Bread Machine Cinnamon Raisin Bread (Golden Raisins) - Bread Dad (2024)

This bread machine cinnamon raisin bread recipe creates a delicious homemade bread that is perfect for breakfast. Spread on your favorite topping (e.g. cream cheese or jam) for a great breakfast meal. However, if you just LOVE cinnamon, you can even use it for a tasty sandwich bread. This is not a super sugary breakfast “quick bread” or muffin. Rather it is a semi-sweet cinnamon bread stuffed with golden raisins.

FYI – This bread is entirely mixed, kneaded and baked in your bread machine. You do not need an oven to bake this bread.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread – Fresh from the Bread Machine

Recipe Sections

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Recipe Video
• Helpful Tips
• Recipe Comments

Of course, what makes this recipe different is the use of GOLDEN raisins. I like golden raisins much more than regular raisins because golden raisins tend to be sweeter, “plumper” and help to produce a multi-colored bread (see the pictures below). Moreover, regular raisins are occasionally too dried out. Nevertheless, if you do not have golden raisins, you can easily use regular raisins, dried cranberries or dried blueberries to make this bread.

Key Ingredient – Golden Raisins

My bread machine cinnamon raisin bread recipe produces a sweet and fruity breakfast bread… and it looks great too. I love the raisins poking out of the finished bread. Although my wife tends to pick them off and eat them before I can take a photo! Below you will find 1.5 lb and 2 lb versions of my cinnamon raisin bread machine recipe.

Delicious Bread Machine Raisin Cinnamon Bread

Since this bread maker raisin cinnamon bread recipe is done in a bread machine, it is simple & easy to make. FYI – This recipe takes me about 5-10 minutes to prepare and then I let the bread machine do the rest of the work.I love how bread machines make home baking so easy!

Ingredients – Bread Machine Cinnamon Raisin Bread – 1.5 lb Version

• 1 1/8 Cups – Milk (lukewarm) – 259 milliliters
• 3 Tablespoons – Unsalted Butter (sliced & softened) – 43 grams
• 3 Cups – Bread Flour – 360 grams
• 1/4 Cup – Light Brown Sugar (packed) – 54 grams
• 1 Teaspoon – Ground Cinnamon – 3 grams
• 1 Teaspoon – Salt – 6 grams
• 1 Teaspoon – Bread Machine Yeast (Instant Yeast) – 3 grams – Not active dry yeast
• 3/4 Cup – Golden Raisins – 86 grams – If you do not have golden raisins, you can use regular raisins, dried cranberries, etc. FYI – If you really LOVE raisins, you can use 1 cup of golden raisins.

Ingredients – Bread Machine Cinnamon Raisin Bread – 2 lb Version

• 1 1/2 Cups – Milk (lukewarm) – 345 milliliters
• 4 Tablespoons – Unsalted Butter (sliced & softened) – 57 grams
• 4 Cups – Bread Flour – 480 grams
• 1/3 Cup – Light Brown Sugar (packed) – 72 grams
• 1 1/2 Teaspoons – Ground Cinnamon – 4.5 grams
• 1 1/2 Teaspoons – Salt – 9 grams
• 1 1/2 Teaspoons – Bread Machine Yeast (Instant Yeast) – 4.5 grams – Not active dry yeast
• 1 Cup – Golden Raisins – 114 grams – If you do not have golden raisins, you can use regular raisins, dried cranberries, etc. FYI – If you really LOVE raisins, you can use 1 1/4 cups of golden raisins.

Servings – Roughly 12 slices

Equipment Needed – Measuring cup & spoons, flexible spatula, oven mitts, cooling rack and bread machine.

Recipe Video – Watch How My Recipe Is Made

Instructions – Bread Machine Cinnamon Raisin Bread

• Bread machine settings – 1.5 or 2 pound loaf, light color and “basic” bread setting.
• Unplug the bread machine and remove the bread pan from the bread machine. This prevents any ingredients added to the bread pan from accidentally spilling into the bread machine.
• Pour the milk into the bread pan and then add the other ingredients (except the golden raisins). Place the bread machine yeast in last and the yeast should not touch the liquid or salt (until the bread machine is turned on and the ingredients start to be mixed together). FYI – Do not place the salt where you plan to add the yeast.
• Place the bread pan back into the bread machine and plug in the bread machine.
• Enter the correct settings into the bread machine (e.g. 1.5 or 2 pound, light color and basic) and press the start button.
• After the bread machine has finished its FIRST kneading cycle (and before it has started the second kneading cycle), add the golden raisins.
• When the bread machine has finished baking the bread, unplug the bread machine.
• Lift the bread pan out of the bread machine. Wear oven mitts as the bread pan will be very hot!
• Remove the bread from the bread pan and place the bread on a cooling rack. Wear oven mitts.
• After removing the bread, don’t forget to remove the mixing paddle if it is stuck in the bread. Use oven mitts as the mixing paddle will be very hot coming out of the bread machine. Or wait until the bread is completely cooled and then remove the mixing paddle.
• Please read the tips section below for extra information on how to make this recipe successfully and to avoid common bread machine problems. You also can watch my recipe video to “see” how to perform each recipe step.

