Homemade Raisin Bread

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Updated on 07/28/21
Tested by
Laurel Randolph
Photo of Laurel Randolph
Tested by Laurel Randolph
A fervid lover of the culinary arts and all things Instant Pot, Laurel has been writing about food for 10 years. One of her cookbooks was the #2 cookbook of 2017.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Raisin bread

The Spruce

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 25 mins
Rising Time: 2 hrs 40 mins
Total: 3 hrs 25 mins
Servings: 16 servings
Yield: 2 loaves

This homemade raisin bread is a delicious, lightly sweetened yeast bread. It's wonderful sliced right off the loaf and it makes fabulous toast. Whichever way you like it, homemade raisin bread is a top-notch breakfast choice.

Add some fresh-squeezed orange juice and a hot cup of your favorite coffee or strong, black tea, and you have a breakfast that would be right at home on a cafe menu. You can also make French toast out of raisin bread for a yummy Sunday breakfast. If you prefer, you can mix and knead the dough with a bread machine or stand mixer with a dough hook attachment rather than by hand.

"Few things smell better than raisin bread baking in the oven. As long as you have some time to spare, this bread recipe is easy to bake up at home. The recipe makes two small-ish loaves, enough for a large family to devour." —Laurel Randolph

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Ingredients

  • 1 (0.25-ounce) packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)

  • 1/4 cup warm water, about 110 F

  • 1 cup raisins

  • 1/2 cup warm milk

  • 2 ounces (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened

  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt

  • 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided

  • 2 large eggs, beaten

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    raisin bread ingredients
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  2. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water.

    Yeast in water
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  3. In a large bowl, combine the raisins, warm milk, butter, sugar, and salt; stir to dissolve the sugar. Let the mixture cool to lukewarm.

    Stir in raisins
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  4. Stir 1 1/2 cups of the flour into the milk mixture and beat until smooth.

    Whisk
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  5. Add the yeast mixture and the beaten eggs to the milk mixture and mix to blend well.

    Add in yeast mixture
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  6. Add enough of the remaining flour to make a soft but stiff dough.

    Add enough flour
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  7. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.

    Turn the dough
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  8. Butter or oil a large bowl. Place the dough in the greased bowl. Turn it over to grease the entire surface of the dough.

    Butter in a large bowl
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  9. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let it stand in a warm, draft-free place until it has doubled in bulk, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

    Cover the bowl
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  10. Punch the dough down and divide it into two equal portions. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let it rest for 10 minutes.

    Punch the dough down
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  11. Shape the dough into two loaves and place them in two greased 8-by-4-inch loaf pans.

    Dough into two loaves
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  12. Cover the pans with a kitchen towel and let the loaves rise for about 45 to 60 minutes, or until the dough has almost doubled in bulk. Then preheat oven to 375 F.

    Cover the pans
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  13. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Place foil over the loaves for the last 10 minutes if they look overly brown.

    Bake raisin bread
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  14. Remove the loaves from the pans and let them cool on racks. Serve and enjoy!

    Raisin bread recipe
    The Spruce

How to Store and Freeze

  • Store leftover bread tightly wrapped at room temperature for up to three days. After a day or two, the bread is best toasted.
  • To freeze, tightly wrap the loaf (sliced or unsliced) in plastic wrap and place in a zip-top freezer bag. Freeze for up to three months and defrost in the fridge before toasting and enjoying.

Recipe Variations

This recipe can easily be adapted based on your preferences or just for variety:

  • Cinnamon-Raisin Bread: Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon along with the flour.
  • Cranberry-Walnut Bread: Replace the raisins with dried cranberries or "craisins" and some chopped walnuts for a tasty treat that is especially appealing in the wintertime.
  • Substitute golden raisins or currants or goji berries for the raisins for another flavorful variation.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
187 Calories
4g Fat
34g Carbs
5g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 16
Amount per serving
Calories 187
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 4g 5%
Saturated Fat 2g 11%
Cholesterol 31mg 10%
Sodium 233mg 10%
Total Carbohydrate 34g 12%
Dietary Fiber 1g 5%
Total Sugars 9g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 0mg 1%
Calcium 23mg 2%
Iron 2mg 9%
Potassium 128mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)