Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread

This whole wheat cinnamon raisin swirl bread is so fluffy and soft, but still sturdy enough for toasting and sandwiches! It has a delicious cinnamon sugar swirl and it’s studded with juicy raisins. Plus, it’s so easy to make! I love the rich and complex flavor of the whole wheat, and its nutritional benefits!

If you’re new to bread baking, or you just want some bread variety in your daily life – look no further! This bread is made with yeast, but it’s a super easy process. The swirl almost reminds me of eating a cinnamon roll! Plus, it makes your whole house smell SO good.

Ingredient notes:

• Milk: You can use any milk you would like for this recipe. I used 2% milk and had great results.
• Flour: This recipe calls for a blend of whole wheat flour and all purpose flour. You can also use only whole wheat flour.
• Raisins: The classic version of this bread uses purple raisins, but feel free to try golden raisins as well! You could even substitute some chopped nuts, other dried fruits, or chocolate chips!

Technique notes + tips:

• You do not need a stand mixer for this recipe, but if you have one, feel free to use it! Simply mix all the dough ingredients together with the paddle attachment for 2 minutes. Then switch to the hook attachment and knead on low speed for another 10 minutes.
• The temperature of the milk should be around 100ºF. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can test this with your finger. The milk should be warm and soothing, but not hot.
• Make sure your melted butter has had some time to cool before you add it to your dough, or it could kill the yeast.
• If kneading by hand, I strongly recommend setting a timer while you knead. This makes sure that you are kneading for the right amount of time. While kneading, you might find that the dough is sticky and a little too wet. If that is the case, add flour around 2 tablespoons at a time and knead it into the dough. Add 8 tablespoons flour at the most. The texture should be stiff and just slightly tacky. Avoid adding too much flour because it could result in a dense loaf.
• Make sure to let the dough rise in a warm spot, especially if you live somewhere warm. I like to place my tightly covered dough near a heating vent. You could also put it in your oven with the light on, just make sure you don’t actually turn the oven on!
• I strongly recommend soaking your raisins because this makes them super plump and juicy. It’s super simple! Just heat around 1 cup of water in the microwave or stove until boiling. Then add the hot water to a bowl with the raisins and cover tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Make sure that all the raisins are submerged in the water. Let the raisins soak for at least 20 minutes. When ready to use, just pour the raisins into a sieve and drain out all the water.
• When you add the rolled up bread loaf to the bread pan, make sure the seam side is facing down, otherwise, it could unravel while baking!
• The loaf is done baking when an inserted thermometer registers 190º-200ºF. This is the most foolproof way of testing for doneness. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can tap the loaf and it should sound hollow.
• It’s so hard to resist cutting into your freshly baked loaf, but you have to let it cool to room temp. The bread continues to bake internally even after you take it out of the oven. If you slice it while hot, you lose a lot of internal heat and the bread might taste underbaked.
• Immediately after baking, brush the top of the loaf with melted butter. This softens the crust and adds some extra flavor.

If you liked this Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread, you might also like…

• Healthier pumpkin bread
• Cinnamon apple bread
• Small batch irish soda bread
• Pumpkin pie cinnamon rolls
• Healthier cinnamon roll muffins

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5 from 4 votes

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread

A soft and fluffy whole wheat loaf with a delicious cinnamon filling and juicy raisins. It's amazing on its own or toasted with some butter. Best of all, it's so easy to make. Try it with peanut butter – like a fancy PB&J!

Prep Time40 minutes mins

Cook Time50 minutes mins

Resting Time3 hours hrs

Total Time4 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast

Keyword: bread, cinnamon, raisins, whole wheat

Servings: 1 loaf

Author: Half the Sugar Baker

Ingredients

For the dough

• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast 1 package
• 1 cup lukewarm milk around 100ºF
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter melted and cooled
• 1 egg
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour or sub whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup raisins

For the filling

• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted

Instructions

Make the dough

• In a large bowl, mix the yeast and warm milk. Let rest for 3-5 minutes. Add the granulated sugar, salt, butter, and egg. Whisk until combined. Add the whole wheat flour and all purpose flour. Use a large wooden spoon or dough whisk to mix everything together until it forms a rough dough. Dump the dough onto a generously flour a work surface. Knead for 10 minutes. The dough should be stiff and slightly tacky. If it is too sticky, knead in additional flour a little at a time.
• Grease a large clean bowl with butter or oil and add the dough. Turn the dough around in the bowl so that all surfaces are greased. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lid and blace in a warm spot until doubled in size, around 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• While waiting, soak the raisins in a bowl of steaming hot water and cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil for 20 minutes. This will make them super plump and juicy. Also grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
• Once dough has doubled in size, dump it out onto a floured work surface. Flatten the dough into a large circle. Drain the raisins and spread them over the dough. Press down so they stick into the dough and gather the dough into a ball. Knead the dough for 3 minutes. Then return to the greased bowl and cover. Let rise for 30 minutes.

Prepare filling

• In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and ground cinnamon.
• Once the dough has risen, turn it onto a lightly floured work surface and roll it into a 16×8 inch rectangle. Brush the dough with some of the melted butter (you will not use all of it). Scatter the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over the dough. Then roll the dough tightly into a log, starting with the short side. Gently fold the exposed ends underneath and place seam side down into the greased loaf pan. Brush the top of the log with some more melted butter. Cover the loaf pan gently with plastic wrap and let rise until puffy, around 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400ºF. Test if the loaf is well proofed by gently poking it. The indent should stay (if it springs back, let it proof for longer). Once the dough is ready, bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Then decrease the oven temp to 350ºF (do not open the oven) and bake for an additional 20 to 30 minutes. Once done, the loaf should be well browned and sound hollow when tapped. The internal temp should be 190º-200ºF.
• Remove the loaf from the oven. Turn the loaf out onto a wire rack and brush the top with the remaining melted butter. Let cool to room temperature before slicing. Enjoy!

Notes

Feel free to use all whole wheat flour for this recipe.

Resist the urge to add too much additional flour while kneading. I recommend adding up to 1/2 cup at the most.