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Homemade Cinnamon Raisin Bread Recipe

A hot loaf of this delicious homemade cinnamon raisin bread is the perfect weekend wake-up call for your family. It’s even better shared over hot coffee with a decadent pat of butter on each slice.

You will be surprised to find out how simple and therapeutic it is to make a homemade loaf of bread. Set aside the time just once and you will come back to this recipe time and time again. This is what home tastes like.

Uncut loaf of homemade cinnamon raisin bread on a wooden cutting board.

Why You’ll Love This Cinnamon Raisin Bread Recipe

That smell. If we are being honest here, soft Homemade Raisin Bread from scratch is worth it just for that smell. If you’ve ever walked into a kitchen after freshly baked bread comes out of the oven, you know what I’m talking about. And If you haven’t, well then you are in for a treat.

Clean Eating. You won’t find any preservatives in this bread, it’s just straight up delicious. Did you ever wonder why that bread from the store lasts 3 weeks?

Because of the preservatives, which aren’t really great for our bodies, it’s nice to have a homemade alternative. Not to mention the taste does not compare.

Leftovers! Did you know the recipes that you can make with leftover raisin bread are amazing? We love this bread simply toasted or in this French Toast Bake!

Equipment Needed To Make Homemade Raisin Bread

ingredients: Milk, active dry yeast, white granulated sugar, all purpose flour, raisins, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, honey, salt, large egg, unsalted butter.

Ingredients For Your Homemade Cinnamon Raisin Bread

  • Milk. I used whole milk. You can substitute with water alone but I add 1-1⁄2 of additional butter. I’ve found that the additional fat helps keep the bread moist.
  • Active Dry Yeast. Not instant yeast, not rapid rise yeast and not quick yeast, because none of those choices will work for this recipe. I explain the differenes in my baking techniques post.
  • White Granulated Sugar.
  • All-purpose Flour. I use unbleached but bleached is fine.
  • Raisins. Any variety of raisins will work, but regular raisins are my choice.
  • Ground Cinnamon. Make sure to replace your spices often because old spices lose flavor.
  • Ground Nutmeg.
  • Honey.
  • Salt. I use finely ground sea salt but you can certainly use regular table salt.
  • Large Egg.
  • Unsalted Butter. Because the dough already has salt I definitely recommend unsalted. If you use salted butter, reduce the salt by one-half to 1/4.

How To Make Homemade Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Step One. Put the raisins in a bowl and cover them with hot water for 15 minutes and then drain off the water.

Step Two. In the bowl of a stand-up mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the warm milk, yeast, and white sugar. Let it sit for 4 to 5 minutes so the warmth of the milk can activate the yeast.

Step Three. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the flour, raisins, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg. Mix until all combined and the raisins are coated with the flour mixture.

Putting the raisins in with the flour helps suspend them in the bread so they don’t all end up on the bottom of the loaf.

Raisins mixed into flour.

Step Four. Add the honey, salt, egg, and butter to the yeast mixture. At slow, speed mix quickly, 30 seconds. 

Step Five. Add the flour mixture and mix at slow speed until all the ingredients are incorporated, no more dry flour is loose in the bowl. 

Step Six. Increase your mixer speed to medium and mix for 4 to 5 minutes. The dough will be wet but as you mix the gluten develops, and it will become less sticky.

If you don’t have a stand-up mixer, you can knead the dough on a lightly floured surface or pastry mat for 8 to 10 minutes.

Raised raisin bread dough.

Step Seven. Oil a large mixing bowl to prevent the dough from sticking. Transfer the ball of dough to the oiled bowl and cover it with plastic wrap to keep the dough from drying out or developing a hard crust as it rises.

Let it rise for 90 minutes in a warm, draft-free place. Cool air can halt or hinder rising.

Step Eight. Grease a loaf pan (9.25 x 5.25 inches) with shortening or butter. Set that aside.

Step Nine. Punch the dough down and then transfer it to a lightly floured surface or pastry mat.

Raisin Bread dough stretched into a rectangle to fold.

Step Ten. Flatten out the dough into a rectangle measuring about 8 x 10 inches, and roll it into a log. Then place it into the prepared pan.

Measuring the dough for the pan using a pastry mat.

Step Eleven. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for 15 minutes. Then score the top of the bread with a sharp knife or bread lame and cover it. Let it rise for an additional 30 minutes. 

Step Twelve. Preheat the oven to 350°F so it’s good and hot when you’re ready to bake.

Step Thirteen. Bake the bread in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 195°F (If you use 1 cup of water instead of 1 cup of milk your internal temperature will be 190°F).

Step Fourteen. Remove the bread from the pan and let it cool on a cooling rack. Slicing the bread too soon will cause it to cave in as you slice.

Cute pat of butter on the bread.

Subsitutions & Additions

  • Use golden raisins, craisins, or dried blueberries instead of traditional raisins.
  • Add nuts such as pecans or walnuts.
  • You can also drizzle for the top with a sweet glaze.
Single buttered slice of raisin bread.

How To Reheat & Store Homemade Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Best Way To Store Homemade Raisin Bread

Because the bread is made with milk, I would suggest keeping it in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days

Can I Freeze Cinnamon Raisin Bread?

Yes, I wrap the bread in plastic wrap and then foil or a resealable freezer bag for 2 months. Thaw the bread at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Pin this delicious Cinnamon Raisin Bread recipe!

