Easy Bread Machine Cinnamon Raisin Bread. This recipe makes a light, sweet loaf of bread that’s dotted with raisins.
After making loaf after loaf of my bread machine sandwich bread recipe, it was time to shake things up and bake a loaf of cinnamon raisin bread.
Wow, I wish I’d done this sooner. Simply put: it was the best cinnamon raisin bread I’d ever eaten.
When creating the recipe, I had two goals in mind: a loaf of bread that actually tasted like cinnamon and was mildly sweet. Too often, cinnamon raisin bread either doesn’t taste like cinnamon or it’s so bland that it might as well be regular bread.
The only thing that’s missing is a swirl in the center. But since it’s so easy to make (and so tasty), I don’t think you’ll miss it.
What You’ll Love About This Cinnamon Raisin Bread
- It’s easy. Place the ingredients into a bread machine, push a button, and three hours later, you’ve got bread. Most models even alert you when to add the raisins.
- It tastes like cinnamon. There are two teaspoons of ground cinnamon in the dough. That’s means that every bite of bread includes cinnamon. It’s wonderful–and not overpowering.
- It’s mildly sweet. You won’t confuse this bread with a slice of plain toast. It’s just a little sweet. (And makes great French toast!)
Ingredients for Bread Machine Cinnamon Raisin Bread
- Bread Flour. For the best results, use bread flour. This recipe can also be made with all-purpose flour. Bread made with all-purpose flour doesn’t rise quite as high and the bread tends to be a little softer.
- Yeast. Both instant or active dry work in this recipe. I prefer baking bread with instant yeast because it’s more reliable than active dry yeast.
- Salt. Salt adds flavor and controls yeast growth. Use table salt, not Kosher salt.
- Sugar. Granulated sugar adds a nice sweetness to the bread. If you prefer your cinnamon raisin bread less sweet, reduce the sugar from 1/3 cup to 1/4 cup.
- Milk and Half and Half. The combination of milk and half and half make for a loaf of bread that’s tender and creamy-tasting.
- Butter. Along with the milk and half-and-half, butter is also used. Not only does the butter add great flavor, it also keeps the loaf soft and keeps it from drying out too quickly.
- Raisins. Use soft, plump raisins in this recipe. If the raisins you have in the kitchen have dried out, soak and drain them before using. And if you aren’t a fan of raisins, omit them from the recipe or replace them with dried cranberries.
How to Make Cinnamon Raisin Bread in a Bread Machine
- Add the liquid ingredients. Place the milk, half-and-half, and butter into the loaf pan. If your bread machine includes a preheat cycle, you don’t need to warm the milk and half-and-half. If your machine does not warm the ingredients before mixing, warm the milk and half-and-half before adding it to the loaf pan.
- Add the dry ingredients. The next step is to add the dry ingredients. To ensure that the sugar, ground cinnamon, and salt are evenly distributed throughout the flour, I like to whisk the dry ingredients together before adding them to the loaf pan. This dirties a bowl but the results are worth it.
- Top with yeast. Most bread machines call for you to sprinkle the yeast on top of the flour. Check with the manual that came with your bread machine to see when to add the yeast.
- Add raisins–once the dough has formed. You’ll want to stick around while the dough mixes. The raisins must be added once the dough has a chance to mix. If they’re added too early, they prevent the dough from mixing properly because they interfere with gluten development. Most bread machines alert you when to add raisins. My Zojirushi starts beeping and flashing the words “add-in”.
- Cool on a wire rack. Once the bread machine completes its cycle–this takes about three hours–remove the loaf from the pan and place it on a wire rack to cool. Allow the bread to cool at least 15 minutes before slicing. If you slice hot bread, the loaf can squish.
Other Comfort Baking Recipes You’ll Love
Bread Machine Cinnamon Raisin Bread
Ingredients
- 3 ¾ cups (450 grams) bread flour, see note
- ⅓ cup (70 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoons table salt
- 1 cup (225 grams) milk, see note
- ⅓ cup (75 grams) half and half, see note
- 4 tablespoons (56 grams) softened butter, salted or unsalted
- 1 ½ teaspoons instant yeast or active dry
- ⅔ cup (103 grams) raisins
Instructions
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Whisk together flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.
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Place the ingredients, except the raisins, into the pan of a 1 ½ to 2-pound bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer.
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Select the program for basic white bread. Press Start. When the machine alerts you, or two-thirds through mixing, add the raisins.
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When the cycle completes, remove the pan from the machine. Allow the bread to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes.
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Remove the bread from the pan, sometimes this requires a shake to get the bread out of the pan. Set the loaf on a wire rack to cool.
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Store, in a bread box, bread bag or well wrapped on the counter for 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Recipe Notes
Recipe Notes
Milk and Half and Half
Use lukewarm milk and half-and-half if your bread machine does not have a preheat cycle.