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Bread Machine Cinnamon Bread

Tips – Bread Machine Cinnamon Raisin Bread

• The tips below are designed to help bread machine “novices” and those who haven’t touched their bread machine in years.
• Click on our “print recipe” link if you want to print out this recipe. It includes all of the recipe’s ingredients and instructions. However, the recipe print function does not include our tips section. Please read the tips section in order to avoid common recipe problems.
• If you would rather “see” how this recipe is made, please watch the step-by-step recipe video on this page. It is a short & simple video that shows you how to make this recipe.
• This recipe is part of Bread Dad’s series on easy Bread Machine Recipes such as buttery white bread, banana bread, hamburger buns and French bread.

• This bread machine recipe is entirely mixed/kneaded and baked in your bread machine. The dough is not baked in your oven… so this recipe is easier than many bread machine cinnamon raisin recipes that only make the dough in the bread machine and then you have to finish it by hand shaping the dough, a second rising in the bread pan and finally baking it in an oven.
• For bread machines with a loaf capacity greater than 1 lb, you should make the 1.5 lb version first. Some bread machines with a supposed 2lb loaf capacity are smaller than advertised. This “2 lb capacity” is based on the manufacturer’s smaller internal recipes and not on many standard online recipes. I would recommend seeing how the 1.5 lb version works in your bread machine before attempting the 2 lb version. This could save you from the 2 lb version overflowing your bread pan (if your machine has problems with standard 2 lb online recipes).
• This recipe is NOT for 1 lb capacity bread machines. Please check the capacity of your bread machine before making this recipe. This recipe helps you to create 1.5 lb and 2 lb bread loaves. If you have a small bread machine (e.g. a bread machine that has only a capacity for 1 lb breads), you will be unable to make this recipe. The loaf will be too large for your machine and overflow the bread pan (and the top is likely to collapse). An example of a bread machine with only a 1 lb capacity is the Zojirushi Home Bakery Mini Breadmaker (model BB-HAC10).

• Don’t accidentally mix up ingredient amounts from the 1.5 lb and 2 lb recipes… cough, cough… I have done this before when in a rush! You need to use the exact amounts listed under each recipe in order for the recipe to come out well.
• Optional – If you don’t have any golden raisins, you can use regular raisins, dried cranberries, dried blueberries, etc. However, I much prefer sweet delicious golden raisins to regular raisins.
• Optional – To create a little variety, I often like to make this bread with 50% golden raisins and 50% dried cranberries. This generates a nice mix of sweet & tart fruit when making bread machine raisin bread.
• Optional – Some people also like to add chopped nuts (e.g. chopped walnuts) to their cinnamon raisin bread machine recipe. I would consider adding only 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts if you are adding nuts to this raisin bread machine recipe. One of my visitors (thanks Donna!) likes to add 1/2 cup of chopped pecans to make a pecan raisin bread.
• Visitors – How do you like to improve your cinnamon raisin bread? Do you add extra fruit (e.g. dried cranberries) or nuts? Do you add additional spices (beyond just cinnamon)? Please post your bread “upgrade” ideas in the comment section below. Beginner bakers learn a lot from your recipe variations.

• Do NOT use cold milk. The main problem with using regular milk is that people tend to use cold refrigerated milk and this can slow the yeast growth. Try to use warm milk (or instant powdered milk mixed into warm water). However, you should also be aware that the milk should not be too hot because very hot milk can kill the yeast. Ideally the liquid temperature should be around 100-110 F.
• Optional – If you want to add a little fiber to this bread, you can replace some of the bread flour with oatmeal (DRY oat flakes – do not pre-moisten the oat flakes) or whole wheat flour. In the 2 lb recipe, you should replace 3/4 cup of bread flour with 3/4 cup of oatmeal (DRY oat flakes) or whole wheat flour. The total cups of flour (plus oats or whole wheat flour) should still equal the 2 lb recipe’s 4 cups of flour (e.g. 3 1/4 cups of bread flour plus 3/4 cup of dry oat flakes). For the 1.5 lb recipe, you can replace 1/2 cup of bread flour with 1/2 cup of oatmeal (DRY oat flakes) or whole wheat flour.
• Optional – If you don’t have any cow milk, you can replace it with plain soy milk, oat milk, etc. You can also use water but I think that milk provides this cinnamon raisin bread machine recipe with a slightly richer flavor.
• If you add the raisins before the first mixing/kneading, they can become very fragmented (chopped up) by the two kneading cycles.
• For the best results, please add the raisins during the dough “rest” period between the first and second kneading/mixing cycles. The rest period occurs AFTER the first mixing/kneading and BEFORE the second/final mixing/kneading cycle. See your manual if you want more details on the timing of the mixing/kneading cycles in your specific machine. FYI – Do not add the raisins too late in the mixing/kneading process or the raisins will not be fully mixed into the dough.
• Some bread machines “beep” at the correct time to add dried fruit, nuts, etc.

