Easy Raisin Bread made with a simple yeast bread dough, filled with raisins & warm cinnamon spice! This simple to make Raisin bread recipe is sure to become a family favorite.
This Cinnamon Raisin Bread is very simple to make, totally worth the time it takes to let it rest and rise. The time spent waiting pays off because the end results are truly fabulous. This Raisin Bread is packed with delightful flavors!
Simple Raisin Bread recipe
This bread recipe is a basic yeast dough made from scratch. Unlike other cinnamon raisin breads, this one does not have you rolling swirls of cinnamon into the dough. Instead, the cinnamon and ground ginger are added to the flour mixture so that every bite is packed with flavor instead of just the centers of the loaves. This means more great taste in every bite and less effort to make it that way, which is of course a win-win. Made to be slightly sweetened and soft, this golden loaf of bread is fabulous as-is. But it is also great lightly toasted with some butter or peanut butter spread on it too.
Why you’ll love this simple Cinnamon Bread recipe
- Amazing flavor. The soft flavors in this easy bread is simply delightful. The warm cinnamon spice and tender dough is a wonderful combination of taste and texture.
- Simple to make. This recipe is so easy to make, don’t let the pictures fool you. It look like a lot of effort, but really it is so simple and comes together quickly.
- Perfect for holidays and fun occasions! Wake up to a fresh baked cinnamon bread on the weekend or holiday morning, birthdays, etc. This dish might be ordinary, but it feels so fancy, and it’s always a welcomed treat any time I serve it to my family.
Easy Raisin Bread Ingredients
Water: You will need 1 ½ cups of warm water (roughly 90-95 degrees F) to help the yeast bloom and activate.
Yeast: You will need 2 ½ teaspoons of active dry yeast, this is what you would get in one packet of yeast.
Sugar: Use ½ cup of granulated sugar, divided throughout the recipe, to make the bread perfectly sweet.
Flour: To make this recipe, you will need 4 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour for the dough.
Salt: Use 1 teaspoon of salt to help enhance the flavors in this bread.
Cinnamon: Add in 1 ½ teaspoons of ground cinnamon for a nice warm spice in every bite.
Ground ginger: Adding in ½ teaspoon of ground ginger will give you a delicious depth of warm flavor.
Oil: To help your bread turn out moist and stay fresh for days you will need ⅓ cup of oil. I use olive oil but vegetable oil will work just fine.
Raisins: You will need 1 cup of raisins so that there are plenty in every slice.
Egg wash: This is optional, but if you want a nice golden top, add an egg wash mixture of 1 teaspoon of water and one egg.
How to Make Easy Raisin Bread
Proof yeast
In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the dough hook, add the yeast, ½ cup of water, and ¼ cup of granulated sugar.
Let rest for 5 minutes until the yeast is activated and foams up. If the mixture does not foam up or bloom, toss it out and start again as this could be a sign that the yeast was killed by hot water or is too old to work well.
Dry mix
While the yeast is proofing, in a large bowl mix together the flour, salt, cinnamon, and ginger until well combined.
Then add in the raisins and stir until well coated, set this dry mixture aside.
Dough
Once the yeast is ready, add in the remaining ¼ cup of sugar, the oil, and half of the flour mixture. Mix with the dough hook until combined.
Then, add in the remaining 1 cup of water and the rest of the flour mixture, mixing together at low speed until incorporated and no dry flour streaks remain.
Knead and Rise
Increase the speed of your mixer to medium and mix for 5 minutes. The dough will be sticky to start but will form a ball and detach from the sides of the bowl as the glutens in the bread develops.
Next, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough 4 or 5 times to form a ball.
Then, place the dough into an oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise for about an hour or until doubled in size in a draft-free location.
Second rise
Now, butter the inside of a 9×5 bread pan to grease it. Set it aside.
Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and flatten into a rectangle that is approximately 9×11 inches in size.
Starting from the narrow side (the 9 inch side) roll to the other side. Place your rolled dough into the prepared pan.
Loosely cover the top with plastic wrap and let rise for an additional 30 minutes.
Optional step- if desired, halfway through the second rise, make an egg wash by mixing together one egg and one teaspoon of water in a bowl. Brush over the top of the bread. Then cover the bread again and place back into a warm location to rise for another 15 minutes.
Bake
While the dough is in the second rise, get the oven preheating to 350 degrees F.
Next, take the plastic wrap off of the bread and place it into your preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees F.
