Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Freshly baked cinnamon raisin bread!  Does it get any better than that?  

You will never purchase another loaf of cinnamon raisin bread from the store again.  This stuff is dangerously tasty!  

Cinnamon Raisin Bread cooling on a wire rack.

Aren’t you craving a slice of this toasted and slathered in butter right now? Can you smell it baking? It’s absolutely dreamy!

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

  • This raisin bread is soft, fluffy, and full of cinnamon raisin flavor!
  • Your house will smell amazing while this bread is baking.
  • It toasts up like a dream.
  • Making your own bread at home is a healthier and less expensive alternative to store-bought bread.
  • It’s great for gifting a friend or neighbor.

Tips and Variations

  • Always measure your flour properly. Aerate, spoon, and swoop level.
  • You can use regular raisins, golden raisins, dried cranberries, or dried blueberries.
  • If you like add some chopped nuts such as pecans or walnuts.
  • We use all-purpose flour but bread flour works too.
  • This recipe uses granulated sugar but brown sugar works too.
  • Using the water that the raisins were soaked in adds flavor to the bread dough. Don’t forget to save that warm raisin water.
Bread dough in a white bowl.

How to Make Homemade Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Soak the raisins in hot water and reserve this water for use in the dough. The raisin water adds extra tasty awesomeness to the bread.

Pour 1 cup of the reserved soaking water into the bowl of a standing mixer or large mixing bowl. Add the yeast and stir to combine. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes until foamy.

Stir the milk, melted butter, and salt into the water. Add 5 1/2 cups of the flour and stir to form a shaggy dough. Knead in your mixer on low speed with a dough hook or knead by hand for 8-10 minutes to form a smooth, slightly tacky dough.

Check the dough halfway through; if it’s very sticky, add a little more flour. The dough is ready when it forms a ball without sagging and quickly springs back when poked.

Dough rolled out on a wooden cutting board.

Toss the raisins with 2 tablespoons of flour to absorb any residual moisture from when they were plumped. With the mixer on gradually add them to the bowl and continue kneading until they are evenly distributed. This helps them stay in the bread when slicing.

Place the dough in a large greased bowl, turn over once and cover. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about an hour.

Meanwhile, combine the sugar and ground cinnamon in a small bowl and beat together the egg and water in a second bowl.

Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces.  Roll out one piece at a time on a lightly floured surface, brush with egg wash, sprinkle with half of the cinnamon/sugar mixture, and roll up the dough.

Place in a loaf pan. Repeat with the second piece of dough and allow them to rise again.

Dough risen in a loaf pan.

Let the loaves rise until mounded over the top of the pan and puffy, 30 minutes or so. Halfway through rising, preheat the oven to 375° F.

Brush the top with some of the remaining egg wash.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread loaves on a wire rack.

Bake for about 45 minutes until golden brown. Let cool in the pans for at least 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack.

Remove the loaves from the pans and allow them to cool completely before slicing. (this is impossible in our house)

Cinnamon Raisin Bread sliced on a wooden cutting board.

That’s it!  You now have fresh, homemade cinnamon raisin loaf.  You can share the second loaf with a friend or freeze it for later use. Choose wisely, because it will be gobbled up quickly.

Leftover cinnamon raisin bread is great for bread pudding.

FAQ

Can this be made ahead?

Yes, make the dough, place it in the loaf pan, cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. When ready to bake remove the dough from the fridge, and let it rise until domed over the pan. Then bake as instructed.

Storage

Homemade bread can be kept covered tightly at room temperature for up to 4 days. Refrigerating it will extend the life of the bread longer, but it will not have as much of a soft and fluffy texture.

Can you freeze raisin bread?

Yes. Let it cool completely, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and freeze in a freezer-safe container or bag. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

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Loaves of cinnamon bread cooling on a wire rack.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread Recipe

You will never buy store-bought again. It's perfect toasted and slathered with butter.
4.56 from 9 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Bread, Breakfast, Brunch
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
Servings: 18
Calories: 374kcal
Author: Leigh Harris

Ingredients
 

Bread:

  • 1 cup raisins 6 ounces
  • 1 cup warm water*
  • 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 5 1/2 – 6 cups all-purpose flour

Filling:

  • 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
  • 1 large egg, beaten with 2 teaspoons water

Instructions

  • Put the raisins in a small bowl and cover them with 1 cup hot water. Let the raisins plump for at least 10 minutes. Drain, reserving the water and set aside. Allow the reserved water to cool to 110 to 115 degrees.
  • Pour 1 cup of the reserved soaking water into the bowl of a standing mixer or large mixing bowl. Add the yeast and stir to combine. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes until foamy.
  • Stir the milk, melted butter, and salt into the water. Add 5 1/2 cups of the flour and stir to form a shaggy dough.
  • Knead in your mixer on low speed with a dough hook or knead by hand for 8-10 minutes to form a smooth, slightly tacky dough. Check the dough halfway through; if it's very sticky, add a little more flour. The dough is ready when it forms a ball without sagging and quickly springs back when poked.
  • Toss the raisins with 2 tablespoons of flour to absorb any residual moisture from when they were plumped. With the mixer on gradually add them to the bowl and continue kneading until they are evenly distributed.
  • If kneading by hand, turn the dough out onto your work surface and pat it into an oval. Sprinkled about half the raisins over the top and fold the dough like a letter. Pat it into an oval again, sprinkle the remaining raisins, and fold it again. Knead the dough by hand for a few minutes to distribute the raisins through the dough.
  • Place the dough in a greased bowl, turn over once and cover. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about an hour. Meanwhile, combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and beat together the egg and water in a second bowl.
  • Divide the dough into two pieces. Working with one piece at a time, roll the dough out on the counter. It should be slightly less wide than your baking pan and as long as you can make it. The thinner the dough, the more layers cinnamon swirl you’ll end up with. If the dough starts to shrink back on you, let it rest for a few minutes and then try again.
  • Beat the egg with 2 teaspoons of water. Brush the entire surface of the dough with egg wash, leaving about two inches clear at the top. (Refrigerate the remaining egg wash for use later.) Sprinkle generously with cinnamon and sugar. Starting at the end closest to you, roll up the dough. When you get to the top, pinch the seam closed. Transfer the loaf to your loaf pan seam-side down. Repeat with the other half of the dough.
  • Let the loaves rise until mounded over the top of the pan and fluffy, 30-40 minutes. Halfway through rising, preheat the oven to 375° F.
  • Brush the top with some of the remaining egg wash.
  • Bake for 40-45 minutes until golden brown. Let cool in the pans for at least 10 minutes.
  • Remove the loaves from the pans and allow them to cool completely before slicing. If you can! Baked loaves can also be frozen for up to three months.