• This recipe uses bread machine yeast (or instant yeast) and NOT active dry yeast.
• Bread machine yeast and instant yeast are not the same as active dry yeast. Bread machine yeast and instant yeast are added directly to the recipe’s ingredients. In contrast, active dry yeast must be pre-activated in water/milk before being added to a recipe’s ingredients. Moreover, it can take 10-15 minutes for active dry yeast to activate (much longer than bread machine yeast and instant yeast). If you try to use active dry yeast for this recipe, it is less likely to work properly (as the recipe instructions & leavening time is based on the use of bread machine yeast/instant yeast). Examples of yeast that can be used for this recipe include Fleischmann’s Bread Machine Yeast, Fleischmann’s Instant Yeast, Saf Instant Yeast, Red Star Instant Yeast, etc.
• If you haven’t used your bread machine or bread maker in a long time, please buy some NEW bread machine yeast before making your bread. Old yeast can die or lose its potency and this will lead to bread that does not rise properly. Bread machine yeast may not be viable if it has been sitting in your pantry for years. Generally, bread machine yeast lasts for only 3-4 months after you have opened the bottle. However, if the yeast is exposed to air & moisture (e.g. the bottle not sealed tight) or exposed to higher temperatures, the yeast will expire even more quickly. Once you have opened the bottle that contains the bread machine yeast, the yeast will last longer if you store the bottle in the refrigerator or freezer. Just make sure the bottle is sealed tight.
• Some bakers like to make a little dent (pocket) in the flour in order to hold the yeast in place (looks sort of like a crater in the top of a volcano). This prevents the yeast from mixing with the other ingredients until the bread machine is turned on. Of course, you should not place the salt in this yeast “crater” or it could kill the yeast.

• I would recommend NOT reducing the salt in this recipe. You generally want to keep the salt-to-yeast ratio at a 1:1 basis in most bread recipes (1:1 based on teaspoons to teaspoons and NOT grams to grams). The salt moderates the growth of the yeast. If you cut the salt (and disrupt this 1:1 ratio), the yeast will grow faster than expected. In turn, this leads to more bread collapses (because the yeast rises too high and then craters in the middle) and/or results in “slack” less manageable dough. In addition, less salt will impact the flavor and browning of the bread.
• Make sure to level off the ingredients in your measuring spoons & cups. No “mountains” of ingredients in your spoons & cups!! If you add too much of an ingredient, you can have a baking problem. FYI – I like to level the ingredients in my measuring spoons & cups with the back of a butter knife.
• If you find the raisins mainly on the bottom of your bread versus being mixed into the bread, it is probably because you used too much flour (or didn’t add enough liquid). The dough was probably too dry and the raisins were unable to be “pressed” into the dough during the mixing & kneading.
• FYI – Usingheavily compacted flourcan throw off recipes. Compacted flour has more flour per cup than fluffed flour. Make sure to measure your ingredients properly or you can throw off the liquid-to-dry ratio of the ingredients. I have also added metric measurements (grams/milliliters) to help you better measure your ingredients. FYI – Before making a recipe, I like to give my flour container a nice shake in order to fluff up (de-compact) the flour.

• Use FRESH ingredients (e.g. flour) when making this cinnamon raisin bread machine recipe. Ingredients that have been sitting in the pantry for months can become stale or pick up weird smells & flavors. Try to keep your ingredients (e.g. flour & sugar) in airtight containers in order to extend their shelf life.
• Optional – If you prefer a softer bread, you can use buttermilk (rather than regular milk) to make this recipe. The acidity of buttermilk “tenderizes” the bread. However, buttermilk can be harder to find & more expensive than regular milk. Many people buy powdered buttermilk for better long-term storage.
• Optional – If you don’t have any bread flour, you can use all purpose flour. However, the bread will be shorter & denser. Bread flour helps to create an airer bread. Use bread flour for the best results.
• If you want to turn this cinnamon raisin bread machine recipe into even more of a breakfast bread, you can sprinkle a little brown sugar and cinnamon on top of the dough after the final kneading cycle and before the baking cycle commences.
• You generally can not get the classic “swirl” inside of a cinnamon raisin bread if the dough is mixed and baked in a bread machine. In order to get the swirl in cinnamon bread, you need to remove the dough from the bread machine, roll it up with a sugar and cinnamon layer on top of the dough (rolled like a jelly roll) and then bake the dough in an oven.

