Cinnamon Raisin Bread Recipe

4.44 from 16 reviews

Cinnamon Raisin Bread Recipe

This Swirled Cinnamon Raisin Bread is soft and sweet with plenty of warm cinnamon flavor! Because it's made with milk and butter, the bread stays fresh for days.

Prep Time30

Bake Time40

Rising Time2

Total Time3 5

Servings:16 slices

Ingredients

12 oz whole milk (1 ½ cups)
4 oz unsalted butter (divided)
4 oz granulated sugar (divided)
2 1/4 teaspoons instant dry yeast (1 packet)
15 oz all purpose flour (3 cups, see note)
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon (divided)
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
5 oz raisins (1 cup)

Instructions

Warm the milk in the microwave to about 110°F. Stir 2 tablespoons of the butter into the warm milk to melt.
In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, combine the milk, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, the yeast and 2 cups of the flour. Mix to form a loose batter. Cover the bowl and set the sponge aside for 30-60 minutes.
Uncover the bowl with the sponge. Add 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon and the salt. Stir to combine. Use the dough hook if working on a stand mixer.
With the mixer running, slowly add the remaining flour until the dough gathers on the hook and clears the sides of the bowl. If mixing by hand, stir in as much flour as you can then turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead in the remaining flour. Knead for about 5 minutes to develop the gluten in the dough.
Remove the dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky. Knead the raisins into the dough then form it into a smooth ball. If the dough is very sticky sprinkle a little more flour as you knead.
Place the dough in an oiled bowl, turning once to coat the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm spot to rise for about 1-1.5 hours hours, until doubled in size. (At this point the dough can be refrigerated overnight and continue with shaping the loaf in the morning.)
Melt the remaining butter. Lightly brush a 9"x 5" loaf pan with some of the melted butter. Combine the remaining granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll it into a 8"x16" rectangle. Brush the dough with melted butter then sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. Roll the dough from the short side to form a log. Pinch the seam to form a tight seal.
Set the dough into the pan, seam side down, brush the top of the loaf with melted butter and cover with plastic wrap. Set in a warm place and rise until the dough fills the pan and comes about 1" over the top, about 1 hour (may take a little longer if the dough had been refrigerated).
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake about 40 minutes until golden brown and the interior temp is 200°F.
As soon as the pan comes out of the oven, brush the top of the loaf with melted butter. If any raisins on the surface look burnt you can pluck them off the loaf. Cool in the pan about 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack. Finish cooling to room temperature before slicing,

Notes

If measuring the flour by volume use the “dip & sweep” method. That is, dip the measuring cup into the flour bin, overfill it, then sweep away the excess.

Nutrition