The smell of freshly baked cinnamon raisin bread will draw just about anyone into the kitchen. It’s easy to make homemade cinnamon raisin bread in just a few minutes in the bread machine.

Bread machine baking had become a daily event in my household, and now that I have perfected recipes for basic white sandwich bread and whole wheat bread, it’s time to branch out a bit into flavored bread.  With two bread-loving little ones in the house, a soft cinnamon raisin bread is the obvious next choice.

Cinnamon can inhibit the rise on a loaf of bread, so you want to be careful not to add too much.  One teaspoon adds just enough flavor to this loaf, without hampering the yeast too much.  Still, you’ll notice that the crumb on this bread is denser than most, which means it’s perfect for toasting and slathering with butter.  It stays soft and moist through the baking process, and the raisins add just enough sweetness.

The little ones ate it right up and came back for more, but that’s not surprising.  What toddler wouldn’t love cinnamon raisin bread?  What did surprise me was the fact that my husband polished off the loaf, and then asked me to bake more.  That’s a manly seal of approval if I’ve ever seen one.

There you have it, an easy-to-make bread machine cinnamon raisin bread that the whole family can enjoy.  Now the real trick is waiting until it’s completely cool before slicing.  Good luck with that one…

Ingredients for Bread Machine Cinnamon Raisin Bread

I’m baking this as a 2-pound loaf in my Zojirushi Supreme Bread Machine, which makes beautiful horizontal loaves in a pan that uses two paddles for more efficient mixing.  I’ve worked with many different machines over the years, and this one’s my favorite. 

I’ve also included instructions for a 1 1/2-pound loaf if you’re working with a smaller machine or a machine that bakes vertically since they don’t work as well with full-sized loaves. 

To make an extra small 1-pound loaf, just divide the 2-pound quantities in half.

Two Pound Loaf Ingredients

To make a 2-pound loaf of Bread Machine Cinnamon Raisin Bread, you’ll need the following:

Liquid Ingredients (add first)

• 1 cup (240 ml) milk, lukewarm
• 3/8 cup water (90 ml, or 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp.), lukewarm
• 3 tbsp (42 g) butter, softened

Dry Ingredients (on top of wet)

• 4 cups (480 g) All-Purpose Flour
• 2/3 cup (90 g) raisins
• 2/3 cup (60 g) rolled oats, old-fashioned (not instant)
• 1/3 cup (70 g) brown sugar
• 2 tsp (12 g) salt
• 1 1/4 tsp (3 g) cinnamon
• 2 1/2 tsp (7 g)SAF Instant Yeast (or 3 tsp. Bread Machine Yeast)

One and a Half Pound Loaf Ingredients

To make a 1 ½ pound loaf of Bread Machine Cinnamon Raisin Bread, you’ll need the following:

Liquid Ingredients (add first)

• 3/4 cup (180 ml) milk, lukewarm
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) water, lukewarm
• 2 Tbsp (28 g) butter, softened

Dry Ingredients (on top of wet)

• 3 cups (360 g) All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 cup (75 g) raisins
• 1/2 cup (45 g) rolled oats, old-fashioned (not instant)
• 1/4 cup (55 g) brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp (9 g) salt
• 1 tsp (2 g) cinnamon
• 2 tsp (6 g) SAF Instant Yeast (or 2 1/2 tsp. Bread Machine Yeast)

Making Bread Machine Cinnamon Raisin Bread

The basic process is the same as any yeast bread in the bread machine. 

You start by adding in your wet ingredients, then make an “island” with the flour on top.  The other ingredients, including raisins, oats, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and yeast, are then set in wells on top of the flour, so they don’t get wet until the machine starts mixing. 

This allows you to set a delay timer if you want, and it also keeps the yeast from activating before its time.  It also helps the bread machine paddles incorporate the flour evenly, preventing clumping.

Select the “basic white” setting on your bread machine, and I’d suggest the “light” darkness for crust color (if your bread machine allows you to choose).  Breads with added sugar tend to brown more than others, so opting for a light crust can help prevent over-browning. 

Once everything is loaded and set, turn it on and let it run!

You’ll have a homemade loaf of bread machine cinnamon raisin bread before you know it.

Bread Machine Cinnamon Bread Variations

Next time I make this recipe, I hope to try adding some other dried fruits like dried cranberries, substituting orange zest for the cinnamon.  I may also try dried tart cherries for a real treat, maybe with some diced pistachios to make it a bit exotic…

Yield: Makes a 2 pound load (1 1/2 pound in notes)

Bread Machine Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Print

This soft and tender cinnamon raisin bread is easy to make in a bread machine.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 3 hours 40 minutes

Total Time 3 hours 50 minutes

Ingredients

Liquid Ingredients (add first)

• 1 cup (240 ml) milk, lukewarm
• 3/8 cup water (90 ml, or 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp.), lukewarm
• 3 tbsp (42 g) butter, softened

Dry Ingredients (on top of wet)

• 4 cups (480 g) All-Purpose Flour
• 2/3 cup (90 g) raisins
• 2/3 cup (60 g) rolled oats, old-fashioned (not instant)
• 1/3 cup (70 g) brown sugar
• 2 tsp (12 g) salt
• 1 1/4 tsp (3 g) cinnamon
• 2 1/2 tsp (7 g)SAF Instant Yeast (or 3 tsp. Bread Machine Yeast)

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in the bread machine in the order listed.
2. Set the bread machine to "basic white" and press start.
3. Allow the bread to cool completely before cutting (good luck holding back...)

Notes

Bread Machine Yeast

I make this recipe with SAF instant yeast, as it works well in both bread machine recipes and oven-baked goods. If you’re using specialty bread machine yeast, you’ll need to use a bit more, but I've noted that in the recipe. 

If all you have is active yeast, that is used a bit differently.  Active yeast is added to the water (instead of on top of the flour) as it needs to rehydrate for about 10 minutes before it works.  To use active yeast, add it to the water, stir, and wait 10 minutes, then proceed with the recipe (knowing that you’ve already put the yeast in the water, so it doesn’t need to go on top of the flour). 

One and a Half Pound Loaf Ingredients

To make a 1 ½ pound loaf of Bread Machine Cinnamon Raisin Bread, you’ll need the following:

Liquid Ingredients (add first)

• 3/4 cup (180 ml) milk, lukewarm
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) water, lukewarm
• 2 Tbsp (28 g) butter, softened

Dry Ingredients (on top of wet)

• 3 cups (360 g) All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 cup (75 g) raisins
• 1/2 cup (45 g) rolled oats, old-fashioned (not instant)
• 1/4 cup (55 g) brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp (9 g) salt
• 1 tsp (2 g) cinnamon
• 2 tsp (6 g) SAF Instant Yeast (or 2 1/2 tsp. Bread Machine Yeast)

Bread Machine Recipes

Looking for more bread machine recipes?

• Bread Machine Cinnamon Raisin Bread
• Bread Machine Apple Cinnamon Bread
• Bread Machine Brioche
• Bread Machine Challah
• Bread Machine French Bread