There’s something really soothing and satisfying about freshly baked bread. Even more so when you bake that bread yourself! Dutch Oven Cinnamon Raisin Bread is the tastiest – and easiest! – bread you’ll ever make. It’s a good thing too, because you’ll want to make this bread again and again!
If I had to make an educated guess, I would say that I spend about eight to ten hours a week scrolling through the many images on Pinterest. It is, and has been, a source of much entertainment and inspiration for me over the past five years. In fact, it’s where I first saw a recipe for bread baked like this, so I had to share my version with you. My Dutch Oven Cinnamon Raisin Bread has been a very popular blog post this past year.
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LET’S BLAME PINTEREST!
Dutch Oven Cinnamon Raisin Bread was born because of my need to scroll on a daily basis. I’ve seen so many bread recipes that require no bread-making skills, but none so easy as this!
The internet, Pinterest included, is a great source of information, but sometimes, that information is false and misleading, especially when it comes to the world of online recipes! I have fallen victim to online recipes claiming the best results on several occasions. None of us can escape it, not even a food blogger!
OR WE CAN BLAME CHRISSIE!
But, unlike those mishaps, Dutch Oven Cinnamon Raisin Bread will not be one of them! I absolutely have to give full credit to the beautiful and talented Chrissie over at The Busy Baker for this recipe. Even though I made just two or three adjustments, the mastermind behind the recipe is hers alone. Thank you, Chrissie!
When I saw the pictures of her bread, I knew I had to make it. I’ve made so many of Chrissie’s recipes over the past two years, and they have never disappointed me. That is why I knew the sorcery behind a no-knead, Dutch oven bread recipe would work if she was recommending it.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS RECIPE:
The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.
- Flour – No need for anything special. Just use regular all-purpose flour. I have not tried this recipe with any other type of flour.
- Raisins – You can use light or dark raisins.
- Active Dry Yeast – Do not confuse this with Instant Yeast. Active dry yeast needs to be dissolved in water before using, while instant yeast can be mixed right into dry ingredients.
- Salt
- Ground Spices – You will need cinnamon, ground ginger, and ground cloves.
- Brown Sugar – In this recipe, brown sugar helps to keep the bread moist and soft. Plus, it adds flavour too!
- Water
SUBSTITUTIONS AND ALTERNATIVES
In most baking recipes, you’ll see just the word raisins. The most common raisins that can be found in North America and either light in colour or dark in colour. Sometimes, they might be called Golden Raisins or Sultana Raisins. I like all kinds of raisins, but I know some people who don’t like them at all. You can use golden raisins, Thompson, sultana, etc. Use what you have on hand. Otherwise, you can leave them out completely.
In terms of the ground spices, if you do not have all of them on hand, you can purchase a jar of pumpkin spice blend instead. It has all of those spices and usually nutmeg and allspice too. Honestly, it will not make a whole lot of difference. If you’re like me, you always have pumpkin spice blend on hand! I make a large batch early in the fall and use it all up by the end of December. Here’s the recipe I use to make my own at home.
You must use lukewarm water. What that means is that the water is neither hot or cold. Try to get the water as close to 110 degrees F as possible. If you do not have a thermometer, try this. Run warm tap water on your wrist. It should feel slightly warmer than your body temperature, but not hot. If you have ever drawn a bath for a baby, you will be familiar with lukewarm water!
DON’T LET THE RISING TIME DETER YOU!
Bread requires patience, but this one not so much. Yes, there is a 12 hour delay, but don’t worry. You won’t spend 12 hours waiting for your bread to rise, you’ll be either asleep, at work, or binging on Netflix. (I was sleeping!)
The proofing does require a full 12 hours. Do not try to cut the time short or you’ll end up with a flat, dense bread that just does not taste good. Wait it out, make the bread when you know you’ll have time – the crusty exterior, with that fluffy, moist center is so worth it!
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The raisins in this bread keep the bread super moist. And, if you’re much like me, you’ll be toasting your slice anyway. The heat from the toaster makes those raisins piping hot and helps to create pools of butter. (I love butter, and I’m not about to apologize for it!)
Follow the instructions very carefully if you want a great loaf. Dutch Oven Cinnamon Raisin Bread is so delicious, and if toasted with a good smear of butter is not your thing, try it with raspberry jam. (Or both butter and jam like I did!) Nothing but this, a hot tea, and solitude is required. Ah!!!!
