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I recently bought a bread machine and have been experimenting with different recipes. I am still playing around to find the perfect whole-wheat sandwich loaf, but in the meantime I hit the jackpot with this cinnamon raisin loaf. The first time I made 
this bread the entire loaf (pictured) was gone in just under 24 hours. And no, we did not have any house guests…it was just my family of four chowing down like it was our jobs. At one point I had to cut the children off mainly because I wanted my loaf to last us longer than a day!
I finally made more though and have been using it to make sandwiches – with organic cream cheese in the middle – for my daughters’ snacks at school. They even love this bread enough for it to serve as a “dessert” after dinner. If you don’t have a bread machine I think it’s worth the investment since it’s nearly impossible to find decent whole-wheat bread at a typical grocery store. I bought a Panasonic machine that was recommended by several friends, but I’ve also heard from readers who found a machine they love from their local Goodwill store. The only complaint I have about my machine is that I wish I didn’t have to wait an hour or two for it to beep before adding the raisins (since you don’t put them in with the rest of the ingredients). Other than that though I’ve been very happy with it! If you have a machine that you love please tell us about it in the comments below.
- 3 cups whole-wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup warm water (I heat it in glass measuring cup in microwave for 1 minute)
- ½ cup oil (I used coconut oil)
- 4 tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 cup raisins
- Follow your bread machine’s directions for making a whole-wheat raisin loaf.
I like to take my bread out 10 minutes before the standard end time for a lighter crust.
I also have a problem with the raisins being incorporated into the dough (bread machine) I found that If I microwave the raisins for 5 minutes in water,drain,then raisins are then plumped up and easily blend into the dough.
Curious what your concerns are with the bake pan in the bread machine that is non stick? The chemicals that are released when heated any concern? Thanks! Looking forward to hearing back from you!
Hi Gretchen. This is not an issue we have explored. If you are concerned about teflon being heated, you could use your machine to mix and knead the dough and bake it in the oven. ~Amy
Thank you
So I am assuming my kitchen aid stand mixer with the hook attachment would work then bake it?! My daughter loves raisin bread. Can’t wait to try it! Thanks Amy!!
Yes, Gretchen. It should work just fine. : ) ~Amy
I dont own a bread machine, nor do i have the funds to purchase one at the moment. Can the bread recipes be mixed by hand and just baked in the oven?
Hello Lisa. Other readers have had luck baking this bread conventionally. If you have a chance to share your results, please do. Good luck. ~Amy
Hi. What kind of yeast? Instant of Active Dry?
Hi Shawna. We use active dry. ~Amy
I once read on your blog about a recommended bread knife. I cannot find the post again. I just took the leap and bought the bread machine…now I need a proper knife to go with it. What was your recommendation?
Hi Shannon. Your answer is within this post:http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/12/09/real-food-tips-my-favorite-kitchen-tools-and-appliances/. Scroll down to the Small, But Necessary Tool section. ~Amy
Just made this bread the other day. Turned out amazing. I used almond oil and twice the cinnamon, and a heaping cup of raisins (I have seen other comments on the raisins clumping, and so I was careful to sprinkle them into the pan and not just dump the whole cup in. I used boxed organic raisins for this recipe – I normally get my raisins in the bulk food section, but those seemed to be too sticky for this.) I use a Zojirushi 2lb bread maker, and this loaf came out about half height, but was incredibly soft. I used the basic wheat setting, and my machine includes an indicator for when to add the raisins. Thanks for developing this, I am four for four with respect to recipes on this site. Keep up the great work!
For those of you without a bread machine (like me) who really, really wanted to make this recipe, I was able to make a loaf so tasty that my kids want it for dessert, plain, it’s just that good!
Here is how I made mine (all the amounts are the same from Lisa’s original recipe):
Combine water (110 degrees) with yeast and honey, then mix with 1 and 1/2 cups of the flour. I let this sit for 30 minutes until it was nice and bubbly.
Then I added the remaining ingredients in a Kitchenaid with a dough hook. The raisins were last and I think that made them more difficult to incorporate, so I will change that for next time, but I didn’t do anything special to them first.
I let the dough knead for 10 minutes in the mixer, 5 minutes on low, then 5 minutes on one setting higher.
