When I used to dine at the Corner Bakery Cafe, I always made sure to purchase a bag of their sweet raisin crisps before I left. Crispy with a slight chewiness, these raisin crisps were sweet but not overly so with large sugar crystals coating both sides. Turns out, it's not that hard to make yourself! Here's a copycat recipe for Corner Bakery's sweet crisps made with homemade raisin walnut bread.
Corner Bakery's Sweet Crisps
Ingredients
Raisin walnut bread
- 1 ½ cups warm water (100-110 degrees F) (375 ml)
- 3 tablespoons honey (60 grams)
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (7 grams)
- 4 cups bread flour (592 grams)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (24 grams)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (120 grams)
- ¾ cup seedless raisins (120 grams)
Sweet raisin crisps
- 1 loaf raisin walnut bread
- ¾ cup butter, melted (170 grams)
- 1 cup demerara sugar or any other type of coarse sugar (250 grams)
Instructions
- Combine warm water with honey and yeast, stirring to dissolve. Let sit for 10 minutes or until yeast has been activated and mixture is foamy.
- Combine yeast mixture with flour, olive oil, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix until dough starts to come together. Add chopped walnuts and raisins and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Lightly oil a bowl with 1 tablespoon oil and transfer dough to the bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let proof in a warm area until doubled in size, about 1 ½ hours.
- Punch down dough and shape into a large round loaf. Transfer to a baking sheet and loosely cover with plastic wrap. Let proof until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- With a sharp knife, make ⅛-inch deep slashes across top of the bread. Bake for 15 minutes, reduce the oven to 375 degrees and continue to bake for 30 minutes or until browned. Remove from oven and cool completely.
- Lower oven heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Slice bread into thin slices, about ¼ inch thick. Brush top side with butter and sprinkle generous amount of sugar, about 1 teaspoon depending on how long the slice is. Bake on a sheet pan for 8 minutes or until crisp.
- Remove from the oven and flip over bread slices. Brush with butter and sprinkle more sugar. Bake an additional 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove and cool.
**Helpful tips and common mistakes
Before you can make the raisin crisps, you have to make the bread. Start by activating the yeast in warm water and honey. Add the flour, raisins, and walnuts and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. The kitchen aid comes in handy when kneading the dough since all you have to do is turn on the machine. The dough may feel a bit sticky, but resist adding more flour. The dough will come together beautifully, you just have to believe!
Proof the dough in a warm area until doubled in size. Punch down the dough, shape it into a loaf, loosely cover it with plastic wrap and let it rise a second time.
Score the bread before baking to prevent the bread from rising unevenly in the oven. Use a sharp knife and be confident with the slashes. Don't worry if the dough snags a little; you will barely be able to notice once baked.
Keep an eye on your bread during the first 15 minutes when it is at 425 degrees. If you have a strong oven, I recommend covering the bread with foil if it starts to get too dark.
The bread alone was delicious; I actually saved a couple of slices just to enjoy as is. Spread a little butter and jam with a nice cup of tea and you have yourself one delightful breakfast. But we're not here just to make bread. We must take it a step further and make those Corner Bakery's sweet crisps. Brush one side with melted butter and sprinkle a generous amount of demerara sugar or any type of coarse sugar.
Again, depending on your oven, the time may differ so keep an eye on those crisps. During the first 8 minutes, the crisps may not turn golden; that's completely fine. If the bread feels like it has been toasted and is slightly hard to the touch, they are ready to be flipped over. The side of the bread that touches the baking sheet will turn golden so it will have its turn to brown.
I honestly think that these crisps taste exactly like the ones from Corner Bakery, and I am not the only one who shares that opinion. The texture of the crisps is exactly like the ones from the restaurant, crispy but still soft in the center. Even with the different sugar used, it is hardly noticeable. They can be stored at room temperature for at least a week, if they last that long.
For more sweet bread inspiration check out this pancake bread!
Unknown
Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I have been trying to duplicate the Corner Bakery's crisps ever since visiting the restaurant in Chicago. I have come close...but have not been entirely successful. I cannot wait to try your method.
Anonymous
Thank you SO much! I used to live in DC and always had these readily available but since i moved to Wisconsin i have been missing these terribly!
Anonymous
When my friend went Chicago, she brought back a bag of these and a mission for me: duplicate them. Now, with your recipe, my mission just became a little easier! I hope they turn out!
Anonymous
HOw do you think this recipe would work using the Mark Bittman "no knead" recipe for bread? It seems like it would be adaptable...
Christine Ma
I also think it would work!
Nancy
I do no knead cranberry walnut bread and, I think, just as good. Would just like to make smaller and narrower!
Anonymous
I make these crisps using the 3 cups whole wheat and 1+ cups of ap. I usually make two smaller rustic loaves (long and skinny) because I find it easier to slice the bread very thin without it breaking. I bake at 375 for 30+ minutes until internal temperature is 190 degrees.
I brush the slices with melted butter and sprinkle coarse sugar crystals I order from King Arthur before I toast them in the oven.
They turn out wonderful!
Anonymous
I am so excited; I was in DC and found these, by chance I googled them; can't wait to make my own. I bought 3 bags of the delightful treats.
Anonymous
I am so glad I found this! Just what I was looking for today.
Anonymous
OMG, YOU WERE SO RIGHT!!!! THIS IS AMAIZING, LOVE THEM!!!!
