This easy raisin bread recipe is the best we’ve ever made. It’s a super soft, moist, slightly sweet bread loaded with cinnamon and raisins – right in the dough instead of a swirl filling – to make the perfect healthy raisin toast. I’ve included homemade “not bread machine” instructions, as well as how to adapt to a bread machine.
For a long time, I avoided bread baking because I was afraid of using yeast. I stuck to recipes that used baking soda or baking powder for leavening, like Fluffy Biscuits or No Yeast Bread, or 2 Ingredient Bagels.
One day I got brave and tried No Knead Overnight Artisan Bread (the easiest bread recipe known to man) and when my family ate the entire loaf in one sitting, I knew I found something amazing.
I’ve tried all sorts of bread recipes over the years, but this recipe for raisin bread is near and dear to my heart because it reminds me of the Pepperidge Farm cinnamon bread my grandma used to buy when I was a kid!
Soft Raisin Bread Recipe
Similar to my Jalapeno Cheddar Bread, this raisin bread recipe is based on my Easy White Bread recipe, also affectionately known as Man Bread. It uses ingredients from the pantry, is ready in about 90 minutes, and doesn’t call for rolling or difficult shaping of the bread.
This raisin bread recipe can also easily be doubled, it freezes well, and the ingredients are flexible enough to be substituted with what you have and/or what your specific dietary needs are.
Truly, this homemade cinnamon raisin bread recipe will be one you’ll print and refer back to time and time again!
Cinnamon Raisin Bread Ingredients
You’ll need the following ingredients for cinnamon raisin bread:
- Fruit Juice. A sweeter juice that’s light in color, like apple juice or orange juice, or pineapple juice.
- Active Dry Yeast
- Granulated Sugar (or honey)
- Salt
- Coconut Oil (or melted butter)
- Flour. (I use all-purpose Einkorn flour because my daughter is sensitive to gluten.)
- Raisins
- Ground Cinnamon
How to Make My Cinnamon Raisin Bread Recipe
Step 1: In the bowl of a stand mixer, or a large bowl, combine warmed fruit juice (105-110F), sweetener, and yeast. Stir and let the yeast bloom until it’s foamy, about 5 minutes.
Step 2: Add all-purpose flour, salt, and oil. Using the dough hook, knead on medium speed until it almost pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 4-5 minutes. Alternatively, knead the dough by hand until it’s almost no longer sticky.
Step 3: Toss raisins with 1 Tbsp of flour in a small bowl. Then add the raisins and cinnamon to the dough and continue to knead until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, or is no longer sticky if kneading by hand.
Step 4: Remove the bowl from the mixer and tilt the bowl on its side. Add ½ tsp of oil to the bottom of the bowl and turn the dough to coat the dough in oil. No need to move to a separate greased bowl. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let it rest in a warm place, just above room temperature, for 1 hour.
Step 5: Preheat the oven to 450F.
Step 6: Measure a piece of parchment paper large enough to fit your Dutch oven with some overhang.
Step 7: After the first rise, dust the counter lightly with flour and turn the dough out onto your lightly floured surface. Knead bread by hand until it’s a firm ball of dough. Turn the ball over so the edges are on the bottom and lay it on top of the parchment paper.
Step 8: Cover with a towel and let rise for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, place the Dutch oven (no lid) in the oven to preheat.
Step 9: Remove the hot Dutch oven pot from your oven (be sure to handle the pot with oven mitts). Use the paper to pick up the dough and place it inside the Dutch oven pot so there is some overhang of paper.
Step 10: Bake your bread for 25 minutes.
Step 11: Once your bread is golden brown and done baking, remove the Dutch oven pot from the oven. Using your oven mitt, tilt the pot slightly by holding the handle, then use your other hand to grab the paper and easily slide the bread out of the pot.
Step 12: Discard the paper, and place your bread on a wire rack. Let the bread cool for 1-2 hours before slicing. Be sure to wait for slicing until the bread loaf is cooled completely.
Recipe for Raisin Cinnamon Bread Variations
- Use dried cranberries, dried blueberries, or goji berries instead of raisins
- Use pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice instead of cinnamon
- Add vanilla extract or vanilla powder
- Re-purpose juice or syrup from canned fruit instead of buying fruit juice
Making Bread Machine Cinnamon Raisin Bread Recipe
To make this recipe using a bread machine, follow the typical steps of your bread machine recipe (i.e. add all the ingredients to the machine, press the button, etc.). Follow the settings to bake the loaf in the machine, or just use the machine to make the dough. Then you can shape and bake the cinnamon raisin bread according to the recipe card below.
What to Serve with Homemade Raisin Toast
I personally like to smear raisin toast with butter, but one of my kids swears by peanut butter and the other is loyal to Nutella. I don’t think you can go wrong with any of these, or even just your favorite jam or jelly!
