This cinnamon raisin bread recipe makes one soft, sliceable 9×5 inch loaf, about 10 slices, from a milk and butter yeast dough, ¾ cup of soaked raisins, and ground cinnamon kneaded right into the dough. Plan on about 3½ hours from bowl to cooling rack. Most of that is rising time, plus 35 to 40 minutes in a 350°F oven.
Two small moves make the difference. Soak the raisins for 10 minutes so they stay plump and do not pull moisture out of the crumb, and knead the cinnamon in last so the slices come out speckled instead of streaky. It is a sweet raisin bread for toast, not a dessert loaf, so the sugar stays at 3 tablespoons.
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- Pan: one greased 9×5 inch loaf pan
- Yield: 1 loaf, about 10 slices
- Time: 25 minutes hands-on, 1¾ to 2½ hours rising, 35 to 40 minutes baking
- Oven: 350°F (175°C)
- Raisins: ¾ cup, soaked 10 minutes in warm water, drained, and patted dry
- Cinnamon: 1 teaspoon ground, plus ½ teaspoon cinnamon extract if you want it stronger
- Keeps: 3 days wrapped at room temperature, or frozen in slices
What Goes Into a Soft Raisin Loaf
The dough is short and plain: 1 cup warm milk, 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (one packet), 3 tablespoons each of sugar and melted butter, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 3½ cups all-purpose flour. The milk, butter, and egg are what give you a soft, sandwich-style crumb instead of a chewy lean bread. I have tried oil in place of butter, and the crumb lacked structure. Stick with butter.
Dark or golden raisins both work. Soak them in warm water for 10 minutes, drain, and pat them dry on a towel. Dry raisins act like tiny sponges and pull water out of the dough as it bakes, which is the main reason homemade raisin bread turns dry by day two. Raisins dripping wet from the bowl cause the opposite problem: the dough goes slick and they keep sliding out while you knead.
Cinnamon extract is optional. Half a teaspoon goes in with the wet ingredients and deepens the flavor without more ground spice. Piling in extra ground cinnamon darkens the dough and can slow the yeast.
Waking the Yeast and Mixing the Dough
Warm the milk to 110°F (45°C). It should feel warm on the inside of your wrist, not hot. Stir in the sugar and yeast and leave it for 5 to 10 minutes. You are looking for a foamy, bubbly top like the one in the photo. No foam after 10 minutes means the yeast is old or the milk was too hot, so start over before you waste the flour.
Stir in the melted butter, egg, salt, and the cinnamon extract if you are using it. Add the flour about 1 cup at a time, mixing after each one. Slow down with the last half cup. The dough is right when it pulls away from the bowl and feels soft and only slightly tacky. A stiff, dry dough bakes into a dense loaf, so on a humid day you may not need every spoonful.
Kneading In the Raisins Without Tearing the Dough
Knead the plain dough for 2 to 3 minutes first, until it starts to feel smooth and springy. Then press in the drained raisins a handful at a time and keep kneading for another 4 to 5 minutes. They will roll out at first. Fold the dough over them, press, turn, and repeat until they are spread through.
Raisins added at the very start get crushed and stain the dough. Once the gluten has formed, the dough wraps around them instead of tearing.
The ground cinnamon goes in last. Sprinkle the 1 teaspoon over the dough and knead gently until it looks evenly speckled with no dark streaks. Added this late, it stays as fine flecks through the crumb.
Two Rises and a Tight Log
Set the dough in a greased bowl, cover it with a towel or plastic wrap, and let it rise somewhere warm for 1 to 1½ hours, until doubled. To check, press a floured finger about half an inch into the side. If the dent fills in slowly and stays slightly visible, it is ready. If it springs straight back, give it 15 more minutes.
Punch it down gently, pat it into a rectangle about as wide as your pan is long, and roll it up into a tight log. Pinch the seam closed and set it seam side down in the greased pan. Tuck any raisins poking out of the top back under the surface. Exposed raisins scorch on the crust and taste bitter.
Cover loosely and let it rise again for 45 to 60 minutes, until it domes about 1 inch above the rim. Turn the oven on to 350°F for the last 20 minutes of that rise.
Baking Until the Loaf Sounds Hollow
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. The top should be deep golden, and the bottom should sound hollow when you tip the loaf out and tap it. With a thermometer, the center reads about 190°F. Take a look at 25 minutes: if the top is already dark, lay a sheet of foil loosely over it. The butter and sugar in this dough brown faster than a plain white loaf.
Brush the top with the 1 tablespoon of melted butter as soon as it comes out. That keeps the crust soft and gives it a little shine. Leave it in the pan for 10 minutes, then move it to a rack and let it cool completely. Sliced warm, the crumb is still setting and squashes into gummy slices.
This Loaf or Cinnamon Swirl Bread?
In this loaf the cinnamon is kneaded through the dough, so every slice is evenly flecked, lightly spiced, and holds together in the toaster. A cinnamon swirl bread rolls a brown sugar cinnamon filling into the dough instead. It is sweeter and looks great sliced, but the filling layer can open a gap if the log is not rolled tight.
Bake this one for everyday toast, sandwiches, and French toast. Pick the swirl loaf when you want a sweeter breakfast bread for a brunch table.
Fixes for a Dense or Dry Raisin Loaf
- Heavy, dense loaf: too much flour or not enough rise. Keep the dough soft and slightly tacky, and use the finger test before shaping and baking.
