love the recipe, but would recommend the tangzhong method of keeping the bread fresh and moist. Tangzhong method is 1/3 cup bread flour cooked in 1 cup water on stovetop stirring until ripples become visible and it thickens just slightly. refrigerate with plastic wrap covering top directly and use the next day. 1/2 of tangzhong batch per 1.5 lb loaf. use in bread machine and add with liquids. note: will need more flour but leave it just a little sticky for a moister bread. it should also help preserve the bread naturally so that it stays fresher. many websites on the internet have the tang zhong method of breadmaking. it was discovered by the Japanese but chinese tea houses use it all of the time. Try it -- if you want look it up on the internet for more information on this method of asian bread baking. this method should work with any kind of bread using mostly white bread flour. would recommend making slightly sticky dough in a bread machine and then shape and bake in regular oven.

tried it without raisins, with raisins, and tonite made it with chopped apples. will probably try it with chopped pears and alter the spices to suit. it is a good base hi-fiber muffin that can be altered each time you make it. able to toss in walnuts and a bit of ground flax seed meal. tried it with nonfat sour cream instead of plain yogurt. tried it with yogurt too. it's really a good go-to kind of reliable recipe that can stand up to a lot of changes to suit.

changed flour to 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour and 1/2 cup reg. flour, added 2 kitchen tsp of wheat germ and then same of milled flax seed meal. to moist ingredients adjusted to 1 1/2 cups applesauce with no oil and 1 tsp vanilla--2 tsp cinnamon to dry ingredients. otherwise same. smells wonderful-- in the oven right now. love this website.

healthy and moist. does not hold up well for making sandwiches but delicious eaten plain with maybe a little cheese on the side.

smells wonderful in the oven. made mine with 2 bosc pears and a little sour cream with a splash of milk since that was what i had in fridge. should be tasty from the way they smell. reminds me of a sweet biscuit recipe from home economics back in middle school.

added 1 cup of chopped bosc pears and 1/2 cup craisins. skipped currants. did not knead but stirred to moisten and then baked it in a 9-inch round cake pan. made a lovely tea cake to go with coffee or tea. versatile as either a scone recipe with added flour kneaded in or a fruity tea cake baked without kneading in extra flour. will make this recipe again for a tea cake. thank you for a versatile recipe. can add chopped apples and cinnamon or any combination of fresh and dried fruit. prefer it as a tea cake to the usual scones.

it was delicious. i made one batch this morning. made with 1 and 1/2 cups chopped apples with a generous tsp of cinnamon. fragrant in the oven and came out looking good. small batch. good for making fresh for just a couple of people.

great with a 5 oz container of greek yogurt of any flavor as a sub for the sour cream. could use a little vanilla or almond extract with variations of dried fruit or some fresh fruit minced if you want to add a little more flour.

makes a great sweet bread. I like it as day old bread cut into thick slices to be dipped in liquid egg substitute mixed with some whole milk and vanilla extract for French toast--then slather on some lo-cal margarine and sugar free syrup. reasonably non-fattening this way but still get diner type French toast with some natural sugar in the bread recipe for that extra satisfying sugar rush without over-doing the calories. can add a little ground flax seed meal, wheat germ, and a little oatbran. i usually substitute 1 c whole wheat flour with 1 tbsp vital wheat gluten instead of all 3 cups bread flour.