Cinnamon Raisin Bread

This soft cinnamon raisin bread recipe turns out fluffy, moist, and slightly sweet. Loaded with cinnamon and raisins, you can bake it in a Dutch oven or bread maker.

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 had 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!

CINNAMON 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. Not only is it easy to mix together, but it’s also:

• Fast. This raisin bread recipe is ready in about 90 minutes, including 2 rises!
• Easy. It doesn’t call for rolling or difficult shaping of the bread.
• Simple ingredients. You can probably find everything you need in the pantry right now.
• Batches well. This raisin bread recipe can also easily be doubled.
• Freezer-friendly. Wrap and freeze an extra loaf for later!
• Flexible. Substitute with what you have 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, orange juice, or pineapple juice.
• Active Dry Yeast. I’m not afraid of yeast breads anymore, now that I’ve learned all about yeast! (Instant yeast is not the same, be sure to use Active Dry Yeast!)
• Granulated Sugar. Honey works in this raisin bread, too.
• Salt. Every good bread recipe needs salt! It enhances the flavor.
• Coconut Oil. Or melted butter. Just a bit of fat adds richness to the bread dough.
• Flour. I use all-purpose Einkorn flour because my daughter is sensitive to gluten. All-purpose flour or whole wheat flour will work here, too.
• Raisins. It wouldn’t be raisin bread without these! Look for those with no added sugar. Golden raisins work too.
• Ground Cinnamon. For that warm, cozy flavor you expect from cinnamon raisin bread.

HOW TO MAKE CINNAMON BREAD WITH RAISINS

Follow these step-by-step instructions for the best raising bread!

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 stiff dough by hand until it’s almost no longer sticky.

Step 3: Toss the raisins with 1 Tablespoon 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.

Tossing the raisins with flour means that they won’t sink to the bottom of the loaf during baking. The same process works for other small add-ins like chocolate chips or blueberries in baked goods.

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 450 degrees F.

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 dough 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 the cinnamon bread with raisins for 25 minutes.

Step 11: Once the top of the loaf is a deep 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 cooling rack. Let the bread cool for 1-2 hours before slicing. Be sure to wait for slicing until the bread loaf is cooled completely.

Homemade bread does not have a very long shelf life. Store in an airtight container for a few days on the counter or place in the fridge.

CINNAMON BREAD RECIPE SHAPING NOTES

You can also make cinnamon raisin bread in a loaf pan. Make the recipe as written, but place the dough in a loaf pan after the first rise.

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 it 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.

VARIATIONS FOR RECIPES FOR RAISIN BREAD

• 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

Want to make a cinnamon swirl raisin bread recipe? As written, the cinnamon and raisins are mixed right into the dough. To make it a swirl bread, roll out the dough into a large rectangle after the first rise. 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.

CINNAMON RAISIN BREAD MAKER 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. It’s amazing! You can also top your raisin toast with:

• Peanut butter
• Nutella
• Strawberry Freezer Jam or your favorite jelly
• Apple Butter
• Cinnamon Apple Pie Jam

Enjoy your raisin toast on the side of these breakfast favorites:

• Perfect Scrambled Eggs
• Homemade Breakfast Sausage
• Bacon in the oven
• Instant Pot Breakfast Casserole

Cinnamon raisin bread also makes the best French Toast Casserole!

HIGH PROTEIN CINNAMON RAISIN BREAD

It’s easy to add protein to smoothies or snacks.

Yet, when I was asked the question recently about how to add extra protein to bread, I was stumped!

However, it didn’t take long for me to realize there are a few ways to add extra protein to homemade bread recipes.

Here’s what I would do to add protein to bread:

• Add vital wheat gluten. You can add up to 2 Tablespoons of vital wheat gluten to bread without it affecting the recipe. If you add more, it may have a greater rise, although I have not tried that myself. Vital Wheat Gluten has 7g of protein per Tablespoon.
• Use whole wheat flour or bread flour. Whole wheat flour naturally has more protein than white flour.
• Incorporate oat flour. Oatmeal has more protein than wheat. You can easily add up to ½ cup of oat flour in any bread recipe without affecting the result.
• Add egg whites. An egg white has 5g of protein. You can add up to two egg whites per loaf of bread. This will also give you a fluffier loaf.
• Add a scoop of protein powder or collagen. I have not tried this myself since I prefer to drink my collagen in a smoothie, but considering protein powder is a dry ingredient, it should blend in super well with a bread recipe. (This is my favorite collagen.)

That’s it! Adding extra protein to bread is not as hard as it may seem. I’m going to keep these tips in mind when I make my next batch of cinnamon bread with raisins!

CINAMMON RAISIN BREAD FAQS

MORE DELICIOUS HOMEMADE BREAD RECIPES

• Rosemary Olive Oil Bread
• Easiest White Sandwich Bread
• Homemade Beer Bread
• Buttermilk Potato Bread
• Jalapeno Cheddar Bread