Bread Flour
For the best rise and texture, use bread flour. All-purpose flour can be used, however, the bread won’t rise as high.
Carolyn says
Can’t wait to try this one. Your white bread was easy & delicious . Looking forward to more recipes. I’m new to bread machining ( is that even a thing?). Carolyn
Randy says
Can you use 2% milk or does it have to be whole milk?
Elizabeth says
2 % milk works really well! I’ve tested it with 1 %, 2 %, and whole milk. I didn’t really notice a big difference in taste or staling time.
Randy says
Thank you. Making it now
Marlene Walla says
This was so easy and great tasting. Thank you!
Bonnie Long says
Love this bread! I may have a slight addiction to it. Easy to make and sooo good.
Jackie says
Made this bread today and it came out wonderfully delicious. It had just the right amount of cinnamon and the texture was perfect. Thank you for a great recipe! I also use your sandwich bread recipe. Your recipes are a hit at my house!
Robynne says
This bread is delicious! Mine turned out a bit heavy, so I’m wondering if the flour should be sifted before measuring?
Elizabeth says
You can try that! Or if you have a kitchen scale, measure the flour by weight. That’s what I always do.
Lisa Ann Sandusky says
Do you have to use half and half or can you just replace that measurement with more regular (2% milk)?
Elizabeth says
You don’t need to use half and half. Replace it with an equal amount of milk. The bread won’t be as tender but it’s still very good!
Elizabeth says
Can you use evaporated milk instead of the half and half?
Elizabeth says
You sure can!
Sandra Elliott says
What size loaf should you set your bread machine FOR?
Elizabeth says
Hi Sandra,
This recipe is for a 1 1/2 to 2-pound loaf. Either setting works.
Joanne says
Hi Elizabeth, I haven’t tried the cinnamon raisin bread but am looking forward to it. I was wondering if I’d be able to use honey in this recipe instead of the sugar.
Elizabeth says
Yes! You can use honey instead of sugar. Since honey is sweeter than sugar, you might want to reduce it to 1/4 cup.
Clarisa says
I made this bread in my Zojirushi bread maker, using coconut milk and a little more 1 cup raisins it was fantastic! My husband loved it , told me please write it down. Thanks ?
JoAnn Bertrand says
.can you use skim milk or powdered milk?
Elizabeth says
Yes! That should work.
Miss Frances Banks says
Hi I am a bit confused, what do you mean by half and half? I am from Scotland so I may know it by a different meaning. Thank you
Elizabeth says
It’s a mix of half heavy (full fat) cream and whole milk.
Sandra says
Great recipe! Can you add even more reasons than called for?
Elizabeth says
Absolutely. Add as many raisins as you’d like.
Sandra says
Love this! Can you add more raisins than called for.
Elizabeth says
Yes! You can increase the amount of raisins to suit your tastes.
Julie says
I made this tonight and I love it. Using a Cuisinart machine, bread flour,2 lb. setting, the loaf rose nicely, good color,( not too heavy or too dense)and good flavor. I increased the yeast to 2 tsp. and that helped greatly.
My other raisin bread attempts were disastrous so have decided to keep this recipe!
Thank you so much !
Kim says
Can you use sultanas instead of raisin
Elizabeth says
You sure can!
Linda masters says
Can I use whole wheat flour instead of bread flour?
Elizabeth says
You can use whole wheat flour in the recipe. If you do, I’d add two tablespoons more liquid because whole wheat flour soaks up liquid a little more than bread flour.
Julie S. says
Finally a successful recipe! Bread was very soft and delicious! Thank you!!
Elizabeth says
You’re welcome!
John says
Can I use brown sugar instead of granulated?
Elizabeth says
You sure can! The bread might be a little darker but the flavor and texture will be great!
debbie says
made this a couple of days ago – it’s so good! used my machine’s ‘sweet bread’ setting as this gave me the right cooking time…my basic white was much shorter time. I halved the recipe except for the raisins as I wanted lots of raising. I didn’t soften my butter enough, plus I just dumped the butter in as one wedge instead of breaking it up, so I had to intervene when the machine was struggling to incorporate the butter. Similarly I had to help things along to get all those raisins into the dough. I’ll be making this again, and I’m having to work hard to not have more than a couple slices at a time. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe
Bobbi says
Can I increase the amount if Cinnamon?
Elizabeth says
You sure can! Add as much as you’d like!
Jeff Leonard says
I have a Hitachi HB-D103 bread machine. It does not have anything to tell me when it is done mixing. It simply has a timer that counts down from 4 hours to 0 and that’s it. How do I know when to put the raisins in?
Elizabeth says
Does it have two kneading cycles? I’d add them at the end of the first cycle, right before the second begins.