Dan Lepard's book, The Hand Made Loaf is worth investigating repeatedly, especially if, like me, you maybe are exploring hydration, levain and all the other diverse bread baking elements.

Yesterday I decided to bake Dan's cinnamon raisin loaf, which in the past had been a challenge for me. This time I tried shaping it differently, using my French couronne banneton. Instead of elbowing a hole into my boule and stretching the dough, as in the book, I shaped it into a baguette shape and joined the ends in the basket.

The dough seemed a bit sluggish, initially. I wondered if this was going to be a dud. But I left it to proof a bit longer for the final stage, the process rewarding me with the smell of cinnamon, and the sight of raisins popping from the bake, brown crust. The taste and moistness of this tight crumb is surprisingly light and was a perfect match with a Nevat goat cheese from Cataluñya .