No Knead Cinnamon Raisin Bread
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Get ready to gush over this super easy delicious No Knead Cinnamon Raisin Bread! Baked right in a cast iron pot, it’s got a crispy crust, soft springy texture, and is perfectly sweetened with a touch of brown sugar. Your family will not be able to wait to slice into it as the amazing aroma of cinnamon raisin fills your home as this yummy bread bakes in the oven!
Easy No Knead Cinnamon Raisin Bread Recipe
When you put cinnamon and raisins together with a delicious bread dough it’s like a flavor combination match made in heaven! There is nothing better than biting into a warm slice of Cinnamon Brown Sugar Pull Apart Bread with Raisins. But you look at the recipe and see that there is kneading, rising, forming, and baking. Sure on some days that’s not a big deal and baking is totally therapeutic. But other days you need something a little quicker. Or, in this case, a lot quicker!
With this recipe, if you’ve got no time for kneading!?! No worries! This no knead cinnamon raisin bread recipe is a simple, delicious, and pretty foolproof way to make some unbelievably good bread. In fact, you don’t even have to activate the yeast! But unlike my Fast and Easy No Knead Bread you do have to let it rise for some time. Yet, this means that you can whip the dough together in minutes and then return to it hours later right before it needs to be baked! Easy peasy bread making at its best!
So if you’re a regular bread baker, this technique is going to change your life. It’s so simple and so good that you might wonder why you ever bothered baking bread the old way. And for beginners, it’s a fantastic way to start learning your way around bread baking with a lot less work!
Why You’ll Love This No Knead Cinnamon Bread
- Perfect for Beginners! With just 7 easy to find basic pantry ingredients and a cast iron pot, you can make this super flavorful simple no knead cinnamon raisin bread recipe. No special bread baking knowledge is needed.
- Cinnamon Raisin Yumminess! Chock full of cinnamon and raisins with a bit of brown sugar folded into the dough for a touch of sweetness, this soft cinnamon raisin bread with a crispy crust is incredibly good.
- Family Favorite! This homemade raisin bread makes an excellent sweet treat any time of the day that the whole family will love. And it’s a much healthier snack or dessert for kids than cookies or chocolate.
- Flour – Basic all-purpose flour is all you need to make this no knead bread recipe. However, bread flour is another option if you prefer.
- Salt – A touch of salt is important to help develop the flavor of the dough and balance the sweetness.
- Active Dry Yeast – This is the leavening agent used to make the dough rise. Be sure to check the expiration date on your yeast.
- Cinnamon – No other spice goes with raisins quite like warm ground cinnamon. You can also add a pinch of cardamom or nutmeg if you like.
- Raisins – The star ingredient, use plump raisins for the best-tasting raisin bread.
- Water – You need lukewarm water that is between 105°F to 115°F (41°C to 46°C) to activate the yeast and bring the dough together.
- Brown Sugar – Adds a lovely touch of sweetness to the bread.
This bread recipe is so easy and foolproof! But it does require a little bit of patience. However, it takes very little effort and the results are amazing!
For this recipe, you don’t have to activate the yeast before making the dough! All you have to do is stir the flour, salt, yeast, ground cinnamon, and raisins together in a large bowl.
Then pour the lukewarm water into the bowl and mix everything together with a wooden spoon or spatula until it’s fully combined. All the flour must be well incorporated into the dough.
Once the dough is made you don’t have to knead it, but it does need time to rise. So cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Then leave the dough to sit on your kitchen counter or inside an unheated oven for 12 to 18 hours. In order for the yeast to do its job properly, the dough must be left to rise for a minimum of 5 hours. The longer you leave it the better your results will be.
After the dough has had plenty of time to rise, preheat your oven temperature to 450°F (232°C) and put your cast iron pot with its lid on into the oven as it’s heating up. Then once the oven reaches 450°F (232°C) use oven mitts to carefully remove the hot pot from the oven and then remove the lid. Take extra care not to burn yourself while doing this step.
Before you begin, flour your hands well. Now, sprinkle a bit of flour over the dough in the bowl. Then gently remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a well floured work surface. Next, flatten the dough just a bit with your hands and then sprinkle it with the brown sugar. Then fold the dough over itself a few times to blend the brown sugar a little bit into the dough. Finally, form the dough into a ball using more flour if needed and place it on a piece of parchment paper.
Now let’s bake some delicious sweet bread! First, drop the ball of dough into the hot Dutch oven with the parchment paper and cover the pot with the lid. Next, transfer the pot back into the oven and bake the bread for 30 minutes with the lid on. Then remove the lid and bake it for another 15 to 20 minutes until it’s golden brown on top. Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing it to serve.
How Do You Know When No Knead Bread Is Done?
When no knead bread is finished baking the crust should be firm with a darker golden brown color. So if the bread is still pale you need to leave it in the oven to bake for a few more minutes. Another way to see if the bread is done is by using an instant-read thermometer. Just insert it into the center of the loaf and if the bread is at least 195°F to 205°F (91°C to 96°C) inside then it’s done.
Why Is My Homemade No Knead Bread So Dense?
If your no knead bread turns out dense it’s likely because you didn’t give it enough time to rise. No knead bread recipes are easy to make but they require a longer rise time, which gives the gluten plenty of time to develop in place of the kneading. The other reasons that your bread may have turned out dense are that you overbaked it or you used expired yeast.
Expert Tips
- Check the date on your yeast. Always check the date on your yeast before starting any bread recipe. The main reason that homemade bread fails is due to old expired yeast.