Jocelyn
Delicious! Boy was that a lot of work, but yummy!
I baked the bread at 375 for 35 minutes. I don't have an internal thermometer and "hollow tap" makes no sense to me. Came out great, pretty golden brown color, not super crusty.
I subbed vegetable oil for canola (didn't have any) and used whole wheat flour. I also used half golden raisins and half regular for the color. You can also use a food processor to cut up the pecans.
Christine Ma
Its a lot of work but its so worth it!
Cecelia
I so want to make these. Can the dough be made using a bread machine.
cma0425
Absolutely!
oaj2005
While heating oven, put a rimed cookie sheet on a lower rack. When you put bread in the over, toss a handfull of ice cubes on the tray. This generates steam for the beginning of the bake and lets the bread rise higher by not letting the top crust dry out so fast
cma0425
I heard of this technique - I will definitely try this next time. Thanks for the tip!
A. Berry
3,395 calories?? really??
cma0425
That's the calories for the entire loaf of bread
Sache
This is a little off topic and I hope you will forgive: I found your recipe while "googling" bread crisps because of two quick-bread fails I had recently. One was banana bread that called for both baking soda and baking powder and I forgot to add the soda; then, after that, in a different recipe using oranges & dates (from my mom's 1940's cookbook), I used Crisco (the formula has changed since my mom's day) instead of butter----both of these "fails" produced a dry and crumbly bread. I froze the loaves and sliced each very thin and then dried the slices in the oven at about 225 degrees, for a long time. The slices held together, sweetened with the drying and crisped up, producing a wonderful crisp that was great for dipping in coffee or tea. Mine was by accident---yours on purpose, but what a great way to salvage my mistakes. It also led me to your wonderful recipe!
cma0425
Wow what a great way to salvage a mistake! Thanks for sharing, I'm going to keep that in mind and try it the next time I make a mistake on a bread!
Rebecca
How many calories in each slice
cma0425
Hi Rebecca, there are approximately 169 calories in each slice.
vic
How will it taste, if I leave the walnuts out?
Cherry on My Sundae
It would still be great!
TOMMIE COLMERAUER
CAN I ORDER THE RAISIN PECAN SWEET CRISPS. MY DAUGHTER BROUGHT ME SOME FROM A TRIP TO CHICAGO AND I LOVE THEM. IF I CANNOT ORDER THEM FROM YOU CAN YOU TELL ME WHERE I MIGHT BE ABLE TO GET THEM.
THANK YOU.
TOMMIE COLMERAUER
Cherry on My Sundae
You can buy them from Corner Bakery!
Amy
I used a pre-sliced raisin walnut bread from my local supermarket. Toasted for 9 minutes on each side. SO DELICIOUS! Takes exactly like the Corner Bakery crisps. I'm in love.
Cherry on My Sundae
So glad you liked it! Definitely going to go that shortcut route when I'm not in the mood to bake a whole loaf next time
betty
do you know why mine turned soft after about an hour? they were crisp at first but then i dont know what happened to make them lose their crispness.
Cherry on My Sundae
Hm, that is so strange! Did you, by any chance, cover them while they were still warm? The only thing I can think of is that steam made them soft. My other suggestion is to try baking them at a lower temperature for longer ie 300 degrees F for 15 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
betty
thank you for responding. i will try the lower temp. Im so excited about these.
betty
I tried the lower temp and perfection!! thank you so much. these are delicious. I cant stop eating them!
Cherry on My Sundae
So glad to hear! Thanks for sharing!
Jesse-Gabriel
Es wäre so toll wenn du das Rezept noch mal aktualisierst und auch in Gramm Angaben einstellen würdest, das wäre großartig!
Viele Grüße sendet,
Jesse-Gabriel aus Berlin
Cherry on My Sundae
Yes I am working on it!
Yvonne
Fantastic recipe! Turned out perfect! Thank you!
Cherry on My Sundae
I'm so glad!
Marie Nixon
Hello, I'm wondering if there is a minor mistake in the ingredient list for the Raisin Pecan Bread? The ingredients list walnuts, not pecans! Is that intentional? I do see the pecans as an ingredient for the crisps. Thank you.
Cherry on My Sundae
Sorry about that! It's actually supposed to be walnuts. I corrected the recipe to read the correct ingredient now.
Sugar on My Crisps
I couldn't stop eating these! They should be called "Crack Crisps"! A must make if you haven't tried this recipe yet. Delicious!
Cherry on My Sundae
I'm so glad you enjoyed them!
Ann
Hi, can this be baked in a Dutch oven like an artisan bread? Thank you!
Cherry on My Sundae
I actually never tried using a Dutch oven but I think you can. I would keep the oven temperature at 425 the entire time and bake the bread covered for 20 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for another 25 minutes or until browned. Let me know if you have any other questions!
Janet
Love the Sweet Raisin Pecan Crisps from Corner Bakery, can’t wait to try this recipe! I’m curious..why not use pecans instead of walnuts in your recipe since the original has pecans? Is it simply a matter of preference?
Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Janet
Cherry on My Sundae
You know for some reason I just assumed that the original one had walnuts (whoops!). I bet pecans would be amazing in this recipe too though!
Janet
I will have to try both and follow up with my analysis.
Thanks again!
Cathy
This came out WONDERFUL thanks so much for the recipe!!!!
Cherry on My Sundae
I'm so glad!