Notes

Use hot water to plump the raisins, allow it to cool to about 110 to 115 degrees and use it to proof the yeast in the recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 374kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 304mg | Potassium: 179mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 118IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 4mg

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65 Comments

  1. My mouth is watering… This looks amazing and scrumptious! I’ve made cinnamon bread before, but I’ve never heard of soaking the raisins and using the water in the bread. That’s genius! I’ll be saving this recipe. 🙂
    ~Haley

  2. Congratulations! This post is going to be featured over at Diana Rambles tomorrow and has been pinned in the Featured at Diana Rambles board at Pinterest, Tweeted, and Yummed. Please grab a featured button off my button page or via the post guidelines graphic. Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe!

  3. This looks delicious… but I’m a sucker for anything cinnamon so I might be biased! Thanks for linking up with us at Welcome Home Wednesdays! I can’t wait to see what you link up with us… the party is open so don’t forget to link-up!

  4. I love cinnamon raisin bread so much. It’s definitely a treat when I get it. I love a good homemade bread.

    Thanks for sharing at the Shine Blog Hop!

  5. Yum!! What a great recipe!! This link was the Most Viewed last week and will be a feature tomorrow!! Thanks for sharing on My 2 Favorite Things on Thursday!! Hope to see you again tomorrow!! Pinned!!

  6. You cannot beat a good cinnamon raisin loaf – I think I would have to make double as this would disappear in ultra quick time. Thanks once again for joining in with #bakeoftheWeek x5 stars

  7. This looks so yummy I was in the mood to make some bread this week too. You read my mind. Thanks for linking up to Share With Me5 stars

  8. I love cinnamon raisin bread, and you”ve made it look so easy with your step by step recipe. I really like to use it for a grilled cheese sandwich with swiss. And just toasted with butter! Yum!5 stars

  9. Yum, yum! It looks perfect! You really do make things (liking baking bread) that seem impossible seem doable! I’m pinning! Thanks so much for linking up at You Link It, We Make It. Hope to see you back tomorrow!

  10. wow! this looks delicious, i have never thought about adding cinnamon to raisin bread before! and I had no idea you could freeze it either so this is perfect for us! Thanks for sharing on #YumTum this week!

  11. The bread looks wonderful. Not a big fan of raisins, though. 🙁 It’s weird. When I was young I loved raisins but would not eat grapes. Then I found out where raisins come from and I didn’t eat either for a while. Now I love grapes but don’t care for raisins!

    Here’s my Inspire Me Monday!4 stars

  12. Wow. You hit the spot with this cinnamon raisin bread recipe. I could take on that whole loaf, although I would regret it later:)

  13. This sounds & looks amazing! I love cinnamon, & I’m crazy about cinnamon toast & cinnamon pastries, so I’m sure I would love this! #sharewithme

  14. To us in the UK this sounds as American as American can be! I’d love to give this a try and often attempt a new recipe at the weekend so I’ve found you at just the right time!

  15. I have to admit I’m particularly partial to cinnamon raisin bread and really enjoy making the occasional batch. Your suggestion of using the water from soaking the raisins is great…..really great swirl from the cinnamon 🙂 #YumTum
    Angela x

  16. Hi there, this would be a great contribution to Food on Friday: Eggs over at Carole’s Chatter. Please do bring it over to join in the fun. Cheers

  17. That looks like a fabulous texture and I can almost smell it through my screen! Thanks for joining in with #BAKEoftheWEEK !5 stars

  18. I never bother messing about with an egg wash on my bread, but seeing how pretty and shiny yours turned out makes me rethink that decision!

  19. This looks amazing! I love the store-bought bread that is this flavor, so I’m excited to try to make my own! DELISH! And it doesn’t have egg, which is great because I’m allergic. Thanks for sharing!3 stars

  20. This looks so delicious! Cinnamon and raisin together…. hmmmm yum! Thanks for sharing the recipe! #sharewithme

  21. ohhhhhh cinnamon raisin bread is my all time fav! Fresh, toasted, dipped in egg, with butter and jam or cinnamon sugar….nom nom! I had tried a recipe before that didn’t work out, this recipe for cinnamon raisin bread looks so good, I will have to try it!4 stars

  22. Wow! This bread looks fantastic. I have never tried to make cinnamon raisin bread at home, but I can hardly wait to try your recipe. Pinned!

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