- Lukewarm water is a must. The water must be between 105°F to 115°F (41°C to 46°C) for the dough to come together and rise properly. You can easily use a digital cooking thermometer to check the temperature of your water.
- It needs time. You must give this no knead cinnamon raisin bread dough at least 5 hours of rising time. If you don’t allow it the time it needs to double in size your bread will turn out heavy and be very dense.
Storage
No knead cinnamon raisin bread will keep at room temperature for up to 4 days in a container or bag. You can also store it in the freezer for up to 3 months in a sealed freezer bag or double wrapped in plastic wrap. Then just allow the bread to thaw out at room temperature for a few hours before serving.
Other Delicious No Knead Bread Recipes To Try
- No Knead Bread
- Air Fryer No Knead Bread
- No Knead Skillet Bread
- No Knead Whole Wheat Bread
- Fast and Easy No Knead Bread
- No Knead Potato Bread
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No Knead Cinnamon Raisin Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon (ground)
- 1 cup raisins
- 1½ cup water (lukewarm (105°F to 115°F))
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- In a big bowl mix the flour, salt, yeast, cinnamon and raisins together. Pour water into the bowl and using a spatula or a wooden spoon mix it until well incorporated. You do not need to activate the yeast before, even though we're using active dry yeast.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit on your counter or inside your unheated oven for 12 to 18 hours. You need to let this dough rest for a minimum of 5 hours to allow the yeast to do its job.
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Add your cast iron pot to the oven as it's heating and heat it as well until it's at 450°F. Usually when the oven is done preheating your pot should be hot enough as well. Remove the pot from the oven and remove the lid from it. Use oven mitts, as to not burn yourself.
- Flour your hands really well and also sprinkle a bit of flour over the dough. With your floured hands gently remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a well floured work surface. Flatten the dough a little bit then sprinkle the brown sugar over the dough. Now fold the dough over itself a few times, to make the brown sugar blend a bit into the dough. Form the dough into a ball, use more flour if needed. Place the dough over a piece of parchment paper.
- Take the ball of dough with the parchment paper and drop it into the hot Dutch oven. Cover the pot with the lid and place it back in the oven.
- Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on, after which remove the lid and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Remove the bread from the pot, it should fall out easily. Let cool completely before slicing into it and serving.
Video
Notes
- Check the date on your yeast. Always check the date on your yeast before starting any bread recipe. The main reason that homemade bread fails is due to old expired yeast.
- Lukewarm water is a must. The water must be between 105°F to 115°F (41°C to 46°C) for the dough to come together and rise properly. You can easily use a digital cooking thermometer to check the temperature of your water.
- It needs time. You must give this no knead cinnamon raisin bread dough at least 5 hours of rising time. If you don’t allow it the time it needs to double in size your bread will turn out heavy and be very dense.
- This cinnamon raisin bread will keep at room temperature for up to 4 days in a container or bag. You can also store it in the freezer for up to 3 months in a sealed freezer bag or double wrapped in plastic wrap. Then just allow the bread to thaw out at room temperature for a few hours before serving.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
Hi Jo, I’m just wondering why there’s such a huge difference in how much yeast you used in the potato bread and this cinnamon raisin bread. I would have thought since this would be so heavy with the raisins it would be the other way around. What would be the effect of one were to increase the yeast here?
Thanks!
This bread takes longer to rise versus the potato bread. If you want the potato bread to rise over a longer period of time you can reduce the yeast amount as well.
Can I use instant yeast instead of active and mix it right into the flour? How much instant yeast should I use?
Same amount of instant yeast as active dry yeast.
Can I use the red star instant yeast and how much
Yes you can, same amount.
I’m making this for a second time! Besides the easy procedure, it’s simply delicious!
So glad you like it!
Outstanding!!!!
Hello! Thank you for this recipe. My bread came out good and cooked through but the bottom is pretty burned, I cooked it as directed in a Dutch oven and I am not sure why? Is there a trick to prevent the bottom to burn?
It’s possible the brown sugar was mostly on the bottom which could be why it burned.
Thank you that was it!! Delicious 😛
This is so fabulous! Can you give us a Kalamata olive no knead bread recipe?
Is there a reason for adding the brown sugar after the long fermentation?
Yeah, if you add it in the beginning, it’s probably going to blend into the dough and I wanted more streaks of sugar through it. If you don’t care either way then you can try adding it in the beginning.
Veey nice. I made mine in a loaf tin as I dont have a dutch oven. Very nice.
Absolutely delicious, and so easy to make!! Will be making this regularly.
Thank you !
Absolutely delicious! I’ve shared the recipe with three friends already! Will be making this again this weekend.
So glad you liked it!
Can I add a little brown sugar to the bread itself?
Absolutely!
This tasted great. I used cranberries and added walnuts.
Oh my word! This recipe was so easy and the cinnamon bread is YUMmy! Thank you for this fantastic recipe.
Glad you enjoyed it!
This bread is SO fantastic! I am speechless…..probably because my mouth is full of raisin bread 😄
Thanks so much, Jo 😊
LOL almost spilled my coffee! So glad you liked it!
Hi Jo – I’m eager to make this but I’ll need to buy a cast iron pot 1st
Also can I replace cinnamon with something else? Thank you
If you don’t have a Dutch Oven, a covered metal pot would work as well, just make sure it can stand up to 450F. A 4 quart Calphalon soup pot with lid would work as well. If your pot doesn’t have a lid, you can cover the pot with heavy-duty aluminum foil, just make sure you seal the pot well. You can omit the cinnamon or try nutmeg, cardamom, allspice or any other spice you like.
Want to confirm that the temperature stays at 450°
Yes, that’s right, you just remove the lid after 30 minutes.