You will never purchase another loaf of cinnamon raisin bread from the store again. This stuff is dangerously tasty! Aren’t you craving a slice of this toasted and slathered in butter right now? Can you smell it baking? It’s absolutely dreamy! Pour 1 cup of the reserved soaking water into the bowl of a standing mixer or large mixing bowl. Add the yeast and stir to combine. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes until foamy. Stir the milk, melted butter, and salt into the water. Add 5 1/2 cups of the flour and stir to form a shaggy dough. Knead in your mixer on low speed with a dough hook or knead by hand for 8-10 minutes to form a smooth, slightly tacky dough. Check the dough halfway through; if it’s very sticky, add a little more flour. The dough is ready when it forms a ball without sagging and quickly springs back when poked. Place the dough in a large greased bowl, turn over once and cover. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about an hour. Meanwhile, combine the sugar and ground cinnamon in a small bowl and beat together the egg and water in a second bowl. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. Roll out one piece at a time on a lightly floured surface, brush with egg wash, sprinkle with half of the cinnamon/sugar mixture, and roll up the dough. Place in a loaf pan. Repeat with the second piece of dough and allow them to rise again. Brush the top with some of the remaining egg wash. Remove the loaves from the pans and allow them to cool completely before slicing. (this is impossible in our house) Leftover cinnamon raisin bread is great for bread pudding.
