World's Best Cinnamon Raisin Bread (Not Bread Machine)

I made this bread today, and it is amazing! I read all the reviews, and I did make some additions based on the helpful suggestions of others: I added 1 Tablespoon of sugar to the water that the yeast was proofing in, and I also added 1/4 c. white sugar, 1 Tablespoon cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp. salt to the dough. I also added 2 cups of raisins to the overall recipe (so there are 3 c. TOTAL), and put half of them (1 1/2 c.) in the dough, and half of them in the filling. I was a little worried that the chunks of softened butter would screw up the dough, but they were fine, and it didn't matter that they were all chunky before I put the flour in. I guess the kneading took care of them. It took me about 9 cups of flour to have a dough that was manageable. I also changed the filling a bit. I used 2/3 c. brown sugar (packed), 2/3 c. white sugar, 1/4 c. cinnamon, and I mixed it all together and sprinkled 1/3 of it in each loaf with the remaining raisins. The baking temperature was right on, and my loaves were done in 30 minutes. I'm sorry I messed with your recipe so much, but thanks so much for posting it! I am SO glad I took the time to try it and for all the others who have tried it and made the suggestions that made mine such a success. Thank you Lydia. :)

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WOW! This bread definitely lives up to its title! I made it last night and my husband was still raving about it as he was leaving for work this morning. Don't let the long list of directions scare you off-it's really pretty simple if you just take it step-by-step and follow the directions.

I had read that the stickier your dough, the fluffier and moister it will be once baked. I didn't use all 8 cups (about 7 instead) and the dough was still a bit sticky but elastic and in one piece. Loved the tip about letting the bread rise in the oven with the light on- worked perfectly in my old, cold kitchen! How have I not known about this before?? Also, when you roll your rectangle up, I found mine to be approximately 24 inches long (in addition to 3 inches thick) if that helps. I also didn't use the whole cup of sugar, only about 1/2 cup, and we found it to be be plenty sweet.

This is a fantastic recipe and I can't wait to try it, as one reviewer suggested, in bread pudding! Yum!!!

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Oh My Stars! Ya'll weren't kidding about the "World's Best Cinnamon Raisin Bread" recipe! I took the advice of some of the others who wrote in and added a couple of my own. It is easier to divide the dough into thirds before you roll it. I did, however, "plump" up my raisins with some hot tap water and a little vanilla extract. And step 18, I just took a stick of butter with a piece of paper towel and lightly rubbed it on the hot bread when I took it out of the oven. This is by far, the BEST cinnamon-raisin recipe ever! Thank you very much!

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Just finished making my first batch of loaves using this recipe. I used half whole wheat flour, 2 tsp. salt and 2 cups of raisins. Otherwise followed as written. Next time I will use half the amounts of sugar and cinnamon for the filling. I had a hard time rolling the loaves tight enough and mine tend to want to come apart at the swirls. I think less sugar will help, and it is supposed to be cinnamon bread...not a huge cinnamon roll. LOL

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This was a very good recipe. I would have given it 4 stars if I had not read all 54 reviews and decided to add more salt and sugar. I also was very mindfull of how quick it might cook. I did need to cook the whole 45 min but after just 20 I had to tent it with tin foil or it would have looked burnt. I did not use raisins in mine (personal pref) The ribbon of cin and sugar was gooey and nummy! I did wing the amounts of filling and instead of wetting it with the milk I rubbed a couple of tablespoons of butter on the triangle before adding the cina nd sugar. That might have been the reason for the yummy gooey center. Great recipe with the changes!

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I don't write reviews nor did I decide to read any from this recipe...except for the one just before this one...I have tried to make bread for years and gave up trying to find one that was good enough for a repeat. I've been living in Denmark for about five years. They make wonderful bread here but they don't do cinnamon raisin bread here. Needless to say I miss it. Like I said I didn't read any reviews here and made this exactly as it read and lo and behold it was the best bread I've ever made. Holy crap was this good. I was so impressed that I had to set up a profile here to tell you how much I liked it...in fact I have more baking as we speak.

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This is really good! I scaled it back to make one loaf and DH and DS have just about devoured the whole thing! I used 1/2 bread flour and 1/2 white wheat flour, and that seems to have worked fine. I am not fond of raisins so I skipped them, and I decided to make a longer squat loaf on a cookie sheet so I only baked about 35 minutes. I thought there might be too much cinnamon/sugar for the filling so I used about 2/3 of it and I wish I had used it all; don't be fooled by how it looks before rolling. DS had a great idea; he asked me to make it into french toast for his lunch yesterday LOL. It really worked! Thanks for posting! Made for Best of 2010 tag.

