Cinnamon-Raisin Toast! (how to get kids out of bed in the morning)

cinnamon toast2

Main kid-goal these days is to find new and interesting ways to entice kids out of bed in the morning. What seems to motivate them to leave their cozy beds is the promise of something tasty to eat. One morning: Cinnamon-Raisin toast. It did the trick, albeit slowly…

This is the Cinnamon-Raisin Bread from The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day (page 330), in 2 mini loaf pans…

cinnamon toast

Start with 1 1/2 pounds of buttermilk dough (page 327), brioche dough (page 300), or any other dough that you love. Form it into a ball to create a smooth surface.

cinnamon toast

Roll the dough with a rolling pin till it’s about 1/8″ thick.

cinnamon toast

Spread 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 3/4 cup raisins. If you want more raisins, cinnamon or sugar, go for it! Add nuts, chocolate or whatever else will get your kids out of bed. There is nothing that says these fillings can’t be savory as well.

cinnamon toast

Starting at the short end of the rectangle roll the dough and fillings,

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pinch the seam shut.

cinnamon toast

Place in a well greased baking pan– in this case, I made a loaf that would fit into a mini loaf pan. Allow to rest for about 1 hour and 40 minutes, or until the dough no longer feels chilled.

cinnamon toast

Paint the risen dough with egg wash and dust with sugar before baking.

cinnamon toast

Bake for about 40 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes int he pan and then remove the bread to finish cooling.

cinnamon toast

Allow to cool on the side so that the bottom crust doesn’t get soggy. Enjoy!

129 thoughts to “Cinnamon-Raisin Toast! (how to get kids out of bed in the morning)”

  1. Zoe, forgot to ask. I love this idea of using mini loaf pans. I just bought 7 of them!

    How much dough would I need for a cinn raisin loaf in a mini loaf pan? I think I might use challah dough, too.

    I just bought a 22qt Tupperware container at Sam’s. I made a double batch, and it could hold a triple batch. Getting my arm into that dough, to mix it, was sublime!

    Judy

  2. Hi Jeff and Zoe! Just got your book and we LOVE the bread! I’d like to try the raisin bread using the buttermilk dough recipe. Just wondering if it’s ok to use a buttermilk substitute…1 tbsp vinegar with 1 cup 1% milk?

    Thanks!
    Kim
    Ottawa, ON, CANADA

    1. Hi Kimberly

      Yes, you can use a substitute for the buttermilk by adding lemon juice or vinegar, as you suggest. Your version is much higher in acid than the one I use, which is about half as much acid to milk. I usually do 1 1/2 teaspoons of lemon juice in 1 cup of milk. If you have worked with your version before in other recipes I don’t think you will have any problem using it in our buttermilk recipe.

      Please let me know how it turns out! Thanks, Zoë

  3. Hello again!

    The buttermilk bread (with 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour subbed in) is our new favorite everyday bread! I did the buttermilk sub and it worked just fine.

    Now I’m wondering if I could sub liquid honey for the sugar…for the white sugar in the dough and the brown sugar in the raisin bread?

    Eating locally grown foods and making food from scratch has been something we’ve really been working on this year. Discovering your book has really helped us with this process! Thank you!

    1. Hi Kimberly,

      Yes, you can substitute honey for the sugar in these recipes. There is so little sugar in the buttermilk bread that you can substitute with no issue. Replacing the brown sugar in the raisin bread is trickier. Be aware that honey is generally a more intense sweetener so you may want to cut down the amount a bit for the raisin loaf. The texture of the loaf may be a bit different, but it will be very tasty! let me know how it goes!

      Thanks, Zoë

  4. Hello Jeff & Zoe ~

    I had the opportunity to attend your class at Cook’s last night and LOVED it!!! Thank you for your time, expertise and energy.

    Quick question for you…I’ve been trying to find a kind of bread that I tasted several years ago and have been unsuccessful. It was an extremely dark loaf with raisins. It wasn’t a traditional cinnamon raisin but rather a sourdough (or some other style) that was extremely dark. Would you have any suggestions or ideas?

    Looking forward to trying the recipes in your newest book and can’t wait for the flatbread/pizza book.