I placd the dough in a greased bowl (lightly greased the dough as well) and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size.
Then, punched it down, placed it in a greased loaf pan and let it rise again, this time until it was even with the sides of the pan.
I baked the loaf for 28 minutes at 350 degrees and it is Perfect!
thank you Lisa for another great recipe!
I hope this helps others eager to make this bread.
Courtenay, Thank you so much for posting this. I received a new Cusinart Bread Maker a few months ago and unfortunately every bread I have made from the bread maker turns the outside very hard and the inside doughy (appears half done). I don’t think it mixes enough. I have made the honey whole wheat with the bread maker and without. With the bread maker, it is dense and hard on the outside. If I make it on my own, it is so much better. I have a Kitchen Aid mixer, so I will re-attempt making this later in the week. I do think it makes a big difference on the type of bread maker you have. I am giving mine up. Thanks for posting.
Thank you for this – I don’t use a bread machine so I am always hoping I am not the only one.
Just made this whole wheat bread and it is so good. I was do glad to find a bread that was made with only whole wheat flour. I can’t wait to try the cinnamon raisins. Thank you so much
Is the cinnamon raisin bread a 2 pound loaf. I used it for the wheat but wanted to check before i made it.
Hi just wanted to say that i baked this without a bread machine (not a big fan much prefer to do it all by hand). I used the exact same amounts of ingredients but didn’t add all the water, but i think this may depend on your flour used. First mix your flour, cinnamon, salt and yeast. Then rub in your honey and oil.Then add the water. Knead for about 10 minutes, until elastic and stretchy. I still like my dough quite wet just makes a nicer bread I find. Then cover and leave in a warm place for 30-40 minutes (I like to put it into a clean lightly oiled mixing bowl as then its easy to transfer). It should double in size. Then add your raisins kneed again only for a few mins until incorporated. Cover again and leave in oiled bowl in a warm place to rise again for about 30 minutes. Slide into a none stick bread pan and bake on 180C or 350F for about 40mins. But it depends on your oven, so I just lightly tap on the top and if it makes a nice hollow tap and is nice and browned on top its ready.
I understand that this looks like a massive task but I do it while i’m doing other baking or cooking and it is so rewarding having your own fresh bread made with your owns hands
April 22, 2013
Thank you ever so much for this great recipe! I’ve been using whole wheat flour for many years and I used to make a lot of bread from scratch (without a bread machine). I used a bread machine for the baking and for the rising of the bread. Unfortunately my bread machine is not stirring or kneading the dough even though the machine is nearly new. I mixed and kneaded the dough by hand before baking it in the machine. The bread turned out to be the softest most delicious bread that I have EVER made. I did change the recipe even though I hadn’t tried the recipe before. I used 2 cups of whole wheat flour and 1 1/2 cups of unbleached organic white flour (using some unbleached white to help it to rise and to give it a softer texture). I soaked the raisens in boiling hot water before starting the recipe. After I had let the yeast bubble in the water (along with the sweetener)for a few minutes I added the other ingredients starting with the oil . I used olive oil. After draining the extra water off of the raisens I added them in with the flour. It was not difficult to knead as the raisens were already quite soft. For the sweetener I used 2 tablespoons of organic sugar and 2 tablespoons of honey. This bread was well liked. It was gone (eaten) very quickly.
OK, I tried going through all the comments here and this doesn’t have much to do with the bread/recipe itself, which is amazing. My question is do you have any recommendations for slicing bread from a bread machine and getting good thickness/even slices??? Thanks so much!!
Hello Jen. The most important requirement for not mangling your loaf is to have a good quality bread knife. You will find a link to Lisa’s choice here: http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/12/09/real-food-tips-my-favorite-kitchen-tools-and-appliances/. You will have to decide what slice width you prefer. You can make marks with the knife on the top of your loaf to help keep your slices an even width and then slice with a very steady hand.
~Amy
Thanks Amy! I actually have that same Henckels bread knife, it does work great. I think its just me and my crooked brain that can’t seem to cut straight LOL Thanks for your response and all you all do!!!!
Jen
Jen-I’ve mangled a loaf or two myself!~Amy
Made this for breakfast this week. So easy to bring a slice to work and slather it with almond or peanut butter and bananas or apples. Thanks for the recipe!