Do You Like This Recipe?
You should consider trying these other delicious recipes too!
Dutch Oven Cinnamon Raisin Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for shaping and baking
- 1 cup raisins
- 1/2 teaspoon dry active yeast
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 3 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water, (110 degrees F)
Instructions
- In a glass bowl, add all of the ingredients, with the exception of the water, and stir together until well combined.
- Add the water and stir into the dry ingredients until a dough forms. (You may need to add a tablespoon or so of flour if the dough is too wet, or a tablespoon or so of water if the dough is too dry.)
- Form the dough into a ball. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place the bowl in a warm part of your kitchen. (I placed mine in the oven to escape any breeze from an open window.)
- Let the dough rise for a minimum of 12 hours. You can leave the dough to rise up to 18 hours, but no less than 12!
- When ready to bake, place your Dutch oven, along with the lid, into your oven and preheat to 450 degrees.
- Next, lay a large sheet of parchment paper on your counter top and lightly dust with flour.
- With floured hands, remove the dough from the bowl and form it into a ball on the parchment paper. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow the dough to rise for 25 minutes.
- Remove the Dutch oven and lift the dough ball, using the parchment paper, into the bottom of the pot. Keep the parchment paper under the dough. This will allow you to lift the bread out easily when baked. Using a sharp knife, gently score the dough with an X shape.
- Place a lid on the Dutch oven and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove the lid and bake for another 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven. Use the parchment paper to lift the bread out of the pot. Place onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely before slicing.
Notes
Nutrition
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gil hirschberg says
How do you get the decorative design on the cinnamon raisin bread?
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Hi! See step 8 in the instructions. You’re basically scoring the top of the dough before you bake it.
Karen says
Staying at home, keeping isolated right now. Pinned this a long time ago and finally had time to try it. So delicious. Sent the pin to other friends who are also staying in and some are making it for breakfast tomorrow. Thanks for filling the time as well as out bellies.😃
Erin says
Very yummy!
Maria says
Hi
What is a Dutch oven ?
Can I use something else?
Colleen says
You can use a ceramic casserole dish. Or take two bread pans and place one on top of the other and use metal binding clips (Office Depot style) to clip together. Called a poor man’s Dutch oven. I use it all the time. 🤣
Jill says
Hi, What size Dutch oven do you recommend?
Suju says
Delicious! Has become a part of our quarantine routine. My husband doesn’t love ginger and cloves in sweets so we’ve just been using cinnamon and still wonderful. Though one day my son and I will force him to accept the other spices just to see what it tastes like.
Lynn Tremblay says
what size of dutch oven ( 3-4-6 quart) would be best for this recipe, or what do you suggest is. thank you
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Hi Lynn – a 4 quart would be perfect.
Jennifer Strickley says
OMG-so delicious! Served it to friends with honey butter. Making more tonight! It’s hard to stop eating it.
Crystal says
Can you use whole wheat flour, instead of regular flour? If so, what additional adjustments would need to be made? Thanks.
nikitabeach says
I am surprised that no one has answered you!
I am going to make this recipe with 1/2 whole wheat flour and 1/2 unbleached flour. Soon, I will let you know if that works.
Candid Mac says
Whole wheat flour absorb more water so you can switch out flour but you would need to adjust the amount of water to account for this otherwise you may get a really dense end result
Diana says
Made I made the Dutch Oven Cinnamon Raisin Bread… due to the Covid19 issue I was only able to get Bread Machine yeast. I followed the instructions exactly as written. This morning after the 12 1/2 hours of proofing I noticed that the loaf had not risen much (but had risen) I have made bread before but usually only regular bread not Artisen breads. I completed the procedures and finished the bread as per recipe.. It did rise ever so slightly upon baking but not much. I realize that the recipe only used 1/4tsp of yeast but I was wondering if my choice of yeast was the reason or is it a very dense loaf. The flavor of the bread is very flavorful and would make it again but would like to know if you have any suggestions on improving this recipe for me Thank you Diana
Donna gould says
The bread rose very little…is that normal? I let it rise 13 hrs.
My parchment paper browned so much it fell apart when I tried to lift out the bread.
Can you please let me know if I did anything wrong.
I am giving it to a friend but will be making one for myself this weekend.
