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Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

A slice of toast is always a great complement to breakfast foods, especially egg dishes, whether I’m eating at home or out at a diner. Whole wheat and sourdough make great toast, but I would have to say that cinnamon raisin bread makes better toast still. Most cinnamon raisin bread – including this homemade cinnamon raisin bread – has a buttery, sweet flavor to it to begin with and is just dense enough to soak up a lot of butter when you slather it onto a freshly toasted slice. It’s a small indulgence, but a good one.

Homemade cinnamon raisin bread is a great thing to make because you not only get to enjoy the taste of a freshly toasted slice, but you get to smell the bread while it bakes. The bread is easy to make and bakes in a loaf pan. You can do the initial kneading in a stand mixer with a dough hook attached if you don’t want to do it by hand, but you will need to clear some counter space to form the loaf by hand before its final rise. The dough is rolled out and spread with a brown sugar and butter mixture before being rolled back up into that final loaf. It’s a thin layer that only makes a small swirl in the finished loaf (it’s easy to see in person, however), but it does add a lot of flavor. I like to incorporate the cinnamon and the raisins into the bread dough, rather than trying to stick them only into the brown sugar swirl in the loaf so that they are well-distributed.

This loaf will keep well for a couple of days if you store it in an airtight container, or well-wrapped with plastic wrap on the kitchen counter. It is best to wait until it has cooled completely before slicing, but is easy to slice and makes a delicious piece of toast.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread
1/4 cup water, warm (100-110F)
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast (.25 oz)
1 cup milk
1 cup brown sugar, divided
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled; divided
3-4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup raisins

In a large bowl, whisk together warm water and active dry yeast. Let stand for 5 minutes, or until foamy. Add in milk, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, ground cinnamon, salt, vanilla, 3 tbsp butter and 2 cups of all purpose flour. Stir well, mixing until a fairly smooth batter forms. Stir in an additional cup of flour, stirring until dough begins to come together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Turn out onto a well-floured surface.
Knead the dough by hand, adding additional flour as necessary (you will probably use an additional 1/2 cup or so of flour), until the dough is smooth and elastic. It should not be dry, but just very slightly sticky. Knead in raisins, then place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 – 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400F.
Lightly grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press down into a flat rectangle (the size is not critical, but about 10×14 is good). Brush with remaining 1 tbsp melted butter (butter may need to be reheated before the step) and spread with remaining 3/4 cup brown sugar. Starting with the short end of the rectangle, roll dough up into a log.
use 3/4 cup brown sugar and 1 tbsp butter in filling. Place log seam-side down in prepared loaf pan, gently pressing the ends towards the center to keep the log compact. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 45 minutes.
Bake at 400F for 30-35 minutes, or until an instant read thermometer inserted into the center reads 190-200F.
Turn bread out of pan onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

Makes 1 loaf

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16 Comments
  • Robyn
    February 7, 2010

    As soon as I saw this I wanted to make it. I made it today and it is the best Cinnamon Raisin Bread I have ever made or tasted! I think it’s because there is sugar in the dough and more sugar when you spread it out. It tastes like a cinnamon bun. I mixed the whole thing in my kitchen aide and I used 31/2 cups total flour. It was very easy to pat it into a rectangle with my hands. Thanks for sharing this..Delicious!!

  • Fun & Fact
    February 8, 2010

    Oh! I totally just looked up a recipe to make this(today!) – but your version looks even better!

  • Sondra
    February 9, 2010

    I wish I had the ingredients on hand to make this. But I will print it out and save it for when I have time and the correct ingredients. Thanks.

  • Jo
    February 9, 2010

    Made it, tasted great and was pretty easy. Mine made a really big loaf, not nice and compact like yours and the layers separated. The sugar also seemed to seep to the bottom. What did I do wrong?

  • Nicole
    February 9, 2010

    Jo – I’m glad it turned out! That’s just a product of how tightly the bread is rolled up after you put the sugar in. The tighter the roll (and the slightly stickier the dough), the more it’s going to stay in a tight spiral as it bakes. That said, I’ll always have a loaf now and then that I think will be tight and turns out to be loose! As long as it tastes good, I’m happy.

  • Susi
    February 12, 2010

    Raisin Bread taste with a lot of butter very delicious.
    In the netherlands they are a the like of raison bread with honey.

  • Jo
    February 13, 2010

    Thanks so much for the advice. I will be making this bread again and will try your tips (tighter and stickier).

  • Singapore Florist
    April 12, 2010

    This looks so much better and healthier from those of Bread Talk.

  • SmartLIpo
    April 12, 2010

    it’s going to stay in a tight spiral as it bakes. That said, I’ll always have a loaf now and then that I think will be tight and turns out to be loose!I totally just looked up a recipe to make this(today!) – but your version looks even better!

  • Katen21
    July 20, 2010

    I just made this last night and it is delicious! Absolutely love the bread!

  • Cindy
    December 11, 2010

    My bread finally cooled & I am enjoying the first slice. This is soooo good. I only had buttermilk in the fridge & made it with that not knowing if it would make a difference or not. By the taste of things, it didn’t matter. Thank you for sharing the recipe.

  • H
    March 12, 2011

    The best recipe I’ve come across. It’s just wonderful and tastes great!
    I’m reccommending it to my friends!

  • R
    April 21, 2011

    Excellent recipe. I’ve made this from your recipe twice before and the first time my dad happen to be visiting and he took the other half of the bread home with him because he loved it sooo much! i’m visiting my parents today and am making this for them to take with me as I type this message! Thank you so much!

  • Ling
    September 17, 2011

    If I want to add in chocolate chip, should I use less of the brown sugar?

  • Diana H
    October 21, 2011

    Yum! I made this with 1/3 whole wheat flour. After creating the dough, I let it rise for four hours in the fridge and then took it out to rise another 2 hours. I also wiped the top with water before baking to give it a nice golden crust – SO GOOD!

  • Gisela
    February 14, 2013

    tried to print this receipi never got directions the recipi i got the comments i got …but no directions 🙁

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