Name: Apple Raisin Bread
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 3 h 10 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 Cup Diced & Peeled Apples; 3/4 Cup Raisins; 3/4 Cup Chopped Walnuts; 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon; 2 Tablespoons Active, Dry Yeast; 2 Cups Warm Water; 1 Tablespoon Sugar; 1/4 Cup Honey; 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil; 3 Eggs; 2 Tablespoons Salt; 6 1/2 Cups Unbleached, All-Purpose Flour; 1 Egg; 1 teaspoon Water

Jump to Recipe

This easy cinnamon apple raisin bread is a hearty, lightly sweet loaf packed with fresh apple, plump raisins, and crunchy walnuts. It is the kind of bread that makes your kitchen smell like autumn and tastes just as good as it sounds.

The recipe makes two large loaves, so there is plenty to enjoy at home and still have one left for gifting. It is beginner friendly, uses straightforward pantry ingredients, and comes together with a stand mixer or by hand with no special equipment required.

If you love a fruit-studded bread that works for breakfast toast, sandwiches, or tucking into a holiday gift basket, this one is for you.

A loaf of bread with the end cut of exposing the insides sits on a board. Text overlay reads: Apple Raisin Bread - Homemade Recipe.

Beginner Friendly

This is a simple recipe beginners can feel confident in tackling. There aren’t any special techniques or equipment needed. If you’re comfortable making a basic loaf of bread, you can feel confident in turning this recipe out.

Simple Ingredients

There’s nothing fancy here, you probably have most everything you need on hand already as the recipe uses basic pantry ingredients. Let’s talk about a few things.

A loaf of apple raisin bread sits on a board. Behind the loaf a red cloth is draped and a candle in a metal holder can be seen.

Fresh Apples

I used fresh apples when testing this recipe. Use whatever you have that is flavorful and on-hand. No need to go in search of something special. The apple pieces soften into the bread as it bakes and add a subtle sweetness and moisture.

Raisins

I used dark raisins but golden raisins would also be tasty. Dried cranberries would also be quite lovely if you want a little tartness in place of sweetness. If you want a richer, egg-enriched take on cinnamon and raisin flavors, my cinnamon raisin challah is worth a look.

Walnuts

I almost always have walnuts on hand so I went for that, however, pecans would likely work just as well. Not a fan of nuts? Simply skip them – you could add more raisins instead if desired.

Cinnamon

You toss the cinnamon with the apples, raisins, and walnuts and then add it to the bread dough. The cinnamon level here is intentionally measured. Too much cinnamon can interfere with yeast activity and rising. The amount in this recipe gives you warm spice flavor without any trouble.

You could also use any other spice or even apple pie spice instead, if desired.

A loaf of apple raisin bread with the end cut of exposing the insides sits on a board, the heel sits next to the loaf. A red cloth and candle can be seen in the background.

Bread Shape

I shaped these loaves into a kind of oblong shape. But you could do most anything you wanted. Large rounds would be nice, too. 9X5 inch bread pans could work, too.

The dough would make lovely braids, if you want to tackle that or make them extra special.

As always, if you change the shape, watch the baking time just to be sure.

A loaf of apple raisin walnut bread with the end cut of exposing the insides sits on a board.

Loaf Size

The recipe as written turns out 2 very large, over 2 pound loaves. You could make smaller loaves, say 3 or 4 instead. Again, watch the baking time and check for doneness sooner if you go smaller.

Making them smaller could be ideal for holiday care packages or gift baskets.

How to Serve

There’s no reason to get complicated here. It’s ideal toasted and served with peanut butter or cream cheese for breakfast.

It makes tasty peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, too.

For something savory, consider using it for chicken salad sandwiches.

I didn’t try it but believe it would make excellent french toast.

How to Store

Keep baked and cooled bread stored in an airtight container where it should stay fresh up to 5 days.

For longer term storage, put baked & cooled loaves into plastic bags or other containers and freeze. You could slice and then freeze, so that you can just pull out a slice or two when you want it.

Use up any frozen bread within 6 months for best flavor. Let frozen bread thaw on the counter prior to serving.

Troubleshooting

The dough is sticky and hard to handle. Add flour a tablespoon at a time during kneading until the dough is smooth and just slightly tacky. Resist adding too much at once or the bread can turn out dense.

The bread didn’t rise well. Check that your yeast is active before starting. Combine the yeast, warm water, and sugar and wait 5 to 10 minutes. If it does not foam up, your yeast may be old or the water too hot. Water that is too hot will kill the yeast. Aim for warm but not hot, around 105 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit.

The loaves are browning too fast. Tent loosely with foil partway through baking if the tops are getting dark before the bread is done through.

The bread tastes dense or gummy. Make sure the loaves bake all the way through. The moisture from the apples adds a little extra humidity to the dough. Use a thermometer and pull the loaves at 200 degrees Fahrenheit internal temperature to be sure.

The cinnamon flavor is too subtle. If you want more spice next time, try adding a pinch of nutmeg or cardamom alongside the cinnamon rather than increasing the cinnamon alone.

Apple Raisin Bread

Yield: 2 Large Loaves

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Rising Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes

A lightly sweet cinnamon apple raisin bread with walnuts, baked as two large freeform loaves. Beginner friendly and made with simple pantry ingredients. Great for toast, sandwiches, or holiday gifting.

Ingredients

1 Cup Diced & Peeled Apples
3/4 Cup Raisins
3/4 Cup Chopped Walnuts
1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
2 Tablespoons Active, Dry Yeast
2 Cups Warm Water
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1/4 Cup Honey
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
3 Eggs
2 Tablespoons Salt
6 1/2 Cups Unbleached, All-Purpose Flour

Egg Wash, Optional

1 Egg
1 teaspoon Water

Instructions

In a mixing bowl, combine diced apples, raisins, walnuts, and cinnamon. Toss everything to coat and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of stand mixer, combine the yeast, water, and sugar. Let sit until foamy, about 5-10 minutes.
Add the honey, oil, eggs, and 1 cup of flour to the yeast mixture. Combine and mix well.
Add the salt and another cup of flour. Mixing well.
Stir in the apple mixture and another 4 cups of flour, mixing until everything forms a smooth dough. Add the remaining flour if necessary.
Turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead until smooth and elastic.
Coat a bowl with a thin layer of oil and turn the dough around inside to lightly coat. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and let sit somewhere warm until about doubled in bulk - about 90 minutes.
Grease a large baking sheet.
Punch down the dough and turn out to a floured board and knead slightly.
Divide the dough in half and knead and shape into tight balls or oblong loaves.
Place the dough onto the greased baking sheet and cover with a clean towel.
Let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
If desired, whisk together the egg and water for an egg wash. Brush the loaves gently with the egg wash and a pastry brush.
Slash the dough with a sharp knife or razer - straight slashes work or do a design.
Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until they sound hollow when tapped or reach 200 degrees Fahrenheit on a thermometer.
Remove from baking sheets to cool on wire racks.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 32 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 263Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 384mgCarbohydrates: 49gFiber: 3gSugar: 7gProtein: 8g

I try but cannot guarantee this nutritional information is 100% accurate.