Once baked, take a tablespoon of butter and brush it over the top of the bread for a nice shine.
Allow the bread to cool for 2-3 minutes in the pan before carefully removing it from the pan to let cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes.
Slice and serve. Enjoy!
Easy Raisin Bread
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup warm water, divided (between 90 and 95 degrees F)
- 2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast (or 1/4 oz yeast envelop)
- ½ cup granulated sugar divided
- 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅓ cup olive oil (vegetable oil will work)
- 1 cup raisins
Eggwash
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon water
Instructions
- Proof yeast: In a bowl of a stand-up mixer with a dough hook, add ½ cup warm water, and ¼ cup granulated sugar. Let it stand for 5 minutes until the yeast is activated and foam up. If it does not foam or bloom, restart this step as it may be a sign your yeast is not working due to old yeast or water was too hot. If the yeast is not working this may lead to your bread not rising.
- Dry mixture: While the yeast is proofing, in a large bowl mix together the flour, salt, cinnamon, and ginger until well combined. Add the raisins to the flour mixture and mix until all the raisins are coated with the flour. Set aside.
- Dough: Once your yeast is ready, add remaining granulated sugar, oil, and half of your flour mixture. Mix until all ingredients are blended.
- Add the remaining water and remaining flour and mix at slow speed until your ingredients are all incorporated, i.e., no more dry flour.
- Knead and Rise: Increase your mixer speed to medium and mix for 5 minutes. Initially, your dough will be sticky but as you are mixing it develops gluten and will form a ball and detach from the wall of the bowl
- On a light flour surface, pour the dough and knead 4 to 5 times. Form a ball. Put the dough in an oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for 1 hour in a draft-free, warm place.
- Second rise: Butter a loaf pan (9 ¼ x 5 ¼ inches). Set aside
- Put the dough into a lightly floured surface (like 1 tablespoon of flour). I like to use my pastry silicone mat. Flatten out the dough into a rectangle, approximately 9 x 11 inches
- Roll the dough into a log starting on the narrow side (9 inches). Place the rolled dough into the prepared pan. Loosely cover with a plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm, draft-free place for 30 minutes. (I like to put mine in the microwave)
- *OPTIONAL* If you want to make an egg wash at 15 minutes crack your egg into a bowl, add 1 tablespoon of water, and mix. Gently brush over the dough and place it back into the warm, draft-free place for an extra 15 minutes.
- Bake: Once your 30 minutes has past, start preheating your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Take the plastic wrap off the bread and place it in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 190 degrees F
- Once it is baked, you can take 1 tablespoon of butter and brush it on top for a nice shine. Let it cool for 2 to 3 minutes in the pan and gently and carefully release the bread and let it cool on a cooling rack for 30 minutes before tasting. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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How to make easy raisin loaf recipe without a stand mixer
If you do not have a stand mixer that is OK. You can make it by hand with a Danish Whisk or big spoon. Instead of mixing for 5 minutes in the stand-up mixer, you can knead by hand for 8 to 10 minutes on a floured surface. I would not recommend making it with a hand mixer as the dough is thick and sticky.
How long is raisin bread good for?
This bread can be good in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 or 3 days. For longer storage, you can place it into the fridge for up to 5 days. Freezing the bread in plastic wrap and then in an airtight container or zipper topped bag will keep it fresh for up to 3 months.
What happens if my water isn’t warm?
If you use too cold of water the yeast will not activate and bloom which means that your rise times could be delayed and the yeast may not fully dissolve into the bread dough. And if your water is too hot (hotter than 110 degrees F) then the water can actually kill the yeast which means that your dough will not rise and turn out as expected. If this happens, discard the yeast and try again.
BEST BREAD PAN?
I bake a lot of bread and the pans I prefer are either ceramic, glass or cast iron. These pans will bake bread more evenly and release the bread more easily after baking. I don’t like using dark or nonstick pans because the bread cooks unevenly. It darkens on the outside before the bread is cooked on the inside, so the coloring is uneven. Read more about which bread pan is the best here!
Love homemade bread? Try more great bread recipes here!
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Easy Raisin Bread is made with a soft yeast bread dough, sprinkled with chewy raisins & a warm cinnamon spice! This Raisin bread recipe is so delicious, it is sure to become a family favorite.
Karoline says
Do you have any recipes for bread machine
Nicole says
Our EASY HOMEMADE BREAD RECIPE has bread machine instructions on it 🙂
Judy says
When do you add rasins