Best Cinnamon Raisin Bread Recipe (Bakery Style)

Our cinnamon raisin bread recipe makes the type of homemade bread that makes your kitchen smell like a bakery. With a swirl of brown sugar, warm cinnamon, and sweet raisins, this loaf bakes up soft, deep golden brown, and downright irresistible.

And if you're smart, you'll slice off a piece while it's still warm and call it chef's tax.

I keep making cinnamon raisin bread because it's the kind of recipe that shows how simple home baking can still feel special.

The raisins add sweet little bursts in every slice, and that cinnamon sugar swirl running through the loaf is pure heaven.

And honestly, I'm sharing it today because if there's one bread guaranteed to disappear faster than you planned, it's this one.

This delicious recipe is not complicated, but it looks like you went the extra mile, and that's my favorite kind of cooking.

I like it toasted with butter in the morning just as much as I enjoy it plain and warm out of the pan.

If you're a fan of big cinnamon flavor, our Cinnamon Roll Cake is sweet, moist, and drizzled with vanilla icing that tastes just like your favorite cinnamon rolls but without all the work.

And one bite of our soft Pecan Caramel Sticky Buns, dripping with gooey caramel and studded with crunchy pecans, and you’ll be licking your fingers before you grab another.

Ingredients

Gather the ingredients to prepare our cinnamon raisin bread recipe. Culinary professionals call this the “Mise en Place,” which means "everything in its Place."

Setting up your ingredients not only helps speed up the cooking process but also ensures you have all the necessary ingredients on hand to make the recipe.

Can I Make Adjustments to the Recipe?

Absolutely. We make our Cinnamon Raisin Bread recipe with whole milk, but you can swap in soy milk or 2% and still get a tender, flavorful crumb.

If you like a chewier bite, try bread flour instead of all-purpose flour. It gives the bread a little more strength and height.

You can swap regular raisins for golden raisins to give the loaf a lighter color and a mellow, fruity sweetness.

Not into raisins? Try dried cranberries, chopped dates, or even tart cherries for the same pop of sweetness without the raisins.

Recipe Variations

• Apple Cinnamon Bread: Add diced apples to the filling for a juicy twist that tastes like apple pie.
• Nutty Swirl Bread: Sprinkle chopped walnuts or pecans into the filling for crunch that balances the soft dough.
• Chocolate Chip Swirl Bread: Replace the raisins with mini chocolate chips for a dessert-style bread kids will go wild for.
• Cranberry Orange Bread: Mix dried cranberries into the dough and add orange zest to the filling for a holiday-ready loaf.
• Cinnamon Roll Loaf: Skip the raisins altogether and double up on the cinnamon sugar for a loaf that's all spice and sweetness.
• Cinnamon-Walnut Raisin: Add ½ cup toasted chopped walnuts.
• Cardamom-Raisin: Replace ½ teaspoon cinnamon with ½ teaspoon cardamom.
• Whole-Wheat Swirl: Use 1 cup white whole-wheat; add 1 tablespoon extra milk.
• Mini Loaves: Divide into two 7×3-inch pans, bake for 28-32 minutes.

How to make Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Follow along with my simple step-by-step instructions to learn how to make cinnamon raisin bread in your home kitchen.

• Soak raisins for 10 minutes in hot water, then pat them dry thoroughly. Set aside until needed. This adds plumpness without bleeding sugars into the seam.
• Add the whole milk, melted butter, and honey to a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir to combine and heat the mixture until it reaches 105 – 110 degrees F. Any hotter will kill the yeast, so make sure to check the temperature.
• Add the yeast to the mixture.
• Stir to combine.
• Let it sit for 10 minutes until foamy,
• Pour the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.

• Add the all-purpose flour, table salt, large eggs, and raisins to the bowl.
• Mix with the dough hook until just combined. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Knead with the dough hook for 10 minutes on medium-low speed.
• Remove the dough hook, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, then set it in a draft-free area of the kitchen and let it rise for 90 – 120 minutes until doubled in size.
• Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, melted butter, and table salt to a small bowl.
• Mix to combine.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

• Lightly flour the countertop or a pastry mat. Flatten the dough out and use a rolling pin or your hands to spread the dough into a rectangle that is the length of the loaf pan.
• Spread this cinnamon filling evenly over the top of the dough.
• Roll the dough into a log. Pinch the seam shut with your fingers.
• Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan with butter, then place the rolled dough, seam side down, in the pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm draft-free area of the kitchen for 60 minutes, or until the dough has risen past the top of the pan.
• Place the loaf pan on the middle rack of the preheated oven (above the water pan) and bake for 40-50 minutes. A thermometer inserted into the bread should read between 190 -200 degrees F.
• Place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. Don’t try slicing the bread before it’s cooled.
  

Chef Tips

• Place a baking pan on the lowest rack of the oven, under the rack where you’ll put the loaf pan. Carefully pour one cup of boiling water into the pan. This will create steam for the first part of the baking process, which helps the dough expand more fully for a taller loaf and produces a thin, crispy, and shiny crust.
• Cinnamon sugar browns fast. At the first sign that it’s getting too brown, tent it with aluminum foil.
• Letting the bread cool allows the starch to set and the moisture to distribute evenly, improving both the texture and flavor. If you slice it too soon, the moisture will escape, resulting in gummy and drier bread.
• Flavor Boosters: Add ¼ teaspoon fresh-grated nutmeg, or ½ teaspoon orange zest. For a "bakery sweet," whisk 1 tablespoon milk + ½ cup powdered sugar to make a light frosting to drizzle on the cooled loaf.

Homemade cinnamon raisin bread isn't just about the swirl; it's about the satisfaction of pulling that golden brown loaf from your oven and knowing you've nailed it.

Whether you enjoy it warm with butter, toasted for breakfast, or turned into decadent French toast, this bread will quickly become a family favorite.

Serving Suggestions

• A couple of slices make for a simple breakfast, and it's just as good as an afternoon snack.
• Pair it with a hot coffee or a cold glass of milk to balance the sweetness.
• Serve with scrambled eggs or a savory frittata for a weekend brunch that covers all the bases.
• Toast with salted butter or honey butter.
• French toast with maple syrup and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar.
• Bread pudding: Cube day-old slices for amazing bread pudding.

How to Store and Reheat

Once the bread has cooled completely, keep it in an airtight container or a sealed plastic bag at room temperature for up to 3 days.

For longer storage, wrap the whole loaf or individual slices in plastic wrap and foil, then freeze for up to 2 months.

To reheat, use the toaster or a 300-degree F. oven to keep the bread soft and fluffy. You can microwave it in a pinch, but it tends to make the bread rubbery.

Recipe FAQs

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