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A soft white bread dough full of aromatic cinnamon, tender raisins, and a gooey cinnamon sugar swirl in each slice. In this article, I show you step by step how to make cinnamon raisin bread from scratch. I’ve included lots of photos and detailed instructions so you can feel confident as you bake!
Making homemade cinnamon raisin bread is a total treat — not just for the bread itself, but also for the way it fills your house with the smell of cinnamon. Cinnamon raisin bread with a cinnamon swirl in the middle may seem hard to make…but it’s actually not hard at all. Not to mention the flavor and texture is wayyy better than what you would buy pre-packaged at the store. Make a few loaves of this cinnamon raisin bread, pre-slice them, and freeze them so you can always grab a few slices of this cinnamon goodness whenever you want.
Why You’ll Love this Cinnamon Raisin Bread Recipe
- Short rise times – The longest rise time in this recipe is approximately 1 hr.
- Great for the freezer – Make a couple of loaves at one time, pre-slice, and freeze so you can have fresh cinnamon raisin bread whenever you want! Pop a few of the frozen slices in the toaster or microwave for an easy breakfast bread or an evening snack. Stand in front of the toaster and inhale the cinnamony homemade goodness.
- Can easily be made dairy-free and egg-free (just use a milk alternative like almond milk in the batter. If you want this to be egg-free, omit the egg wash step)
Ingredients
Cinnamon Raisin Bread Ingredients
- 3 1/4 c. All-purpose flour
- I use King Arthur All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 pkg of Active dry yeast (1 1/8 tsp. or approx 0.12 oz)
- 1 tsp. Cinnamon
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- See how I make my own for best flavor and texture
- 3/4 tsp. Sea salt
- 1 1/8 c. unsweetened Almond milk or whole milk
- 1/2 tbsp butter
- 1/2 c. Raisins
Cinnamon Swirl Ingredients
- Almond milk for brushing onto dough
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
How to make an Egg Wash
- 1 egg beaten
- 1-2 tbsp water
Tips
- Stir the raisins into the batter before stirring in the remaining all-purpose flour. The raisins incorporate much better into the dough this way.
- Want this bread to be more decadent? Just increase the brown sugar and flour you add in the swirl, but keep the ratio 1:1 (1 tbsp of brown: 1 tbsp flour).
- Early in my recipe testing, I made a loaf that had 6-8 tbsp of brown sugar in the cinnamon swirl. In my opinion, that was way too much for what I was going for. The filling dripped out of the loaf when I sliced into it. It was still delicious, but very sweet. You can feel free to experiment however you would like to!
FAQ’s and Troubleshooting
“Why does my cinnamon swirl bread separate?”
During my recipe testing process, this happened to me several times. It took me a while to figure it out, but I think I cracked the code!
First off, do NOT use butter in the swirl. The first time I made this, I spread a whole bunch of butter on the dough before sprinkling cinnamon sugar on top. Basically, this just makes the dough “non-stick” and causes the layers to separate.
Essentially, you need to create a dough within the dough. The layers of the cinnamon swirl will separate if there is nothing to hold them together. When you add flour to the brown sugar-cinnamon mixture and brush the dough with almond milk, you are basically creating a dough within the dough! When it bakes, it will hold together beautifully.
*In order to achieve this, you need to maintain a 1:1 ratio of your flour and brown sugar in the swirl filling mixture.
Example: 1 tbsp brown sugar:1 tbsp flour (in this recipe, I use 3 tbsp brown sugar : 3 tbsp flour)
“Why does my cinnamon swirl filling leak out of the bread?”
This is most likely due to having too much cinnamon sugar filling. When I was testing this recipe, I made a loaf that had 6 tbsp of brown sugar, and it all leaked out when I sliced into the bread! It was still delicious, but it was hard to serve in slices because of this.
In my testing, I found that 4 tbsp. brown sugar was the maximum amount of brown sugar I could add in the swirl without it leaking out. In this recipe, I use 3 tbsp brown sugar and 3 tbsp of flour. You can experiment and see what you like best!
“Do you need to soak the raisins before adding them to the dough?”
No, you don’t need to. I find that the moisture from the dough softens the raisins throughout the rising process. You certainly can soak the raisins though if you would like them to be even more plump and juicy. Just cover the raisins with water in a bowl and soak for a few hours until the raisins are soft and plump. Then strain out the water and add the raisins to the dough.
“Can I double this recipe to make 2 loaves?”
Yes you can! Double the ingredient amounts listed. Once you get past the first rise and you punch down the dough, divide the dough into equal halves before the 10-minute rest.
Ways to Enjoy Cinnamon Raisin Bread
Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread is a great bread for breakfast paired with savory eggs and bacon. Enjoy a few slices with butter by itself. You could easily dip slices of this cinnamon-y bread into a french toast batter and make cinnamon swirl french toast. Yum!
Apart from breakfast, this cinnamon raisin bread is also a cozy, calming evening snack if you find yourself hungry before bed 🙂
How to Make Cinnamon Raisin Bread
Creating the Dough
In a bowl, mix 1 1/4 cups of the all-purpose flour with the yeast and cinnamon.
In the microwave or on the stove, heat the almond milk, butter, salt, and brown sugar until the mixture is 120 degrees Fahrenheit– you’ll need a thermometer for this part!
Pour the warm milk mixture into the bowl of flour-yeast mixture and beat on low with an electric mixer for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Then, beat on high for 3 minutes. Stir in the raisins with a wooden spoon.
Stir in as much of the remaining flour (2 cups of remaining flour) as you can until a stiff dough is formed. It’s okay if there is loose flour in the bowl at this point. Let the dough rest in the bowl for 10-15 minutes so that it hydrates the flour, making the kneading process easier.
