into greased 13x9 baking dish.
2. Cover and let rise in a warm place till nearly double (about 30 minutes).  Cut several diagonal slashes in each loaf.
3. Cover with foil and bake in a preheated 375° F oven for 35 minutes, then remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes or till golden brown.
4. Allow to cool slightly and drizzle with icing.

FOR ICING: Melt 1 T butter in small mixing bowl; stir in 1/4 tsp. vanilla, 1 cup powdered sugar, and enough milk to make a smooth icing of drizzling consistency (3-4 tsp).  Drizzle over bread. Serve warm or cool.

The first time I made this, I didn't bake it long enough.  I was meaning to bake rolls, so I followed my cinnamon roll recipe and baked it 25 minutes like that recipe said.  The bread was nicely browned.  It looked good and smelled good, but the next morning when I cut into it, I found that it was all doughy inside..  I ended up slicing it and baking it again - so it got all toasty.  It was good, but not exactly right.  It didn't go to waste, but I had to try it again.  Covering it with foil for the first 30-35 minutes of baking keeps it from getting too brown while it bakes.   This time it turned out beautifully.  Such a great combination of sweet dough, raspberries, and gooey icing.  Really yummy.

Even Weasley had to check it out!

Next time I'm thinking about trying to lay one rectangle of dough on the bottom of the baking dish then spreading the filling on top, adding some pieces of cream cheese, and then topping with the other rectangle of dough.  And cut slits in the top before baking.

Rhubarb Raspberry Crisp

I've never tried rhubarb and raspberries together. Why? I don't know, but for some reason the idea popped into my head the other day - probably because I was thinking about what I have in my freezer and need to start using. 

So I went looking for a 'raspberry rhubarb dessert' and this is what I found. 

Rhubarb Raspberry Crisp

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cut rhubarb
• 2 cups raspberries, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (or pecans)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cold butter, cut into chunks

Directions:

1. In a shallow 2- to 3-quart baking dish, combine rhubarb, raspberries, granulated sugar, and cornstarch and mix gently to coat.
2. In a large bowl, mix oats, flour, nuts, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. With your fingers or a pastry blender, rub or cut butter into oat mixture until coarse crumbs form. Sprinkle evenly over rhubarb and raspberry mixture.
3.  Bake in a 350° regular oven until topping is golden brown and fruit is bubbling, about 45 minutes. 

Serve warm or at room temperature.

original recipe

As noted, I used frozen rhubarb and raspberries, mostly thawed and undrained, but this would of course be great with fresh fruit, too.  I only used half the raspberries the original recipe called for and cut the sugar in the fruit down from 3/4 cup to 1/2 cup because I want to taste the tartness of the rhubarb.  I think it turned out great.  A nice dollop of vanilla ice cream would be great on top, but it was yummy just by itself.

Rhubarb and raspberries go very well together.

Related articles

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Raspberry Cobbler

I didn't put all the raspberries I picked yesterday into the freezer. I decided to use some of them and make this Raspberry Cobbler. I mostly followed the original recipe.

Raspberry Cobbler

Ingredients:

• 1 c. flour 
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder 
• 1/2 tsp. salt 
• 1/2 c. sugar 
• 1/2 cup butter, melted 
• 1/2 c. milk 
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla 
• 3 c. fresh (or frozen) unsweetened raspberries 
• 1/3 c. sugar 
• 1 tbsp. flour

Directions:

1. Butter or spray an 8 inch square baking pan. 
2. Combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in medium bowl. Make well in center. Add melted butter, milk and vanilla. Stir until blended. Pour into prepared pan. 
3. In another bowl, combine raspberries, sugar and 1 tbsp. flour. Spoon fruit mixture evenly over batter. 
4. Bake at 350° for 45 to 55 minutes or until golden brown and done in the middle. 
5. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Image via WikipediaThe original recipe called for 2/3 cup sugar and 1 T tapioca to be mixed with the raspberries.  I cut the sugar in half because I don't like things all that sweet, and I substituted flour for the tapioca because the only tapioca I have is the Pearl kind that's supposed to be soaked - and I didn't want to wait for it since everything else was already mixed up.  The flour was fine, but now I'm thinking I need to make some tapioca pudding!  After we finish the cobbler, of course, which turned out really good - at least I thought so!

Also - Cobbler.  When I was looking up recipes I found some like this with the batter on the bottom and fruit on top and others with the fruit on the bottom and a biscuit-type crust on top.  So, which is it?  What is a cobbler really?
 

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