• If your bread comes out too dense, it is likely due to one of the following reasons; You are using old or stale yeast, using cold refrigerator temperature milk (which slows yeast growth), baking in a cold winter temperature kitchen (yeast likes kitchen temps of 75-80 degree F), using all purpose flour (versus bread flour as called for in the recipe), placing salt on top of or next to the yeast (salt kills yeast so it must be placed away from the yeast in the bread pan), etc. For more reasons, you should visit Bread Dad’s Why Is My Bread Machine Bread So Dense? page.
• Having trouble with bread collapses & misshapen bread tops? Make sure to read Bread Dad’s article on Bread Machine Bread Collapses. It has reasons and solutions to potential bread collapses.
• For information on other possible bread machine errors, please visit my Common Bread Machine Mistakes page.

• If you have a problem with a “basic” bread machine recipe, please make sure that you are following the recipe exactly (e.g. using the correct bread machine settings), using the correct amount of an ingredient (e.g. don’t eyeball the measurements versus using a measurement cup or accidentally add a tablespoon when a teaspoon is called for), using the correct ingredients (e.g. bread machine yeast versus regular yeast or bread flour versus all purpose flour), etc. Please don’t “wing” things with recipes.
• If you start substituting ingredients (e.g. different types of flour), you are experimenting and should not expect similar results to the recipe shown above. Experimenting can be fun. However, you should expect some successes but more potential disappointments when you start to experiment with recipes. For example, if you substitute whole wheat flour for bread flour, you will probably experience a problem (as whole wheat flour doesn’t rise nearly as well as bread flour). Moreover, whole wheat flour has a totally different flavor.

• You can also use this homemade bread to make one of Bread Dad’s delicious & toasty Panini Recipes.
• Be aware that some bread recipes may differ slightly between different types of bread machines & bread makers. Therefore, please read your bread machine manufacturer’s instructions for basic bread recipes (e.g. white bread or whole wheat bread) as these are more likely to work on your individual bread machine.
• Always wear oven mitts/gloves when dealing with a bread machine. The bread pan and the rest of the bread machine can get very hot during the baking process. This means that the bread pan and bread machine is likely to be very hot when you attempt to remove a baked good from the bread machine and/or bread pan.
• For more easy bread machine recipes (e.g. banana bread, pizza dough, cornbread, French bread, whole wheat bread, etc.), please visit Bread Dad’s mainBread MachineRecipessection.

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Questions – Cinnamon Raisin Bread Machine Recipe

What is the difference between golden and regular raisins?

Regular raisins are often sun dried which leaves them darker and drier. In contrast, golden raisins are dried in dehydrators with controlled temperature and humidity levels. This allows golden raisins to retain a lighter color and more moisture.California golden raisins and regular raisins tend to come from pale green Thompson Seedless grapes.

If you want to read more about the grapes used in America to make regular raisins and golden raisins, you should read this Wikipedia article.

Do golden raisins taste different?

Golden raisins taste different from regular raisins. Golden raisins tend to be sweeter, plumper and look great (golden colored). Moreover, regular raisins occasionally have the problem of being too dried out.

Where does cinnamon come from?

Cinnamon comes from the bark of Cinnamomum trees. The primary producers of cinnamon areIndonesia, China, Vietnam and Sri Lanka.

If you would like to learn more about cinnamon, you should read this Wikipedia article.

How to eat cinnamon raisin bread?

You can eat cinnamon raisin bread in many different delicious ways. For example, you can turn this bread into the following:

1. Sandwiches – Cinnamon raisin bread made into a peanut butter & jelly sandwich, toasted honey sandwich, chicken salad sandwich, etc.
2. Panini – Grilled cinnamon raisin bread with jalapeno cheese inside
3. Toast – Cinnamon raisin toast covered with cream cheese
4. French Toast – Covered with maple syrup
5. Crotons – To add some crunchy cinnamon flavor to your salad
6. Bread Crumbs – Cinnamon raisin bread crumbs to coat your favorite meat

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Reference Sources

• Wikipedia, Bread Machine
• Wikipedia, Cinnamon
• Wikipedia, Raisin
• Wikipedia, Raisin Bread

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