Homemade Raisin Bread / Eggless Raisin Bread / Easy Raisin Bread (2024)

This Homemade Raisin Bread is light, fluffy, and full of sweet raisins. This easy raisin bread is one of the most straightforward recipes. It is lightly sweetened and tastes excellent when toasted with butter or cheese spread!

This Easy Raisin Bread is eggless, it has a soft texture inside with a chewy crust, and the recipe comes together very quickly.

About Homemade Raisin Bread

Once we start baking bread at home, it is always fun. From kneading dough to seeing it rising and having a wonderful loaf out of the oven is just heaven. For me, it works like magic, like a stressbuster.

If you want to start with basic white bread, begin with White Sandwich Bread.
And once you are comfortable making basic bread, you start making different types of bread. And I remember my first bread after white sandwich bread was raisin bread.

However, when I made it the first time, I did it the traditional way. First, roll the dough, spread raisins, fold the dough, and create a log, like cinnamon raisin bread.

But then I started skipping that step and adding raisins and all other ingredients together. And believe me, that makes this easy raisin bread a quick and straightforward recipe.

The homemade Raisin Bread recipe does not contain any egg; it is still light and airy. Sometimes we think we cannot make certain types of bread vegetarian or eggless. But if we choose other ingredients right, it is not rocket science. You can also check out my Eggless Pav (Dinner Rolls), which are light and fluffy.

Why You Will Love Homemade Raisin Bread

• The recipe is easy and straightforward to follow.
• It requires only a few ingredients to make this easy raisin bread.
• The recipe is eggless and vegetarian.
• The bread is super soft, fluffy, and full of raisins.
• It can be enjoyed as is or with butter, jam, or cheese spread.

Ingredients

1. Bread Flour or All-Purpose Flour: Generally, I keep bread flour in my pantry as I use it often. The difference between bread flour and all-purpose flour is the amount of protein. Bread flour contains more protein, giving a chewier texture to the bread. But using all-purpose flour in bread making will not make any significant difference. So you can use bread or all-purpose flour to make this bread.
2. Yeast: I have used active dry yeast to make this raisin bread, but you can also use instant yeast. With instant yeast, the dough rising time may shorter compare to active dry yeast.
3. Water: I have used water for the proofing of the yeast. The water should be warm but not too warm or hot.
4. Sugar: Sugar is a must as it increases the activity of yeast. And this bread is slightly sweeter than regular bread, so I have added ¼ cup of sugar.
5. Salt: Do not add salt to the yeast mixture; add it only with flour.
6. Milk: It makes the bread extra soft, rich, and flavorful.
7. Butter: We can also add any neutral flavor oil instead of butter. But I would highly recommend using butter. It gives a nice buttery flavor, and you think about it this way, butter, bread, and raisins make a delicious combo.
8. Add-ins: You can add a dash of ground cinnamon if you prefer that way. Also, use dried cranberries instead of raisins if you prefer. Dried cranberries will add extra tanginess to the bread along with sweetness.

Step-by-Step Directions

Proofing The Yeast

• In a large mixing bowl, take sugar and warm water.
• Add yeast and mix everything lightly with a spoon or fork.
• Then cover the bowl with a clean and dry kitchen towel and let it sit for 10 minutes.

• After 10 minutes, now, because yeast is active, the mixture will be frothy and bubbly.
• If the mixture is not foamy, the yeast is inactive. In that case, discard it and start all over.
• There could be various reasons that the mixture is not foamy. For example, the water could be hot, or the yeast is expired.

Making And Proofing The Dough

• Add butter, milk, raisins, and salt to the yeast mixture. Mix well.
• Add flour gradually and keep mixing with a wooden spoon or spatula.
• First, add 2 cups of flour, and then slowly add the remaining flour, ½ cup at a time.
• You may need 3 to 3 & ½ cups of flour, depending on the type of flour.

• The dough will come together but be very soft and sticky, as shown in the picture below.

• Take some flour onto a clean surface and place dough on it.

• Knead the dough with your palm and take some more flour if needed.
• Continue kneading the dough until it is soft but not sticky, smooth, and supple.

• Lightly grease a large bowl and transfer the dough into it.
• Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel.
• And let the dough rise until double in size for about an hour to 1 & ½ hours.

• Depending on the kitchen’s temperature, the dough will double in size after 1 to 1 & ½ hours.

• Lightly punch down the dough to release the air.

Rolling And Proofing The Bread Log

• Grease a 9 X 5-inch loaf pan with oil.
• Roll the dough into a thick and large rectangle about 8 inches long, then roll it up and make a log.
• Place the log into a prepared loaf pan.

• Cover the loaf pan with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel.
• Let it rise until doubled, and the dough is about 1 inch above the loaf pan for about an hour.
• The dough will double in size in an hour.

Baking The Homemade Raisin Bread

• Preheat the oven to 350° F.
• Bake the bread for 32-35 minutes until golden brown on top.
• Remove from the oven and immediately brush the top of the loaf with melted butter.
• If the bread starts browning too much on the top after 20-25 minutes, remove it from the oven and loosely cover it with aluminum foil.
• Place it back into the oven and continue baking for the remaining time.
• Let the bread cool completely before slicing.
• This bread will stay at room temperature for three days and will be refrigerated to keep it longer.

Rapid Browning Of The Top

• Sometimes, the top of the bread browns very quickly. Remove your bread from the oven if you see it browning rapidly after 20-25 minutes.
• Then, loosely cover it with aluminum foil, place it back into the oven, and continue baking for the rest of the time.

How To Check If Bread Is Baked

• The crusts should be evenly golden brown.
• The bread will pull away from the sides of the pan.
• When you tap the bread lightly, it will sound hollow.

Helpful Tips

• Measuring: Measure all the ingredients beforehand and use a kitchen scale if you have one for the best results.
• Milk: Milk makes the bread soft, rich, and flavorful. You can use whole or low-fat milk but do not use fat-free milk.
• Yeast Proofing: The first step is yeast proofing by mixing water, sugar, and yeast and allowing it to rest for 10 minutes. This mixture should be frothy and bubbly. If this does not happen to your mixture, the yeast is inactive, or the water is hot or cold.
• Salt: Always add salt with flour; otherwise, it may inactivate the yeast.
• Dough: The dough should be soft and well-hydrated for the soft and fluffy raisin bread. So while kneading the dough, add flour as needed. However, add flour, one tablespoon at a time, and avoid adding too much flour.

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• Whole Wheat Kulcha (No Yeast) / Kulcha On Tawa
• Palak Paneer Paratha
• Avocado Paratha / Avocado and Greens Paratha
• Methi Thepla / Fenugreek Flatbread
• Broccoli Cheese Paratha (Healthy Indian Flatbread)

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