Raisin hater converted!

I remember a few years ago that if I even mentioned adding raisins to any baked goods I was planning to make, I would glance over to Jeff and know I would get the look of "ugh, I don't like raisins, do we have to add them?". However, I finally gave up leaving them out of recipes and decided to sneak them into something and make him try it... he was quite shocked (and I was happily amused) with how much he liked them! Go figure...

Ever since then, he has encourage the use of raisins, even going out of his way to make sure we have extras in the pantry just in case! Thankfully, I don't have to hesitate now and thought this Glazed Cinnamon-Raisin Tea Bread would be good for snacking on today.

To soften the combo of dark and golden raisins, they are juiced up in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes. To amp up the nutrition of this bread, without detracting from the taste, we mixed a combination of all-purpose flour, whole wheat pastry flour and ground flax seeds to inject some fiber and omega-3 fatty acids. To keep the healthy theme going, the fat used in the recipe is canola oil, instead of butter, to give the bread a rich texture without being greasy. The bread is quite tender and decidedly moist from the use of buttermilk in the batter - I always keep a can of the powdered version in the fridge for the times I don't have prepared buttermilk already on hand. If you don't already have either of those handy, you could also sour your own milk for this recipe by mixing a couple teaspoons of lemon juice with milk and letting it sit for a few minutes.

Once the well-risen loaf has completely cooled, the top is adorned with a sweet glaze combined from confectioners' sugar, milk and apple juice. Once drizzled, toasted sliced almonds are scattered all over the top for a nutty crunch. Be sure to add the almonds as soon as you drizzle - the glaze will begin to set quickly and will hold the almonds in place (handy for when you slice the bread!).

Recipes
Glazed Cinnamon-Raisin Tea Bread