- Dry crumb by day two: unsoaked raisins or an overbaked loaf. Soak them for 10 minutes and check the bottom for a hollow sound at 35 minutes.
- Raisins clumped in one spot: they went in wet or all at once. Pat them dry and add them a handful at a time.
- Gap under the top crust: a loosely rolled log or a second rise that went too far. Roll it tight and bake once it sits 1 inch above the rim.
- Top too dark, middle underdone: tent with foil from 25 minutes and bake the full 40.
Toasting, Storing, and Freezing Raisin Bread
I like it thick-sliced and lightly toasted, with salted butter or cinnamon butter. A smear of soft cheese or a drizzle of honey works too.
Keep the cooled loaf tightly wrapped at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer, slice it first and freeze the slices in a bag with parchment between them for up to 3 months. Toast them straight from frozen and you get the soft middle and crisp edge back.
Day-old slices are what you want for French toast or a pan of Christmas bread pudding. Leave the slices out uncovered overnight so they dry a little and soak up the custard without falling apart.
Raisin Bread Questions From the Kitchen
Can I use instant yeast instead of active dry?
Yes, use the same 2¼ teaspoons. The dough usually rises a little faster, so start checking the first rise about 15 minutes early.
Do I really have to soak the raisins?
You can skip it, but unsoaked raisins pull moisture from the crumb and burn faster on the crust. Ten minutes in warm water is enough.
How do I get a stronger cinnamon flavor?
Add the optional ½ teaspoon cinnamon extract with the wet ingredients instead of more ground cinnamon, which darkens the dough and can slow the rise.
Looking for the next loaf? Try the spiced pear bread, a cranberry orange bread for the holidays, or pumpkin bread. For another soft yeast dough, Hokkaido milk bread is a good one, and if you have raisins left over, there is always sour cream raisin pie.
Pin this cinnamon raisin bread to your fall baking board, and if you bake it, tell me in the comments how your loaf came out.
Cinnamon Raisin Bread Recipe
This cinnamon raisin bread is a soft yeast loaf made with warm milk, butter, an egg, all-purpose flour, ¾ cup of soaked raisins, and ground cinnamon kneaded right into the dough. It bakes in a 9x5 inch pan at 350°F for 35 to 40 minutes and makes one loaf, about 10 slices, in roughly 3½ hours including rising time. Soaking the raisins for 10 minutes keeps the crumb moist, and kneading the cinnamon in last gives an evenly speckled slice with no streaks. Use this sweet raisin bread for buttered toast, French toast, bread pudding, or breakfast sandwiches. Add ½ teaspoon cinnamon extract for a stronger flavor, keep the loaf wrapped for 3 days, or freeze the slices and toast them from frozen.
Ingredients
- FOR THE DOUGH:
- 1 cup warm milk (110°F / 45°C)
- 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast (1 packet)
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup raisins (soaked in warm water for 10 minutes, then drained)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- Optional: ½ tsp cinnamon extract
- FOR BRUSHING:
- 1 tbsp melted butter (after baking)
Instructions
- ACTIVATE THE YEAST: In a large mixing bowl, combine the warm milk, sugar, and yeast. Stir gently and let the mixture sit for 5 to 10 minutes, or until it becomes foamy on top.
- ADD THE WET INGREDIENTS: Add the melted butter, egg, and salt to the foamy yeast mixture. Stir until fully combined. If using cinnamon extract, add it now and mix well.
- ADD THE FLOUR: Gradually add the flour, about 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition until a soft dough forms. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface or knead it directly in the bowl until smooth.
- KNEAD IN THE RAISINS: Knead the dough for 2 to 3 minutes, then begin incorporating the drained raisins a handful at a time. Continue kneading for another 4 to 5 minutes until the raisins are evenly distributed.
- ADD THE CINNAMON: Sprinkle the ground cinnamon evenly over the dough and knead gently until it is fully incorporated. The dough should appear speckled without dark streaks.
- FIRST RISE: Place the dough into a greased bowl, cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place for 1 to 1.5 hours or until doubled in size.
- SHAPE THE DOUGH: Gently punch down the risen dough and shape it into a log. Place it seam-side down in a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan.
- SECOND RISE: Cover the pan loosely and let the dough rise again for 45 to 60 minutes, or until it is puffy and about 1 inch above the rim of the pan.
- BAKE: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake the bread for 35 to 40 minutes until golden brown on top and it sounds hollow when tapped.
- COOL AND BRUSH: Remove the bread from the oven and immediately brush the top with melted butter. Allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Soak the raisins in warm water for 10 minutes, drain, and pat them dry so they stay plump without making the dough sticky. Knead the plain dough 2 to 3 minutes before adding the raisins, and add the ground cinnamon last for a speckled crumb with no streaks. The dough should feel soft and slightly tacky; too much flour makes a dense loaf. Tuck any raisins poking out of the top under the surface so they do not burn. If the top is dark at 25 minutes, cover it loosely with foil. The loaf is done when the bottom sounds hollow, about 190°F inside. For stronger cinnamon flavor, use the ½ teaspoon cinnamon extract with the wet ingredients. Store wrapped at room temperature up to 3 days, or freeze sliced up to 3 months and toast from frozen.
Nutrition Information
Yield
10Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 273Total Fat 6gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 33mgSodium 263mgCarbohydrates 48gFiber 2gSugar 12gProtein 7g