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WOW I don't like raisin bread, but I love this recipe! We used splenda for baking, as we are diabetics, and it turned out deliciously. A keeper.

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This is an amazing recipe! I have made this a few times, and I also had to add a couple of cups of flour. There weren't quite enough raisins for my taste, too sparse, so after the first batch I doubled them and it was just right. The bread is the perfect amount of sweetness and great texture. I suggest giving 2 of the loaves away to friends, otherwise will end up eating ALL of them very quickly!

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Excellent made it last night. Don't start this at 7pm. Whew its a long process but worth it. I messed up one roll by not rolling it tight enough, the cinnamon sugar mixture distribution swirl is imperative,because it gives the bread its sweetness. I almost wish it was a touch sweeter.... Next time more sugar swirl! Also if you have a standup Kitchen Aid mixer, it will save you time, adding 8 cups of flour by hand was a bit messy. Good luck, we already ate one loave,the others are going as gifts. PS I have now made this THREE times and my neighbors rave its the best they have ever had!

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I had an end piece right out of the oven and it was so good! The kids and I enjoyed it for many a breakfast! I love that it makes 3 loaves, so you can freeze one or two for later!

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I made this with all whole wheat flour and it turned out pretty dense, but smelled, looked, and tasted wonderful. Thanks for posting. Rolling it up and getting the swirl was way worth not just throwing it in the bread machine. However, I found that I had way way way enough sugar cinnamon mixture to coat the rectangle like three times over though. Oh well...I'm not going to complain about more sugar!

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Great recipe! My only change will be to add another cup of raisins into the DOUGH and not the swirl. This ensures that almost every bite will have a delicious raisin in it. Also, 45 min cooking time is WAY too long - try 30-35 maximum! Check out my pics.... this is my first attempt at raisin bread.

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Great tasting! Just like store bought. I thirded the recipe, which made one loaf, and this was adequate. <br/>I did tweak it a little ie. I added some extra cinnamon to the dough and a little of the sugar to the water/yeast mix.

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I probably would've titled this "World's Decent Cinnamon Raisin Bread" as it was just ok. I followed Greeny's modifications. Take note of the reduced bake time. My bread probably would've turned to charcoal if I had followed the 45 min prescribed in the original recipe.

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This is an excellent recipe, and very easy to make! As an experienced bread maker, it takes just about 9 cups of flour to make this bread not sticky and easier to handle. Using a stand mixer with a dough hook is key. Incorporate the 8 cups of flour gradually, adding just enough remaining flour until dough is no longer sticky. Once it's rolled out, use 2 tablespoons softtened butter or margarine--do not use milk, as this makes the dough sticky. Spread the cinnamon-sugar mixture to about 1/2 inch of the dough's edge. I opted not to use raisins in this recipe, as a lot of people don't care for them--but think I will do this for my family. I made 7 loaves for a craft festival (okay, so we ate one of them!) this weekend, and every one sold! This recipe is even easier to make than my grandmother's century-old raisin bread recipe, and one that I will make often!

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Wow! I have to say this is awesome. BUT... first... I have to mention that I used JUMBO eggs.... so then needed to add more flour. My dough was really sticky and I really wondered if I'd made a mistake. Well.... this bread turned out really well... I mean.. GREAT.... I added some almond extract and vanilla to the dough... and the extra sugar/ brown sugar and more salt as others have suggested. ... Plus... I doubled the raisins. It's really a great recipe. Thanks so much Lydia Holton. I started another batch this morning only using two jumbo eggs and using Craisins. UPDATE: The two jumbo eggs and Craisins turned out wonderful. Oh ... can't wait to try other variations! Maybe some orange zest and nuts? ... or how about strawberry preserves in the filling with a streusel topping?

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I had high hopes for this recipe but it was a total waste of time & ingreadients! Big air pockets in bread, bread came out heavy. I am a seasoned baker, should have passed on this one for sure :-(

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I tried this recipe, and I have to agree with the "world's best" part. This recipe is awesome! I followed it exactly, except I always add a little sugar with my yeast and warm water...I feel that this helps activate the yeast better. I've also been using my microwave to proof the dough (just make sure you're family knows so they don't turn it on!). I placed my dough in a greased pot as well as a cup of boiling water in the microwave and repeated this step once the dough was in my bread pans. The microwave keeps the drafts out and the water provides heat as well as steam to speed up the proofing process. The result? 3 beautiful, glorious, golden brown loaves, and a deliciously scented home! The bread has a lovely crust, good texture, and a sweet, yeasty taste. I'll definitely be using this recipe again, but next time...I'm adding more raisins!

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The recipe I've spent years trying to find. All previous recipes were good, but this one is GREAT! The only changes I made were to double the raisins and make four loaves instead of three.

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