    Look forward to your input.
    Best ~
    Kristen

    1. Kristen: Thanks for coming, what a fun class. I’m guessing that this was a sourdough rye with raisins. We have something like that in the 1st book, but with walnuts too, and it’s pumpernickel, which would account for the dark color. See page 70 of the first book– you could swap raisins for the dates we put in that recipe. Jeff

  5. I’ve just ordered both books and I can’t wait! I’m hoping that I can use soy flour and soy milk in the recipes???

    1. Sally: You should be able to use soy milk in place of cow’s milk where we call for it. As for soy flour, we do have some– check out our recipe on page 125 of the new book. Jeff

  6. Hi Jeff and Zoe,
    Am thinking about making the raisin bread and am wondering if it’s possible to just mix the cinnamon and the raisins in with the original dough recipe (with extra sugar?) to save myself the extra step of rolling out the dough.
    Thanks!

  7. I made this recipe as called for (it was fantastic!), and then again the lazy way – with the cinnamon and extra sugar mixed right into the dough. It was great – not too sweet, but nice. It did seem a bit dense though. Do you think the extra sugar might effect the resting time?

    Also, I love to make king cakes for Mardi Gras. Any suggestions for a dough that would appropriate for that? Maybe this one?

    Thanks so much!

    1. Denise: I’m not thinking the sugar should have changed the resting time. If anything, since the raisins are already in, you should have had a less disruptive shaping step. So I’m stumped.

      I thought king cakes were from richer doughs, like the challah or brioche? Jeff

  8. Jeff – you might be right about the brioche being a better fit for a king cake (I’ve never made a brioche, though it’s on my list!). I may take out my king cake recipe and compare it to some in the first book to see if I can find a comparable dough. Starting to dream about my grandmother’s Italian Easter bread, too. I spent months last spring trying to reconstruct that recipe. I wonder if I can artisan-bread that one, too. I managed to convert my mother’s whole wheat bread recipe using some of your recipes as a guide. I’m having SO much fun with this. Just rec’d the second book yesterday and am excited to start on that one.

    1. Hi Denise,

      All of the breads you are working on sound great. I think the King Cake and the Italian Easter Bread will do well starting with the brioche. Let us know how it goes.

      Thanks, Zoë

  9. This is my favorite bread so far. I’d like to try out the freeze/then defrost in the fridge overnight trick with this dough:

    After it’s been rolled out with raisins & cinn/sugar and wrapped in plastic, should I freeze it as is or in the loaf pan?

    If the answer is no to freeze in the loaf pan… Once frozen, should I place it in the loaf pan when it goes into the fridge to defrost and rise?

    Also, what about muffins? Can you recommend a resting and cooking time for this dough with muffins?

    I’ve been reading many of the comments and think it’s amazing that both of you are here to answer our questions. I’ve written so many notes in my two books so far from all of your responses, and they are turning me into a confidant baker! So thank you!!

    1. Andrea: I’d freeze in the loaf pan, sounds easier.

      For muffins you can get by with 30% less resting time, maybe 15 5-20% less baking time.

      Thanks for the vote of confidence, Andrea, much appreciated…. Jeff

  10. I mixed up the dough for this cinnamon-raisin bread and am excited to try baking some this weekend… but. I just realized that after mixing the dough sat out on the counter all night (8 hours) before refrigerating.
    With the buttermilk in the dough will it be OK? (I used powdered buttermilk if that makes a difference)
    If the raisin bread is a hit I think I’ll be working on “artisan hot cross buns”
    Thanks for an inspiring book (and great website too)!

    1. Alan: In general, yeast overgrowth crowds out spoilage bacteria for oxygen and nourishment. If the smell is OK, you should be able to use it. If it smells spoiled, toss it. Jeff

  11. I made the 100% whole wheat bread with stoneground flour free form on the baking stone-absolutely delicious! The flour blended so easily. While the loaves didn’t cloak as easliy as the boule I just went with the general shape not fussing a bit. The loaf baked so well. this bread is truly “a 5 minute” wonder.

    As I write this I have turned the rest of this dough into the cinnamon raisin. Wish me luck!

    1. Hi Ruthie,

      Thanks for the note, we are thrilled that it worked so well for you.

