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Home / Recipes

Watermelon Bread

1 hour 5 minutes
4.65 from 14 votes
16 Comments
Jump to RecipePrint Recipe
  • 394
by: Joanna Cismaru
10.01.20

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Watermelon Bread – learn the secret to making this delicious raisin bread that looks like a watermelon when sliced.

3 wedges of watermelon look-alike bread on a white bread with the bread in the background

I must admit, I LOVE bread. Biscuits, white, whole wheat, rolls – you name it, I’ve probably made it. I taught myself how to bake the perfect homemade bread a while back, and it has totally changed my outlook! Not only does it taste better than store-bought, it’s also not as hard as it looks and will make you feel wonderfully accomplished.

Once I had mastered making my own bread, I wanted to get creative with it – cue my watermelon look-alike raisin bread! This bread is fun, different and will certainly impress whoever you serve it to.

Ingredients

Keep scrolling down to the recipe card for a list of FULL ingredient amounts and instructions or click the “Jump to Recipe” button at the top of the page!

  • Milk – Any type you have handy will work.
  • Butter – I like to use unsalted.
  • Sugar – Regular granulated sugar.
  • Salt – Use more or less per your own discretion.
  • Yeast – I used instant yeast. If you use active yeast, you will have to proof is by mixing it with the warm milk and 1 tsp sugar. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes or until bubbly.
  • Egg – I used a large egg.
  • Flour – All purpose flour works best, however bread flour will be okay if that’s what you have.
  • Raisins – These are your watermelon seeds! Other dark dried fruit like craisins or dried cranberries will work, but the shape of raisins work best for replicating watermelon seeds.
  • Food Coloring – I used red and green for this bread. Use any type of food coloring you prefer.
process shots showing how to make the 3 different colors of dough needed for watermelon bread

How to make watermelon bread

Making the Dough

  1. Prepare Dough – Warm the butter and milk together in the microwave for 30 seconds or until butter is melted. Add milk mixture to a large bowl. Next, add the instant yeast, egg, sugar and salt, then whisk together. Add flour gradually, I added about 2 cups of flour, one cup at at a time, mix with wooden spoon. Don’t add the last cup of flour yet. The dough should be very sticky.
  2. Red Dough – Divide the dough into 2 parts. One half needs to be divided again in two, you will have 3 pieces of dough altogether. Take the bigger piece of dough and add red food coloring until you get the color you desire. Add the raisins and about 1/2 cup of flour. Knead together until color is fully mixed in.
  3. Green and White Dough – Take one of the smaller pieces of dough and add the green food coloring, mix until the color is fully incorporated. Add about 1/4 cup of flour and knead. Add more flour as needed. Next, add 1/4 cup of flour to remaining, white dough and knead until no longer sticky, but still soft.
  4. Let Dough Rise – You should have 3 pieces of dough – red with raisins, white and green dough. Cover the bowls with plastic wrap and let them rise in a warm, draft free place until doubled in size.
  5. Form Watermelon Bread – Take the red dough and punch down to remove the air, form it into a log that’s the same length as your bread pan. Take the white dough and roll it out until it’s large enough to completely cover the red log. Wrap this dough around the red log and make sure the seams are sealed. Take the green dough now and repeat same process. Place in greased bread pan.

Baking the Bread

  1. Preheat Oven – Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
  2. Second Rise and Bake – Let the bread rise again until it doubles in size, depending on how warm your kitchen is, it should take anywhere from half hour to an hour. Bake it in a preheated 350 F degree oven for about 35 minutes. Take it out of the oven and remove it from the bread pan immediately onto a cooling rack.
  3. Cool and Serve – Let it cool completely before slicing into it. Serve.
process shots showing how to assemble the 3 different colors of dough needed to make a watermelon loaf

Tips for Making Perfect Bread

  • Read the Instructions – It’s so important to follow the full recipe instructions to ensure your bread comes out perfectly! Take your time and read through the recipe thoroughly.
  • Prep Your Ingredients – It helps immensely to lay out your ingredients beforehand. I find that laying out everything I need first, makes the process much faster and easier. It helps to have everything at the tip of your fingers so you aren’t leaving your dough out while trying to find something.
  • Don’t Over-Knead – Kneading is VERY important in how your bread will turn out. You don’t want it too sticky, too soft or too firm. It needs to be just the right texture. It does take time to be able to determine the perfect bread consistency but practice makes perfect! Take your time and knead gently.
  • Keep an Eye on Your Bread – One of the most common mistakes when it comes to bread or baking in general, is tossing it in the oven and leaving it. Make sure you keep a watchful eye on how your bread is baking so you can adjust the temperature or time if needed.
  • Practice Makes Perfect! – Don’t fret if your bread doesn’t turn out perfectly the first time you make it, you aren’t alone. It can help to keep notes on what you did the last time to go back and see what went wrong and what you could do differently. Baking should be fun, so don’t stress!
3 slices of watermelon bread on a black cutting board with the rest of the bread in the back

How Long Does Homemade Bread Last?

