Bread Machine Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Want it Sweeter?

You could add more sugar to this recipe, if desired. I used just ¼ cup of sugar because the raisins add their own sweetness, however you could easily increase it to ½ cup for something much sweeter. 

You could also use brown sugar instead of white sugar, if desired.

Raisins or Other Dried Fruit

I went with basic dark raisins here because I always have those on hand. However, you could use golden raisins instead. You could also use dried currants or craisins if preferred. 

Cinnamon and Yeast

Cinnamon can impact yeast growth when added directly to the bread dough as it is in this recipe.

I tested this recipe several times and the ratio of yeast to the rest of the ingredients does produce a sufficiently light and high loaf. Admittedly, it’s a bit less of a rise than other white bread recipes I’ve made in my machine but not so much as to matter in my opinion. 

Crust Color

Because of the cinnamon the crust will get a bit darker than usual. For us this isn’t a problem, but you may want to choose a light crust color if you’re worried about people in your family thinking it is too dark or burnt. 

Yeast Choices

I use instant yeast for ease in all the bread machine recipes I test. If you want to use active dry yeast or bread machine yeast, simply follow your manufacturer’s instructions but I can’t say for certainty in what amount.

To Prevent Sticking

I had multiple loaves become hopelessly stuck to my bread pan and had to learn a trick or two to prevent it. Here’s what I do, if you’d like to try it:

After the last kneading cycle (for my machine there’s a 2 second third cycle of punching down), I remove the bread dough quickly from the machine, remove the kneading paddle and then spray the pan with some non-stick spray. Then I put the dough back in, close the lid and let the machine finish rising and baking.

I use needle nose pliers to remove the paddle.

This very simple step has stopped bread from sticking to the paddle hopelessly and coming out of the pan a broken mess.

My bread machine instructions do not tell me that this is necessary – meaning the bread could be baked with the paddle attached but I found it much easier to remove the paddle.

How to Serve

Keep this simple, there’s no reason to get fancy here. A slice of cinnamon raisin bread either toasted or plain, slathered in butter makes a great snack or breakfast item.

Slices spread with cream cheese or peanut butter are also delicious and filling. 

Definitely consider using cinnamon bread for your french toast when you want to make that.