      Happy baking and enjoy all the bread! Zoë

  12. Hi Zoe, So my cinnamon raisin bread didn’t rise as nice as I would have liked but after all my dough was all OG ww flour. Next time I will measure out 2# ( or maybe more?) of dough in hopes of a larger loaf.
    Also, I was perusing your blog reading about using whole grain flours, etc. It was mentioned that one shouldn’t work the dough too much, sticking to the 30 second cloak. I found this a bit more difficult than the master recipe. The ww flour doesn’t cloak up as nice. So I was wondering if all the working of this recipe/ dough, rolling it out, etc adds to the lack of rise of the this bread?

    1. Hi Ruthie,

      Were you using the 100% whole wheat dough from ABin5 or HBin5? The addition of vital wheat gluten in the dough from HBin5 will greatly improve the rise of the dough. Having said that, the 100% whole grain loaves will never have the same rising power as the loaves made with AP flour.

      Starting with more dough will help you get a nice size loaf. Be sure to increase the resting and baking times to accomodate the additional dough. About 1 hour and 45 minutes should be about right for rising and 50+ minutes for baking.

      Thanks! Zoë

  13. I was using 100 % OG ww flour recipe from ABin5. . I hope I can find an organic source for vital wheat gluten as organic is always our preference.

    Thanks so much for your help. I will check out the newest book next time I’m at the bookstore.

  14. Ruthie: Use the recipe from the new book, that gives all the quantities you are looking for. We have not yet put the 100% WW recipe on the web and have no plans to do so at the moment. You’ll find helpful hints on how to develop your own VWG-based recipes at https://artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=142

    No organic VWG product is available, as far as I know. Jeff

  15. Ah! Another mom tip! THANK YOU! The pizza lollipops were a lifesaver last week! I found your book at the library and I have REALLY enjoyed it. I am used to making whole wheat sourdough (fresh ground flour makes this work!) but I have LOVED your book and my family has enjoyed the white flour as a treat! I am definitely going to buy your book, as well as the healthy bread version, I can’t be content with just borrowing these–there are too many great recipes to try. My sourdough is no knead as well, but I have not come across a no knead as truly simple as yours with yeast. I LOVE YOUR BOOK! I cannot be content with my library copy so I will have to buy both books. The recipes are so wonderful and there are so many! You two have done such an amazing job–I am trying to spread the word to everyone I know. THANK YOU!

    Oh, I am lingering over the cheese and carmelized onion idea…!

    1. Lindsay— thanks so much, you’re our kind of gal. The idea was to provide some free content here on the site, and if people are generous enough to want more, all to the better. Come back anytime you have questions. Jeff

  16. I just love these breads. My family thinks I have lost my mind because I make fresh bread every day. It is so easy. Can’t wait to try this one!

  17. You all are amazing, we love this bread I have tried it with pesto, I always put flax seed in it, and hav made it with sundried tomatoes and parm cheese. We don’t even buy artisan bread anymore that had gone up to almost 5 dollars a loaf where we live.
    Oh one other tip is great for fried bread!!! Also quick rolls, just take out frig shape into roll and put right in the oven for about 25 minutes. WONDERFUL THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH!!!

  18. I have been getting a dense crumb. I live at 5400 ft’ elev. Do I need to adjust the recipes for high altitude? I looked for post asking that question but couldn’t find anything addressing the altitude issue. Thank you, Mike

  19. I will be making this sometime this week. Sounds so yummy. I make a variation of this as a “desert pizza” (works on the grill too in the summer). Make a pizza crust sprinkle with brown sugar, some cinnamon and nutmeg, top with whatever dried fruit I have and bake. Drizzle with a sugar glaze/icing just before serving. My kids love it. I’m definitely looking forward to your new book…pizzas and flatbreads = yum!

  20. Hello. I love your books and so do many of my friends who I just have to tell how easy it would be for them to have homemade bread.

    My question is. I like baking in a loaf pan. I do not over work the dough. I let it rest for at least two hours. But I just don’t get the rise that this loaf did. Any suggestions?

