Dutch Oven Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Updated: Dec 4th, 2023 By Bethany Kramer
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The most delicious homemade cinnamon raisin bread baked to perfection in a hot dutch oven! It has a doughy inside with sweet raisins and cinnamon, and a crunchy outer crust.

Cinnamon raisin artisan bread in a pot with brown parchment paper.

There is nothing quite like homemade bread. Especially this perfectly sweet cinnamon raisin bread. It has a light and crunchy crust, with a doughy inside, and it’s of course studded with perfectly sweet raisins. We love toasting this bread with butter or our recommended cinnamon honey butter for complete perfection!

For this recipe, all you’ll need is 1-bowl for mixing, a dutch oven pot, and a little over 30 minutes for the bread to bake. It’s EASY, so so tasty, and freezer-friendly.

Let’s get baking!

How to Make Cinnamon Raisin Bread

  1. 1

    Activate the yeast with warm water.

  2. 2

    Add rest of ingredients and stir until dough is sticky.

  3. 3

    Place the dough on a floured surface then shape with hands into a ball. Place in a greased bowl, cover with a damp towel in a warm place and let rise for 3+ hours or until doubled in size.

  1. 4

    Remove risen dough and use just enough flour on your hands and on the surface to form it into a ball.

  2. 5

    Place on parchment paper then use edges of the paper to lift into the dutch oven. Cover and bake at 450F for 30 minutes, remove the lid and bake until golden brown on top (another 5-10 minutes).

Hands holding a grey napkin with cinnamon raisin bread in it.

Tools You’ll Need

  • Kitchen Aid electric mixer with a dough hook (optional, but recommended)
  • Cast iron pot
Lodge Cast Iron Pot

Our favorite dutch oven pot

We recommend a 6 Qt dutch oven pot for this recipe because it creates high & stable temperatures that are ideal for bread making. We love Lodge cast iron because they are quality cast iron and affordable! We use it with bread making, soups, popcorn, and so much more.

If you click this link and make a purchase, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

Tips for Success

  • Use your oven to proof the dough: whenever dough needs to rise, it’s best to let it sit in a consistent and controlled climate. I prefer using my oven with the light on (oven settings are off). This creates a consistent temperature while the oven light develops a small amount of warmth to encourage the dough to rise.
  • Freeze it: Let the bread cool and store in a freezer-friendly bag (press all the air out) and freeze for 1-2 months. Let thaw at room temperature and reheat in the oven at 350F until warm.
  • Tips if preheating dutch oven: this recipe doesn’t call for preheating your dutch oven, but if choose to do this I recommend doing a double layer of parchment paper to ensure the bottom of the bread doesn’t get too brown.
  • Easy cinnamon honey butter recipe: Make delicious and slightly sweet honey butter to spread on your homemade bread. You’ll need 1 tsp honey, a pinch of cinnamon, 3 tbsp room temperature butter – mix together in a small bowl and spread on your bread when done. SO good. 

Baking with Yeast

Active dry yeast: You’ll need to take different steps when baking bread with different yeasts. If you have active dry yeast on hand, you will need to activate it in water before adding flour (this step is included in the instructions).

Instant yeast: If you have instant yeast, you can skip dissolving it in water and stir it into your dry ingredients before adding water. Instant yeast has super small granules compared to active dry yeast so it does not need to be activated in water first.

A cinnamon raisin bread cut into two halves.

If you love this cinnamon bread, you might also be a fan of our cranberry walnut bread! Equally as delicious and just as easy to make.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread Recipe

4.87 from 93 votes
The most delicious homemade cinnamon raisin bread! It has a doughy inside with sweet raisins and cinnamon, and a crunchy outer crust. Serve toasted with butter for absolute perfection!
Prep Time 3 hours
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 40 minutes
Serves 10

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Make the dough: In an electric mixer add warm water, sugar, and yeast. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes for yeast to activate tip: sugar feeds yeast so I include it in this process. Add raisins, cinnamon, flour, and salt. Use bread mixing attachment and mix together until dough forms. If dough is too wet or dry, add water/flour 1 Tbsp at a time until right consistency.  
  • Let it rise: Toss dough on lightly floured surface, place in lightly greased bowl. Cover with a damp dish towel and let sit in a warm area for 3+ hours. Dough should be doubled in size. Tip: I like placing my dough in the oven with the light on (oven is off). This helps create a consistent climate for the dough while the light creates a small amount of warmth to help it rise.
  • Preheat oven to 450F.
  • Transfer dough: Place dough on lightly floured surface and form into ball again (keep lightly flouring your hands to prevent sticking). Lay dough on parchment paper, lightly dust paper to prevent sticking, and lift edges of paper to transfer dough into dutch oven.
  • Bake: Cover with lid and bake for 30 minutes, uncover and bake for 5-10 more minutes until golden brown.
  • Let it cool: Remove and let bread cool for 20 minutes before slicing.