The Kneading and Rising Phase
After the rest period, knead the rest of the flour in by hand, kneading for approximately 5-7 minutes until a smooth, firm dough forms (I like to use a silicone pastry dough mat. It makes cleanup so much easier!)
Place the dough in a lightly greased large mixing bowl and cover with a towel or a loose piece of plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place for about an hour or until doubled in size. (I like to let mine rise in the oven with the oven light on)
After an hour/the dough has doubled in size, punch down the dough and let rest for 10 minutes.
Creating the Cinnamon Swirl (a.k.a the FUN part!)
Turn the dough out onto a clean lightly floured surface and roll into an approximately 17″x5″ rectangle. Using a silicone pastry dough mat and rolling pin makes this process so easy!
Using a pastry brush, brush the face-up side of the dough liberally with almond milk (or you can just spread the milk out with your hands). In a small bowl, make the cinnamon swirl filling by combining the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Sprinkle the entire mixture evenly over the dough, but leave a 1-2″ area at one end of the dough plain. This will keep the filling from leaking out of the bread. Use your hands to gently press the cinnamon filling into the almond milk to moisten it.
Starting at the end that HAS cinnamon sugar topping, roll the loaf up as tightly as possible, creating a little tension as you go. Once the loaf is rolled up, tuck the ends of the loaf under and place seam side down in a greased 8”x5” bread loaf pan.
Let rest for 30 mins in a warm place.
The Baking Phase
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Brush the top of the dough with an egg+water wash. Bake for 35 minutes until the loaf is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.
Let cool completely if you can resist! 😉 If you decide to slice into it while it is still hot, there is a chance some of the warm brown sugar filling will drip out. But…I mean…that’s not bad right??
Slice with a bread knife for best results, and enjoy this delicious and beautiful homemade bread.
Want More Easy and Delicious Baking Recipes?
- Baked Sprouted Oatmeal with Apple and Cranberries
- Dairy-free Banana Bread
- Simply Delicious Apple Crisp
- Homestyle Apple Turnovers (from-scratch)
Shop this Post
- Pastry/dough mat
- Bench Scraper/dough knife
- rolling pin
- thermometer
- Glass Bread Pans
- Silicone pastry brush
- Bread knife
- electric mixer with storage compartment (this is the one ive been using for several years now)
Hey! I’m so glad you’re here. Give this recipe 5 stars if you try it and love it!
Wherever you find yourself today…take time to nourish yourself– body, mind, and soul <3
Warmly, Caroline
Cinnamon Raisin Bread
Equipment
- 1 bread pan 8"x5"
- thermometer
- electric mixer
- pastry brush optional
- Rolling Pin optional
- wooden spoon and mixing bowl
- pastry dough mat optional
Ingredients
For the Bread Dough
- 3 1/4 c. All-purpose flour
- 1/2 pkg Active dry yeast 1 1/8 tsp. or approx 0.12 oz
- 1 tsp. Cinnamon
- 1 1/8 c. Almond milk
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 3/4 tsp. Sea salt
- 1/2 tbsp butter
- 1/2 c. Raisins
For the Cinnamon Swirl
- Almond milk for brushing dough
- 2-3 tbsp brown sugar
- 2-3 tbsp flour
- 1/2-1 tsp cinnamon
For the Egg Wash
- 1 egg beaten
- 1-2 tbsp water
Instructions
Creating the Dough
- In a bowl, mix 1 1/4 cups of the all-purpose flour with the yeast and cinnamon.
- In the microwave or on the stove, heat the almond milk, butter, salt, and brown sugar until the mixture is 120 degrees Fahrenheit and the butter is melted.
- Pour the warm milk mixture into the bowl of flour-yeast mixture and beat on low with an electric mixer for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Then, beat on high for 3 minutes. Stir in the raisins with a wooden spoon.
- Stir in as much of the remaining flour (2 cups of remaining flour) as you can until a stiff dough is formed. It’s okay if there is loose flour in the bowl at this point. Let the dough rest in the bowl for 10-15 minutes so that it hydrates the flour, making the kneading process easier.
The Kneading and Rising Phase
- After the rest period, knead the rest of the flour in by hand, kneading for approximately 5-7 minutes until a smooth, firm dough forms.
- Place the dough in a lightly greased large mixing bowl and cover with a towel or a loose piece of plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place for about an hour or until doubled in size. (I like to let mine rise in the oven with the oven light on)
- After an hour/the dough has doublesd in size, punch down the dough and let rest for 10 minutes.
Creating the Cinnamon Swirl (a.k.a the FUN part!)
- Turn the dough out onto a clean lightly floured surface and roll into an approximately 17″x5″ rectangle.
- Brush the face-up side of the dough liberally with almond milk. In a small bowl, make the cinnamon swirl filling by combining the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Sprinkle the entire mixture evenly over the dough, but leave a 1-2″ area at one end of the dough plain. This will keep the filling from leaking out of the bread. Use your hands to gently press the cinnamon filling into the almond milk to moisten it.
- Starting at the end that HAS cinnamon sugar topping, roll the loaf up as tightly as possible, creating a little tension as you go. Once the loaf is rolled up, tuck the ends of the loaf under and place seam side down in a greased 8”x5” bread loaf pan.
- Let rest for 30 mins in a warm place.
The Baking Phase
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Brush the top of the dough with an egg+water wash. Bake for 35 minutes until the loaf is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.
- Let cool completely for best results.
- Slice and enjoy this delicious and beautiful homemade cinnamon raisin bread.
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