Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread

Soft white bread swirled with a cinnamon-sugar mixture and dotted with raisins. One of my favorite breakfast foods!

I’m a big fan of any kind of savory yeasted goods, but I’d replace them all in a heartbeat with any sweet bread full of cinnamon and sugar. Who’s with me?

This soft and fluffy white bread is enriched with butter, egg, and milk, but just the right amount so it’s not too heavy. The dough is rolled into a rectangle and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, then shaped into a loaf. It’s just lightly sweet and delicious as a snack or breakfast (or even lunch or dinner, if you ask me).

If you want to start the process the night before, you can make the dough, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and place it in the fridge. During this time the dough will rise slowly, and in the morning you can proceed with the next step.

The recipe makes quite a large loaf, so be sure to use the pan size suggested, not a smaller one.

You can upgrade the raisin flavor by using rum soaked raisins. Simply soak raisins in 3 tablespoons rum for a few hours. Drain well before using.

The bread is best served the day it’s made, but as you might guess, leftovers aren’t generally an issue.

5 from 2 votes

Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread

Soft white bread swirled with a cinnamon-sugar mixture and dotted with raisins. One of my favorite breakfast foods!

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Ingredients

• 3¼ cups (450 g/16 oz) all-purpose flour, or more as needed
• ¼ cup (50 g/1.7 oz) granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons instant dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup lukewarm (110F) water
• ½ cup lukewarm (110F) whole milk
• ¼ cup (½ stick/56 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• ½ cup raisins

For the filling:

• 1/3 cup (65 g/2.3 oz) granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1-2 tablespoons melted butter
• melted butter , for brushing the top of the loaf

Instructions

1. Place flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer and mix to combine. Add egg, water, milk, and butter. Attach dough hook to the mixer and mix on low speed for 3 minutes, until dough starts to come together. If dough is too sticky and looks more like batter than dough, add a bit more flour, 2 tablespoons at a time. Increase mixer speed to medium-low and mix for another 10 minutes, until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Stop periodically to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Mix in raisins. Cover dough with plastic wrap and let rest in a warm place for 1.5-2 hours, until doubled in size. Alternatively, you can refrigerate the dough overnight; it will rise slowly and be ready for the next step by morning.
2. In a small bowl, mix together sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
3. When the dough has doubled in size, gently punch it to remove air. Roll dough into an 18x10 inch (45x25 cm) rectangle. Leaving a small border around the edges, spread melted butter over the dough then sprinkle with sugar-cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough to form a log, starting with the shorter edge, and pinch to create a seal. Tuck the sides of the log so that the cinnamon-sugar is not exposed. Place in a greased 9x5-inch pan, seam down. Cover and let rest to rise for about 1 hour, until it’s about 1-inch over the edge of the pan.
4. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350F/180C.
5. Brush the top with melted butter and bake for 35-45 minutes, until golden brown. If you have a thermometer, the center of the loaf should register 200F. Allow bread to cool for 20 minutes, then remove from pan and allow to cool completely before slicing.
6. Serve warm or at room temperature.
7. Bread will stay fresh for 24 hours in an airtight container at room temperature. It can also be frozen for up to 2 months and thawed overnight in the fridge.