Adrienne says
slice. add butter. chew. sigh. sigh again. This bread is fantastic. Cut back the cinnamon to 11/2 tsp. We are not cinnamon people. Hubby and I fighting for last slice. not a pretty sight. I figure it should be mine as I made bread. What say you?
Lori Ann Nowers says
I haven’t tried this recipe yet but really looking forward to. Once baked how long does it last.
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Thank you, Lori Ann. It’s hard to tell, because bread never lasts more than a day or two in our home. 🙂
Lisa says
Can I use non stick foil instead of parchment paper? Or just grease it well. My Dutch oven is very well seasoned.
byronethomas@gmail.com says
I have not tested the recipe with foil.
Lisa says
I don’t like fruit in bread. Can I make it without? I’d also like to add walnuts. Is that possible? If so when should I add and how much?
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Hi Lisa – yes, you can totally leave out the raisins. And, yes, you can add nuts instead. Use the same amount! 🙂
Pam says
Seems like a very small amount of yeast 1/2 tsp….. ?
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Hi Pam – yes, that is correct. 🙂
Catherine says
How deep of a cut is required when you score the dough?
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Oh, it’s just a very slight score; probably no more than 1/8th of an inch.
Nicolette says
What tempature water do you recommend when saying “room temp”. There is so much room for interpretation.
Jules E says
Is the water room temperature or the standard 110-120 degrees? Can you post pictures of what the dough looks like during the process? Mine was sticky and flat. I could not get it into a ball after 13 hours of rising not like normal yeast bread. Any advice would be great! It smells really good! It is cooling now. Maybe a smaller ditched oven?
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Hi Jules – yes, the water temp is about 110 degrees F. If it didn’t rise, my first thought would be that your kitchen was too cool for the yeast to work the way it should. My second guess is that your yeast is expired or close to the expiry date.
Sue says
This has been a fav recipe during lockdown life… I love this recipe because of the ground cloves! this is what lured me in… haha.
I’ve made this recipe 4 times now (5 maybe?…) with some modifications like adding ground cardamom, trying a 2 cup all-purpose flour / 1 cup whole wheat flour mix and using fresh yeast cause I had it on hand. Fuzz free moistened tea towel (kitchen cotton towel) also works to cover and let rise.
I delivered some of this bread to friends here in Berlin during lockdown, and they all loved it and I’ve passed your recipe on several times! Thank you so much for posting and sharing 😊
Lauren says
Could I use instant yeast in this recipe?
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Hi Lauren, yes, you can use instant yeast instead. If you do, your bread will rise faster than it would if you used active yeast. Nothing to worry about at all. 🙂
Marlene Wilkins says
Thankyou for the recipe for this delicious bread. I have never thought that I would take a chance at making my own but after seeing all the gorgeous breads here it is impossible not to at least try. Covid is making a lot of us into fairly good cooks since there is very little to do after all these months. Thank you very much. Marlene
byronethomas@gmail.com says
I think you’re absolutely right, Marlene!
Pat says
Amazing bread. I’ve made this several times and it comes out great every time. Making it again this week. Can’t wait for the finished product!
Jane says
Is the amount of flour by weight or by volume? Ditto for the other dry ingredients. Thanks for letting me know – I can’t wait to make this!
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Hi Jane – all of my ingredients are listed by volume.
Darlene says
Exceptional Bread. OH MY SOOOO DELICIOUS !!!!! Easy Peasy. Baked this afternoon and there is just 1/2 the loaf left, just me and my hubby here 🙂 The 2 of us were moaning when eating it. :-)))) I’m stuffing my face with a piece now…it’s midnight…omgosh….. !!!
Can’t wait to have it toasted tomorrow morning. I’d be surprised if there is any left at noon tomorrow. Think I will start another right now. This will not addicting or anything….
Byron thanks so much for this perfectly delicious, loaded with flavour, Artisan Cinnamon Raisin Bread recipe.
Darlene
Nova Scotia
Darlene says
5 stars is not enough, here is another 5 for you Bryon.
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Ha! Thank you so much, Darlene. 🙂
Marlene Wilkins says
The bread recipe looks scrumptious. Thankyou for sharing your knowledge with us. After reading the comments above – can’t wait. Marlene Ontario, Canada
Gail says
I only have an 8 quart Dutch oven. Would doubling the recipe work.
Thanks.