Try raisin toast next to Perfect Scrambled Eggs or Homemade Breakfast Sausage for a healthy, balanced breakfast. Or go out of the box and make some French Toast!
FAQs for Raisin Bread Recipes
Can I make this a cinnamon swirl raisin bread recipe?
Yes! As written, the cinnamon and raisins are mixed in right with the dough. To make it a swirl bread, roll out the dough after the first rise into a rectangle. Sprinkle the dough with cinnamon and raisins. Starting at one short end, roll the dough tightly and then place it in a loaf pan with the seam side down for the second rise and to bake.
Can I make this recipe without a Dutch oven?
Yes! You can either make the recipe as called for and place it in a loaf pan after the first rise. Or make the cinnamon swirl variation above.
When using Einkorn flour, it makes one large loaf. If you use all-purpose flour, the dough will expand more and you’ll need to split it into two loaves. Let rise a second time and then bake as directed.
The other option is to make a free form loaf on a pizza stone or cast iron skillet. Heat the stone or skillet in the oven as it preheats. Form the loaf on parchment paper as described in the recipe, then place it on the stone or skillet.
Can I use bread flour?
Yes! Follow the recipe as directed using bread flour.
Is this a Dutch raisin bread recipe?
Yes! As written this homemade cinnamon raisin bread recipe uses a Dutch oven.
More Delicious Homemade Bread Recipes
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This easy raisin bread recipe is the best we’ve ever made. It’s a super soft, moist, slightly sweet bread loaded with cinnamon and raisins – right in the dough instead of a swirl filling – to make the perfect healthy raisin toast. I’ve included homemade “not bread machine” instructions, as well as how to adapt to a bread machine.
- Prep Time: 60 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
- Category: Bread
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups juice (reduce to 1 ¼ cups if using Einkorn)
- 2 ½ tsp active dry yeast
- 1 Tbsp honey (or granulated sugar)
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 4 cups flour (add 6 Tbsp if using Einkorn)
- ¼ cup flour (for dusting raisins)
- ½ cup raisins
- 1–2 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl, combine warmed fruit juice (105-110F), sweetener, and yeast. Stir and let the yeast bloom until it’s foamy, about 5 minutes.
2. Add all-purpose flour, salt, and oil. Using the dough hook, knead on medium speed until it almost pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 4-5 minutes. Alternatively, knead the dough by hand until it’s almost no longer sticky.
3. Toss raisins with 1 Tbsp of flour in a small bowl. Then add the raisins and cinnamon to the dough and continue to knead until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, or is no longer sticky if kneading by hand.
4. Remove the bowl from the mixer and tilt the bowl on its side. Add ½ tsp of oil to the bottom of the bowl and turn the dough to coat the dough in oil. No need to move to a separate greased bowl. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let it rest in a warm place, just above room temperature, for 1 hour.
5. Preheat the oven to 450F.
6. Measure a piece of parchment paper large enough to fit your Dutch oven with some overhang.
7. After the first rise, dust the counter lightly with flour and turn the dough out onto your lightly floured surface. Knead bread by hand until it’s a firm ball of dough. Turn the ball over so the edges are on the bottom and lay it on top of the parchment paper.
8. Cover with a towel and let rise for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, place the Dutch oven (no lid) in the oven to preheat.
9. Remove the hot Dutch oven pot from your oven (be sure to handle the pot with oven mitts). Use the paper to pick up the dough and place it inside the Dutch oven pot so there is some overhang of paper.
10. Bake your bread for 25 minutes.
11. Once your bread is golden brown and done baking, remove the Dutch oven pot from the oven. Using your oven mitt, tilt the pot slightly by holding the handle, then use your other hand to grab the paper and easily slide the bread out of the pot.
12. Discard the paper, and place your bread on a wire rack. Let the bread cool for 1-2 hours before slicing. Be sure to wait for slicing until the bread loaf is cooled completely.
Notes
- You can either make the recipe as called for and place it in a loaf pan after the first rise. Or make the cinnamon swirl variation above.
- When using Einkorn flour, it makes one large loaf. If you use all-purpose flour, the dough will expand more and you’ll need to split it into two loaves. Let rise a second time and then bake as directed.
- The other option is to make a free form loaf on a pizza stone or cast iron skillet. Heat the stone or skillet in the oven as it preheats. Form the loaf on parchment paper as described in the recipe, then place it on the stone or skillet.
Nutrition
- Calories: 335
Sounds yummy! What is the purpose of baking it in a dutch oven? Couldn’t it be baked on a cookie sheet?
It *could* be baked in a cookie sheet, but the Dutch oven helps to get the center cooked b/c it’s within the confines of the cast iron. If you use a cookie sheet (or loaf pan), be sure to test for doneness. You want 190F at the center of the loaf!