This rustic cinnamon raisin loaf is as delicious as it is easy to make. It requires no kneading, no stand mixer, and no complicated ingredients! Whether you’re a bread making beginner or an expert looking for something more laid-back, this simple recipe is sure to yield satisfying results.
The Best Bread Recipe for Beginners
Learning how to bake bread can often seem really intimidating. Many bread recipes require beginners to invest a lot of time, effort, and even money for new equipment or ingredients. But now that we are all being encouraged to stay home more often, more and more people are taking the plunge and experimenting with baking their own bread at home.
Today, I’m excited to show you my cinnamon raisin bread recipe that’s absolutely perfect for bread making novices or even those looking for a bread loaf recipe that’s easy to whip up on a lazy weekend (maybe even a weeknight!). This cinnamon raisin bread is rich in flavor with a delightful toasted crust and soft, hearty center. I talk a little bit about what you can eat it with later so be sure to keep reading!
The recipe uses ingredients and equipment that you may already have and it doesn’t require any kneading (nor a stand mixer, for that matter) so you can give your arms a much-deserved break. It’s also very forgiving when it comes to time – you can let it rise anywhere between 8 and 24 hours and choose to bake it whenever it’s most convenient for you.
How to Bake Bread in a Dutch Oven
This bread loaf recipe is so convenient because you can make it in a Dutch oven. The Dutch oven creates a steamy enclosed environment that cooks the dough evenly without letting it burn – the recipe is pretty fail-proof as a result!
A Dutch oven is a great investment. You can use it for more than just bread – pasta, soups, and even some of my favorite Vietnamese braises can be made in one. It’s very much a staple in many households.
But if you don’t have a Dutch oven and aren’t planning on purchasing one, don’t worry. You can still make this recipe! To create similar heating conditions as in the Dutch oven, you could use one baking form with another placed on top like a cover. Or for something even easier, use any of your bakeware and cover it well with heavy-duty aluminum.
What to Eat With Cinnamon Raisin Bread
This cinnamon raisin bread is actually ideal for both sweet and savory applications! If you want to go the sweet route, the fruity raisins and warm cinnamon will pair wonderfully with a layer of peanut butter. For a more savory (and decadent) breakfast option, try topping a slice with cream cheese and a drizzle of honey. But if you’re trying the bread fresh out of the oven, nothing is more satisfying than having it on its own with a pat of butter. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 3 cups All-Purpose Flour
- ½ tsp Active Dry Yeast
- 1.5 cups Water (Room temperature)
- 3 tsp Cinnamon
- 2 tbsp Brown Sugar
- 1.5 tsp Kosher Salt
- ¾ cup Raisin (check label to make sure your raisins have no added sugar otherwise adjust amount of sugar used in this recipe)
Instructions
- Combine all of the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
- Add water and use the back of a wooden spoon to combine all dry ingredients with water. Make sure to use room temperature water. This should take you less than 1 minute!
- Cover dough with plastic wrap and let it rest on the kitchen counter in room temperature for 8 hours or up to 24 hours. This dough is very forgiving.
- Sprinkle a generous amount of flour over the dough. Use back of wooden spoon to get some of the air bubbles out and combine dough with the flour.
- Transfer the dough into another bowl lined with parchment paper. You actually never touch the dough with your bare hands. How fantastic is that???
- Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Put your Dutch oven with its lid in the oven to get it super-hot.
- Once oven is at 450 degrees and your Dutch oven is nice and hot, transfer the dough WITH the parchment paper into the Dutch oven.
- Put the lid on.
- Bake with LID ON for 30 minutes.
- Remove lid.
- Bake with NO LID for another 10 minutes.
- Once baking time if over, take it out of the Dutch oven and let it rest.
- DO NOT CUT INTO THE BREAD at this time. While it is hot, the dough is still cooking.
- It takes about 30 minutes for the bread to be totally cool. Now you can cut into your homemade Artisan Cinnamon Raisin bread! Super Yum. ENJOY 😊