Top down view of a sliced loaf of Raisin Bread with slices laying in front of the loaf.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread FAQs

Should you soak the raisins before baking bread?

It isn’t required. However, I prefer to soak or rinse the raisins in warm water before
using them for baking. They are dried and soaking them plumps them up and revives their flavor.

What ingredients make this bread moist?

Liquids, sugars, and fats are the ingredients in bread that make them moist.

Liquids – Bread usually lists water as an ingredient. We replaced water with milk and recommend using whole milk. Milk also adds flavor to the bread and gives it a soft crumb.

Sugars – White sugar can dry baked goods. We used a very small amount of white sugar and added honey.

Fats – This recipe uses unsalted butter instead of oil making this recipe an enriched
bread recipe.

What does adding an egg to bread dough do?

The egg helps the bread dough rise because it is considered a leavening ingredient. The fat in the yolk also helps make the crumb soft and the texture a little lighter.

Sliced loaf of homemade cinnamon raisin bread.

Tips to Make the Perfect Homemade Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Warm milk because helps activate the yeast. If it is too cold, the yeast will not activate properly, and if it is too hot, the heat can kill the yeast. I have sometimes compared the right temperature to bath water if that helps.

Mixing the raisins in with the flour helps keep them suspended throughout the dough instead of just sinking to the bottom of the loaf while baking.

Try not to incorporate too much flour into the dough if you’re kneading it by hand, because too much flour will make the bread dry and dense.

Other Fantastic Bread Recipes

Top down view of a sliced loaf of Raisin Bread with slices laying in front of the loaf.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread Recipe

Author: Julie Menghini
Cinnamon raisin bread is the perfect weekend wake-up call for your family. It's even better shared over hot coffee with a decadent pat of butter on each slice.
4.80 from 24 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Rising time 2 hours 15 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 5 minutes
Course Bread
Cuisine American
Keyword: Homemade bread, Yeast Bread
Servings: 16 slices

Equipment

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 cup milk – whole milk
  • tsp active dry yeast
  • 1 tbsp white granulated sugar
  • cups all-purpose flour I use unbleached by bleached is fine
  • 1 cup raisins
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp salt I use fine sea salt
  • 1 egg large
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter

Instructions
 

  • Put the raisins in a bowl and cover them with hot water for 15 minutes and then train off the water.
  • In the bowl of a stand-up mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the warm milk, yeast, and granulated sugar. Let it sit for 4 to 5 minutes so the warmth of the milk can activate the yeast.
  • In a separate mixing bowl, combine the flour, raisins, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg. Mix until all combined and the raisins are coated with the flour mixture.
  • Add the honey, salt, egg, and butter to the yeast mixture. At slow speed mix quickly, 30 seconds.
  • Add the flour mixture and mix at slow speed until all the ingredients are incorporated, no more dry flour is loose in the bowl.
  • Increase your mixer speed to medium and mix for 4 to 5 minutes. The dough will be wet but as you mix the gluten develops, and it will become less sticky. If you don’t have a stand-up mixer, you can knead the dough on a floured surface for 8 to 10 minutes. Put approximately ¼ cup of flour to start.
  • Oil a large mixing bowl. Transfer the ball of dough to an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise for 90 minutes into a warm, draft-free place.
  • Butter a loaf pan (9.25 x 5.25 inches). Set aside.
  • Punch the dough down and transfer it to a lightly floured surface (use about ½ tablespoon of flour).
  • Flatten out the dough into a rectangle measuring about 8 x 10 inches, and roll into a log, and place it into the prepared pan.
  • Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for 15 minutes. Score the top of the bread and cover it. Let it rise for an additional 30 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to350°F so it's good and hot when you're ready to bake.
  • Bake the bread into the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 195 degrees (If you use 1 cup of water instead of 1 cup of milk your internal temperature will be 190 degrees F).
  • Remove the bread from the pan and let it cool on a cooling rack.

Nutrition

Calories: 179kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 4gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 19mgSodium: 160mgPotassium: 146mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 129IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 29mgIron: 2mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.

Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!
4.80 from 24 votes (11 ratings without comment)
Recipe Rating




margie

Wednesday 13th of March 2024

This recipe makes 4 big loaves using 4 - 5"X9" loaf pans. Please adjust your recipe to specify this! This was the best cinnamon breast I have ever tasted! I use oiled plastic gloves to transfer the dough to the large plastic container and it is less messy!

Julie Menghini

Thursday 14th of March 2024

Wow, Margie! You must have had some major rising going on. I can't boast that I get 4 loves and I use a little larger loaf pan but will not 4. Thank you for your comment and your gloves tip.

Tracy

Monday 10th of April 2023

This bread came out perfectly for Easter dinner. Thank you for the delicious and easy to follow recipe!

Julie Menghini

Monday 10th of April 2023

I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Tracy and so grateful that you let me know it worked for you.

maricela

Monday 3rd of April 2023

two words,super delicious !!

Julie Menghini

Tuesday 4th of April 2023

I'm so glad that you enjoyed it! Thank you, Maricela.

Erin

Wednesday 12th of January 2022

This bread made my entire family so happy! Your detailed instructions helped this novice bread baker out a ton. Can't wait to bake this again.

Mindy

Tuesday 11th of January 2022

I'm drooling as I'm scrolling through this! Beautiful pictures and your step-by-step instructions is so helpful for a non-baker like me :) Will be trying this and cannot wait!

Julie Menghini

Friday 14th of January 2022

I appreciate that! Thank you.

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