Deb says
Does this need to be made in a cast iron dutch oven?
Donna Clayton says
Hi! Just made this bread was super yummy but my bottom burned?. How do I fix this should I turn oven down and bake a tad longer? I am going to try a larger batch next but don’t want the bottom burned again
Kathleen Johnson says
Hi! Can I let rise in a metal bowl? I do not have a big enough glass bowl.
Sylvia says
If using instant yeast instead of dry active, do you use the same amount? 1/2 tsp
Kathy says
Would it be okay if it rises for 20 hours?
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Hi Kathy – I have not gone past the 18 hour mark, but I don’t see it being a problem.
Helen says
Hi, made this today . It is great.how do l store this bread. I live in Canada.
J says
Can I use dates instead of raisins?
Cathy says
What would happen if I divided the dough into 2 loaves and placed them in an oblong Dutch-oven to bake? Would the baking time change?
Barbara says
Amazing! Could not have been a y better!
michele Margaret koensgen says
Eager to make this wonderful bread: just wondering if I might substitute Maple Syrup for sugar?
byronethomas@gmail.com says
No, I’m sorry, I don’t think that would work well.
Angie says
Love this recipe. I bake it at 415 degrees so that the bottom doesn’t burn. Same amount of time. I had read on another recipe that you should decrease the temp if you have a black Dutch oven which turns out perfectly. So yummy!
Angie says
I just have to thank you for sharing this recipe. My husband and I can not get enough. I have been making it weekly since I found it. So wonderful fresh out of the oven and then toasted there after. So very delicious!!
Cass says
First time making bread & I am wondering if it’s normal that the bread fermented while raising?
Serene says
It turned out great! Crusty on the outside, soft and tender on the inside. Perfect with butter. I was worried because the dough looked like a huge bowl of goopy oatmeal and it was too sticky to form it into a ball after the first proof but I stuck with the recipe and it looks great and tastes great!
Janet says
This recipe is perfect as is and very tasty. I agree the rise time cannot be compromised. I did the 12 hrs this time and it was very nice. I will be letting it go 15 hrs next time to get even more rise and flavour, but honestly it’s great as is. Thank you for sharing.
Brenda says
Best loaf I have ever made! Delicious! Turned out perfectly and in the time stated! Had no raisins 😬 had a few currants, dried cranberries and stole some raisins from cereal 😬 and soaked them in hot black tea to reconstitute them.
Thank you for a delicious recipe!
Brandy says
I made this bread this morning. It was delicious and came out perfect! Thank you for a wonderful recipe.
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Thank you, Brandy. 🙂
Catrina says
So easy and so delicious! My husband and kids devoured this!
Cori says
Excellent! Very tasty. Was slightly salty for my taste so next time (which will be in 3 days, ha!) I’ll only use 1tsp vs 1.5tsp. Additionally I used a 50/50 blend of AP & Bread flour as I always do when making my standard No Knead bread. Might add pecans next time as well. Thank you LB!
Gail says
My favorite thing to do is baking bread. Saw this recipe and thought, that won’t work. Way to easy. Should use bread flour. I baked it following the recipe exactly as the recipe instructed. OMG, so delicious. I can’t wait to bake more using different, maybe savory ingredients. Thank you for posting.
byronethomas@gmail.com says
So glad to hear it, Gail. Thank you!
Sehnaz says
Do we proof it at room temperature, or in the fridge overnight ?
byronethomas@gmail.com says
At room temperature.
Christine says
Excellent!! I’m eating this bread as I write. Made this bread with half OO flour and half Organic Sprouted Spelt flour. Followed your instructions set it to proof for 18 hours and baked it this morning. It’s a keeper Added walnuts along with the raisins. Crust and crumb are perfect.
Laila says
I converted this to a sourdough recipe by using my active starter v. packaged yeast. It came out delicious! I let it rise for 18 hours. I love how it truly is no knead and much quicker than regular sourdough loafs. I am wondering if using bread flour would make a difference in the size or at all? Thanks again!
debbie labbe says
Yes. I am also asking if what you used was a cast iron Dutch oven. Thanks
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Hi Debbie – Yes, it was. I used a Le Crueset Dutch Oven.
Jeanne says
This is excellent!! I used a whole packet of yeast, added extra raisins, and it is sooo tasty. Very moist and toasts up beautifully. This recipe is a keeper! Very good.