  21. What can stand in for an egg wash to make this vegan, please? I would love to be able to give it to my partner, as well

  22. Zoe or Jeff, help! The buttermilk bread in ABin5 has become our “everyday” bread but I’m wondering what exactly is the best procedure for getting the dough into the pan if you don’t want to refrigerate. I’ve been making 1/2 of the recipe for 1 loaf which fills my larger bread pan (5×10?) nicely. What I’ve been doing is gently turning the dough out onto a lightly floured Silpat after the initial 2 hr rise which deflates it somewhat and then use the ball/dough cloaking/shape into a rectangle routine as best I can. It usually works pretty well but I’m not sure this is the right way?? I usually get a lot of yeast “blisters” on the top after it has risen in the pan. What method do you recommend for this, or any of the doughs, when using right after the initial rise??
    Thanks so much!!!
    Deb

    1. Deb: If making a loaf-pan bread with fresh dough, just simplify your process a bit. Scoop out your portion of dough, gluten-cloak it, and then stretch to conform to the shape of the pan. THEN do your second rise.

      Don’t absolutely have to slash the loaf-pan breads, the pan keeps it from distorting wildly. Jeff

  23. Thanks, Jeff. One thing I’ve wondered about is if I should “punch down” the dough like you would on a traditional recipe since it hasn’t “flattened” like it would if it was refrigerated? It does deflate some just from scooping it out of the container after the first rise but still has a lot of “oomph” to it which makes it tricky to handle.
    Thanks again!

    1. Hi Deb,

      Actually with our method you never want to punch any of the air out of the dough or you may end up with a dense loaf. It may deflate when you use the dough, but this is different than punching it down.

      Thanks, Zoë

  24. Hi Zoe, thanks for your response. I wonder what would happen if it was just carefully scooped out of the rising container into the pan without handling it at all?? Have you tried that or is it a totally bad idea? It’s so soft it seems like it would level itself out in the pan nicely-I’m just hesitant to try it and risk the waste.
    I’ll have to do a batch and refrigerate it; I’m sure it’s lots easier to handle but this 1/2 batch/one pan thing just fits the bill!
    Thanks so much for the help, you guys rock!

  25. Deb: I’m guessing it’s going to need some resting time, because handling it like that is more or less equivalent to a “punch-down,” no matter how careful you try.

    But maybe not if it’s perfectly fresh, un-refrigerated dough. On day zero, I mean. Jeff

  26. Hi,

    I made the buttermilk recipe for the first time recently and LOVE it! It is such a soft and fluffy dough and has a wonderful crumb. However I thought it tasted exceptionally salty. I am wondering for next time, how I could reduce the salt (1& 1/2 Tbs) that wouldn’t affect the rising of the dough or the taste – I guess I was thinking of staring with 1 Tbs, 1 Tsp? What do you think?
    ~Victoria

    1. Yes, always can do this, see our salt post under the FAQs tab above, scroll down and click on “Salt…”

  27. The UK edition of ABin5 does not state how much, or what kind, of sugar to use for the cinnamon raisin bread.

    Also, When I use the buttermilk bread dough from the fridge on day 5 and let it rise for 1 hour and 40 minutes it gives me a very squat loaf then the first ones I can produce with fresher dough. I also only seem to be getting three one-pound loaves with the buttermilk bread and not three 1 and a half pound loaves. Any suggestions?

    1. Hi AudleyCoveCakes,

      You are absolutely correct, our apologies for the omission! It should read:

      70g/ 2 1/2oz sugar

      The buttermilk dough also has an error, it makes two 1 1/2 pound loaves. Due to the acid in the buttermilk, you may be losing a bit of rising power in the dough at 5 days. You can try letting the dough rest longer before baking or freeze the dough after you use it on the first day. Freezing the dough will prevent the acids from breaking down the structure of the dough as quickly.

      Thank you and enjoy the bread! Zoë

  28. Love you website a lot and bought a copy of the book too. It always full with useful instructions. I aways bake the loaf in a Pullman tin. Therefore I get flat top loaf.

  29. I like making ovenight sourdough waffles, and it seems to me that your master recipe could be used like sourdough starter for overnight yeast waffles. Has anyone come up with a recipe for this?
    Thank you!
    Inge

  30. LOVE this recipe! We tried adding cinnamon chips (homemade) and they added great bursts of flavor! <3 it. Thank you!!! 🙂

  31. Made this loaf with the buttermilk dough yesterday, and overnight my kids DEVOURED it! I’ll consider myself lucky if I get a heel when I get home from work today…. Thanks for all the great recipes, your breads and pizzas are always a success in our house!