Notes

Freeze it: Let the bread cool and store in a freezer-friendly bag (press all the air out) and freeze for 1-2 months. Let thaw at room temperature and reheat in the oven at 350F until warm.
Tips if preheating dutch oven: this recipe doesn’t call for preheating your dutch oven, but if choose to do this I recommend doing a double layer of parchment paper to ensure the bottom of the bread doesn’t get too brown.
Easy cinnamon honey butter recipe: Make a delicious and slightly sweet honey butter to spread on your homemade bread. You’ll need 1 tsp honey, pinch of cinnamon, 3 tbsp room temperature butter – mix together in a small bowl and spread on your bread when done. SO good. 
 
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword cinnamon raisin bread, dutch oven recipe, homemade bread, raisin bread recipe
Freezer Friendly Yes
Author A Simple Palate

Nutrition

Serving: 0g | Calories: 149kcal | Carbohydrates: 31.5g | Protein: 4.1g | Fat: 0.4g | Saturated Fat: 0g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 3.2mg | Potassium: 0mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 2.7g | Vitamin A: 0IU | Vitamin C: 0mg | Calcium: 0mg | Iron: 0mg

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295 Comments

  • Billie says:

    Can you make this in traditional bread pans?

  • Nicola says:

    5 stars
    I love this recipe but wondered why do you put the rise time at only 3+ hours when it seems all no knead dutch oven recipes including your cranberry walnut have at least 10+ hours for rise. Just wondered because I’d love to have a shorter raise time so I could eat bread sooner, haha, but because of not kneading I always wait at least 12 hours, especially when not using instant yeast. Thank you for your amazing recipes and all the work you do to bring them to us.

  • Susan says:

    5 stars
    I just made this bread this morning. I used GF flour & let it sit in my oven with light 💡 on! Excellent idea by the way.
    Bread was delicious! Best recipe i have found!

  • Caroline says:

    Hi just wondering can I leave it to proof overnight in the refrigerator?

  • loretta says:

    Any chance you could make this without an electric mixer? I don’t have one and usually mix by hand.

  • Faye Maldonado-Blake says:

    5 stars
    I made this bread today but with cranberries instead of raisins! My husband had eaten up all of the raisins in his cereal! It came out deliciously! The smell of it baking in the oven could drive you mad with want! I made the honey cinnamon butter and spread it all over the loaf as soon as it came out of the oven! After cooling, I cut it and it tastes like the Jamaican sticky bun!

  • Steve says:

    5 stars
    Worked perfect, baking is a great C19 escape. Thank you!

  • Terri says:

    5 stars
    Just made the bread….very tasty although was quite dense. Maybe should have let it rise longer??

  • Jane Kessler says:

    Step (1) of the recipe says the dough should be the “right consistency.” What consistency is that?

  • Lorraine Tewson says:

    You say to. cover and bake for 30 minutes, uncover and bake for 5-10 more minutes until golden brown then…

    Bake: Cover with lid and bake for 30 minutes, uncover and bake for 5-10 more minutes until golden brown. I am wondering if you do this twice or you really do bake for 30 min uncover and bake for 4-10 min until golden brown and then do this all over again? I just need you to answer this as I want to start baking this tomorrow. Thank you.

    • Bethany Kramer says:

      Hi Lorraine! That was an error made on my part when I recently updated the instructions. You will need to cover it and bake once, then uncovered for 5-10 minutes! So sorry for the confusion. 🙂

  • Bethany Kramer says:

    So sorry to hear that, it actually should be the right amount if measured correctly.

  • Steve says:

    5 stars
    Works great! Love the comment about adding brown sugar to help activate the yeast!

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