It’s best to store your watermelon bread at room temperature in a cool, dry place – this will allow it to keep for up to 2-4 days. Heat and humidity cause homemade bread to mold and storing it in the refrigerator can cause it to turn stale quickly. To keep your bread soft, store in an airtight plastic bag.

Can I Freeze Homemade Bread?

Yes you can! If you are going to freeze your bread, make sure you freeze it at it’s freshest. Make sure to allow it to cool before freezing to avoid soggy bread or mold! You can keep your homemade bread in the freezer for up to 3 months.

3 wedges of watermelon look-alike bread on a white bread with the bread in the background

Looking for More Bread Recipes? Try These!

  • No Knead Bread
  • Chocolate Apple Pie Monkey Bread
  • Zucchini Bread
  • Easy Cornbread Recipe
  • Slow Cooker Bread
  • Buttermilk Parmesan Biscuits
  • Sunflower and Flax Seed Whole Wheat Cast Iron Bread
  • Honey Rolls
  • Healthy Whole Wheat Banana Nut Bread
  • Sunflower Bread
  • No Knead Cast Iron Whole Wheat Bread

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3 wedges of watermelon look-alike bread on a white bread with the bread in the background

Watermelon Bread

4.65 from 14 votes
Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 35 mins
Total: 1 hr 5 mins
Author: Joanna Cismaru
Serves: 10
Print Pin Rate
Watermelon Bread – learn the secret to making this delicious raisin bread that looks like a watermelon when sliced.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 2 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast 8 g
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup raisins
  • a few drops red food coloring
  • a few drops of green food coloring
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • Warm the butter and milk together in the microwave for 30 seconds or until butter is melted. Add milk mixture to a large bowl. Add the instant yeast, the egg, sugar and salt, then whisk it all together. You can start adding flour, I added about 2 cups of flour, one cup at once and mixed it with a wooden spoon. Don’t add the last cup of flour yet.
  • The dough should be very sticky but this is where you need to divide the dough into 2 parts. One part will be used for the red part of the watermelon. The other half needs to be divided in half, so you’ll end up with 1/4 of the initial dough. You’ll have 3 pieces of dough. Take the bigger piece of dough and add red food coloring, add a few drops to achieve the color you want. Also add the raisins at this time and about 1/2 cup of flour. Knead it all together, if you want you can transfer it to your mixer but you should be able to knead by hand too. Make sure the color is fully mixed in. The dough should no longer be sticky, so add more flour if needed.
  • Take one of the smaller pieces of dough and add the green food coloring and mix until the color is fully mixed. Add about 1/4 cup of flour and knead. Add more flour as needed as well. To the other piece of dough all you need to do is add 1/4 cup of flour or as much as needed and knead until it’s no longer sticky but still soft.
  • Now should have 3 pieces of dough, the red dough with the raisins, the white dough and the green dough. Cover the bowls up with plastic wrap and let them rise in a warm place until doubled in size.
  • Take the red dough and punch down to remove the air then form it into a log that’s the same length as your bread pan. Take the white dough and roll it out until it’s large enough to completely cover the red log. Wrap this dough around the red log and make sure the seams are sealed. Take the green dough now and repeat, roll it out until it’s big enough to cover the log, and wrap it around the log, sealing the seams. Place it in your greased bread pan.
  • Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
  • Let the bread rise again until it doubles in size, depending on how warm your kitchen is, it should take anywhere from half hour to an hour. Bake it in a preheated 350 F degree oven for about 35 minutes. Take it out of the oven and remove it from the bread pan immediately onto a cooling rack.
  • Let it cool completely before slicing into it.