  32. Hello!
    I’ve tried the “roll the dough with rolling pin and fill with raisins/other good stuff” quite a few times, and I found it doesn’t work too well. Sure doesn’t look like your breads… It seems most of the rising occurs between the rolled layers instead of in the crumb, leaving me with thin hard slices of crumb and huge holes above the raisin layers (raisins then fall off and burn in the toaster…).
    Any idea how I could fix this?
    Thanks!
    Laura

      1. Usually buttermilk. Found a solution : I paint the dough with beaten egg. This acts as glue and sticks the bread layers together.
        Thanks!

  33. My daughter was helping me cook the other day. I had just opened a 25lb bag of flour that morning and got ready to make the regular master recipe. As I was measuring out the flour I noticed some of it was a bright white. She had mentioned that she had done something I always do but I thought it was start the dishwasher. (She did do that.) Evidently she put 1 lb+ of powdered sugar into my bucket of flour. I finished mixing up the dough and had to add more than a cup extra flour so it was the right consistency. I let it raise etc. last night. This morning I pulled it out to bake and it is REALLY wet. I looked like a pancake on my paddle. I put it in pans to bake. I am not sure what to use the rest of the flour for. I figure I’ll treat like one of the sweet bread recipes. I did put raisins in one. Any suggestions on what do with the rest of the flour? Thanks to my measuring before I noticed it is pretty mixed in at this point.

    1. Hi Heather,

      I am sure something fabulous will come of this recipe she’s created. If the dough is still too wet, then I would add a bit more flour to tighten it up, then use it to make the sticky buns or any of the other sweets in the book. When you add the extra flour, just let the dough rest for an hour or more to allow the flour to absorb the moisture.

      While the dough is still too wet, you could try some of it in your waffle maker or make crumpets on the griddle, if you’re willing to experiment a little.

      Cheers, Zoë

  34. I made cinnamon bread from my Buttermilk bread from AB in 5 this weekend and it was wonderful. My favorite from the book so far. I ran into a quirk I’m hoping you can help with. When I went to put the bread in the oven, I noticed that liquid had pooled around the bread. My sugar had melted while the bread rested. It baked up fine and was delicious, but sticky. Now, I want to take a loaf of this to my Mom and I don’t want to take a sticky gift. Did I not seal my bread well enough? Why would I have a pool of liquid around my dough? The kitchen was cool and the bread rested away from the oven. Thanks so much!

    1. Hi Suzanne,

      You brush on the egg wash and add the sugar right before putting it in the oven, so it shouldn’t have time to melt. Is that how you did it?

      Thanks, Zoë

      1. No, that’s not what I did. The recipe says after the egg wash and cinnamon/sugar and shaping to let the bread rest for and hour and 40 minutes. Page 210 AB in 5. That is the time period when the pool formed. Would it preform as well straight into the oven after shaping? Thanks for the fast response. I’m thrilled that you two are available for questions. I’ve really enjoyed ABin5 and I’m buying HB soon. Thanks again!

      2. Hi Suzanne,

        Next time try letting the shaped loaf rest for 1 hour and 40 minutes, then brush it with the egg wash and sprinkle with the cinnamon/sugar right before baking. This will eliminate the pooling.

        When you ask if “it preform as well straight into the oven after shaping?” Do you mean without any rest? The bread would be very dense if you didn’t allow it to rest first.

        Thanks! Zoë

    1. Hi Nancy,

      Do you have our GF book? If so, you can use the challah or brioche dough to make this bread. There is a recipe for it on page 250.

      Thanks, Zoë

  35. Zoe and Jeff, for the Judy’s Board of Director’s Cinnamon Raisin Bread recipe in the NABi5M, could I mix 1 1/2 cups of raisins into the full batch of buttermilk dough (since the Cinnamon Raisin bread recipe is half of the buttermilk dough and calls for 3/4 cup of raisins)? I ask because, upon making the Cinnamon Raisin bread from the book, I noticed that the raisins being rolled up with the cinnamon/sugar mixture was not quite the texture that I was looking for with the cinnamon/sugar layer.

    Thank you both for a great book. I absolutely love it.

    1. Hi Rachel,

      Yes, you absolutely can add the raisins to the dough when you mix it.

      So glad you are enjoying the book and all the bread you are baking!

      Cheers, Zoë

  36. Can this bread, or any of the large batch refrigerated doughs, be made in a larger loaf, say, 2 lbs.? Any issues besides longer baking time?

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