Vegan Cinnamon Swirl Raisin Bread
If there is one concept I don’t do much of, it’s homemade breads. If you’ve ever had a failing bread recipe it can ruin your drive to explore more recipe. However, as long as you can pick up on the initial cues that your bread is not going to turn out, then you can save yourself the time and energy and move on or try again.
Breads that involve yeast are very temperamental. Yeast can be just not reactive, or be exposed to too much sugar or the water is too hot, or they come in contact with plastic and the yeast just dies and the list goes on, and on, and on lol. That being said, even as a well seasoned foodie, I understand why people typically go for a store bought option as breads are tedious and can fail at the end of it all.
However, when they work, there is nothing better than a fresh baked bread!!
Cinnamon Raisin bread is one of those types that I loved as a child. I don’t believe we ever had it homemade growing up, but rather the Sun Maid brand with the red bag. The packing is just burned in my brain as it was iconic at that time. Fast forward to today, I can’t remember the last time I had this type of bread. While it’s been so long I didn’t have a craving for it, I’m glad I finally gave this staple bread a try..
Because it’s just so good!
What’s fab about this bread, is everything! It’s quick, easy, straightforward, has minimal ingredients, minimal steps, the softest texture, packed with cinnamon and raisins (and I’m not a raisin person), perf for any season, perf for brunch, can be toasted or even made into French toast, and is hands down better than store bought option I’ve ever had!!
If you long for this iconic bread, skip the store bought options and try this homemade vegan Cinnamon Raisin Bread!!
Why this recipe is great:
Easy
Affordable
Minimal Ingredients
Perf for any season
Perf for brunch
Packed with flavor
Buttery soft
Vegan Cinnamon Swirl Raisin Bread
- Total Time: 2 hours 50 minutes
- Yield: 8 slices 1x
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 1/2 teaspoons yeast (1 packet)
- 2 cups high gluten bread flour (add additional 1/2 cup as needed)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
- 1 tbs melted vegan butter
- 1/2 cup cane sugar
- 1/2 cup raisins
Instructions
- Mix the 2 tablespoons sugar with the warm water in a very large bowl. Add the yeast and do not stir.
- Let it sit until creamy, about 5 minutes. Add the oil, salt, and flour.
- Mix by hand, adding more flour as necessary until the dough forms a large, soft ball. You can add in the raisins now or later when you roll up.
- Flour a table or work surface and knead the bread for 5-10 minutes.
- Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and brush the top with a little extra oil. Cover the bowl with a damp towl and let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 hour. It should be very puffy. Punch it down.
- Divide in half if you want to create two loaves. (I used it all for 1 loaf in an 8 inch loaf pan)Roll dough into a longer skinnier rectangle the width of the pan.
- For more tight rolls in the bread, roll the dough thinner. For thicker softer rolls in the bread, roll thicker. Mix the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl and sprinkle over the dough leaving the edges bare. Sprinkle with raisins.
- Roll up the loaf or loaves tightly and let rest for an additional 1 hour in a warm place.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush the top with melted vegan butter. Bake for 40 minutes. The bread make look very dark or hard on the outside while baking, but will be soft when it cools. Allow to fully cool and then slice. Enjoy toasted, or as French Toast.
- Prep Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
Hi ! I have a question, can I use gluten free flour instead of high gluten?
Hi Cecilia! You can absolutely try, I’ve just only tested white flour. I find that Bobs red mill gives the best results in terms of GF flours.