Recipe Notes

  1. It’s best to store your watermelon bread at room temperature in a cool, dry place – this will allow it to keep for up to 2-4 days. Heat and humidity cause homemade bread to mold and storing it in the refrigerator can cause it to turn stale quickly. To keep your bread soft, store in an airtight plastic bag.
  2. If you are going to freeze your bread, make sure you freeze it at it’s freshest. Make sure to allow it to cool before freezing to avoid soggy bread or mold! You can keep your homemade bread in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 238kcal (12%)Carbohydrates: 47g (16%)Protein: 6g (12%)Fat: 3g (5%)Saturated Fat: 2g (13%)Cholesterol: 23mg (8%)Sodium: 197mg (9%)Potassium: 207mg (6%)Fiber: 2g (8%)Sugar: 6g (7%)Vitamin A: 117IU (2%)Vitamin C: 1mg (1%)Calcium: 40mg (4%)Iron: 2mg (11%)
Course:Bread, Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine:American
Keyword:raisin bread, watermelon look alike bread
Tried this recipe? Rate it belowtag @jocooks on instagram and hashtag it #jocooks!
Recipe adapted from Veronica’s Kitchen
  • 394

Meet Joanna Cismaru

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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Comments

  1. Hellen says

    May 29, 2020 at 4:11 am

    5 stars
    Easy to make. Used chocolate chips.

    Reply
  2. Barbara Battibulli says

    June 23, 2019 at 1:45 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious! Oh, how I wish I lived next door to you! You can try recipes out on me any time!!

    Reply
    • Nicole Beaulieu says

      June 24, 2019 at 9:58 am

      We would love to share our food with you! So glad you love the recipe 🙂

      Reply
  3. MaryJo says

    March 3, 2019 at 11:03 am

    5 stars
    OMG, this is the cutest thing ever! Kudos for developing the recipe and I can’t wait to make it.

    Reply
  4. Ray Watson says

    February 4, 2016 at 5:00 pm

    Very cool recipe! This must be a hit with kids!

    Reply
  5. Cher | Inthefoodlab says

    July 26, 2015 at 9:12 pm

    I’m really enjoying seeing everyone’s take on the watermelon bread frenzy that started back here in Taiwan. Your colors turned out beautifully, I tackled the bread using colorful vegetables instead of food coloring. I wonder if we can create watermelon bread that actually TASTES like watermelon as well hahaha XD

    here’s my take if you’re interested: http://www.inthefoodlab.com/watermelon-season/

    Reply
  6. Julie says

    July 5, 2015 at 10:27 am

    What size bread pan did you use?

    Reply
    • jo says

      July 5, 2015 at 10:47 am

      Hi Julie, it’s just a regular 9×5 inch bread pan.

      Reply
  7. Krystal says

    March 22, 2015 at 9:45 am

    Oh my goodness this is genius! How creative are you!! 🙂

    Reply
    • jo says

      March 22, 2015 at 4:29 pm

      Thanks Krystal 🙂

      Reply
      • Peggy says

        July 3, 2015 at 12:12 pm

        My husband LOVES frosted raisin bread. I wonder if the green layer could be green marzipan? (use the dough to increase the red portion)

  8. Erin @ Miss Scrambled Egg says

    March 20, 2015 at 5:13 am

    This is kind of the most awesome bread I’ve ever seen! What a perfect April Fools Day recipe. I bet it tastes delicious. I love raisins more than most people. 🙂

    Reply
    • jo says

      March 20, 2015 at 9:30 am

      Great idea, never thought about it for April Fool’s Day. 🙂

      Reply
  9. Wardah says

    March 20, 2015 at 12:08 am

    Brilliant! Something which i’ll definitely make with my son!

    Reply
  10. Darlene says

    March 19, 2015 at 10:37 pm

    5 stars
    I was very fortunate to bring the watermelon bread home today. I couldn’t believe how amazing the bread just looked. I stopped at the grocery store wanting to show everyone in the store but didn’t everyone would think I was crazy. I did take a picture and emailed it to most of my friends. Jo they are going to join your blog. I showed my two children the bread. They were amazed on how much it looks like a watermelon. They wanted to taste it but I suggested later I needed to show it off first. I’m so impressed with just the looks of it I can just imagine how good it will taste. Thanks so much Jo I’m very impressed.

    Reply
    • jo says

      March 20, 2015 at 9:31 am

      LOL Thanks Darlene, I’m glad you guys are enjoying it. 🙂

      Reply

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I'm Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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