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A homemade soft and sweet Honey Raisins Bread with bits and pieces of raisins baked at the comfort of your own home. There is nothing like the smell of freshly baked bread in your kitchen on top of the sense of accomplishment of being able to make your own bread.

What’s To Expect From This Bread

So you might be asking why should you even bother to make it when you can easily buy one at the grocery? I always say this and I will say it again, there is nothing like making your own bread at home. The sense of accomplishment cannot be compared to when you just buy something from the store, plus I really love the smell of freshly baked bread in my kitchen. There is so much to be excited about this bread, and so much to be proud of once you made it. Expect the best homemade bread,  and expect nothing less but soft, fluffy bread with subtle sweetness for honey and raisins. I like everything about this bread from texture to taste. There are some homemade bread that tends to be dry and bland or dense and that is one thing that I dislike the most in bread. I always put a spread on my bread, but for me the test of a real good bread is when it taste good even without anything spread on it. You know the kind of bread that you can just tear apart and eat on the spot and still fill satisfied even without putting a spread? This is that kind of bread, simple and no spread needed. The raisins and honey alone is enough to give the bread a nice taste without being too sweet and heavy. Expect a large full size loaf bread when you make this. This bread turned out bigger than what I had in mind, it really expanded so much which is even better. I took it to work to share with my friends and it was such a relief when they loved it, it was gone in one day and I couldn’t be more happier. The  good thing about this bread is that it is really simple to make, I would say about 2 1/2 hours to make it is not bad for a good quality homemade bread. I only added 3 tbsp of honey and equal amount of granulated and brown sugar to sweeten the bread.  It was really good and I hope you will give it a try, this bread is one of my favorite homemade loaf bread.

Here’s How You Are Going to Make This Bread

Let me give you a quick summary on how you are going to tackle this. Don’t worry, it’s not difficult at all. You can even make  this without using a bread machine or stand mixer. First thing first, activate the yeast for about 5 minutes to get the yeast activated. I added it in warm water (110F) and added sugar in it. Temperature is very important in activating the yeast, make it too hot or cold and the yeast will not activate properly. If you do not have a kitchen thermometer, microwave the tap water for about 15 – 20 seconds, that should do the trick. If you are using water from refrigerator make it about 25 seconds and then just touch it to make sure it’s not too hot or cold. Second, add the wet ingredients one at a time, including the beaten egg. Third, add the dry ingredients in 2 batches, you can divide it in half it doesn’t have to be exact. You need to add it in 2 batches so that it is easier to mix. Mix until combined. The dough should be slightly sticky, but you should have a clean bowl after kneading and mixing it. Clean bowl means that you are on the track for the consistency of the dough. If your dough gets too sticky, add 1 tbsp of flour at a time until you get a clean bowl and the dough forms. But don’t over do it as adding too much flour can make the bread heavy and dense. Final dough should be slightly sticky but manageable and shapeable. The dough is done, Congratulations! Let it sit for 30 minutes in warm place and then take it out and shape it to a 9-inch log. Final step, let rest for another 1 hour before baking.  Then Bake, Let Cool, Slice and ENJOY and don’t forget to share.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/8 tsp active dry yeast ( I used Fleischmann’s Active Dry Yeast)
• 1/2 cup warm water  (110F)
• 2 tbsp + 1/2 tsp sugar , divided (1/2 tsp for yeast, remaining for flour mixture)
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp milk , warmed to about 80F
• 1 large egg – room temperature
• 1 tbsp flavorless oil
• 3 tbsp honey
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp whisked egg + 1 tsp milk – for brushing rolls
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Raisins Filling

• 3 tbsp granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 3/4 cup raisins – chopped
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon – optional

For the Egg Wash:

• 1 egg – beaten
• 1 tsp milk – you can use powdered milk diluted in water

Instructions:

1. Activate Yeast: In the bowl of an electric stand mixer whisk together yeast with water and 1/2 tsp of the granulated sugar. Rest 5 minutes until mixture is foamy.
2. Add Wet Ingredients: Set mixer with paddle attachment and mix in remaining sugar (2 tbsp), milk, egg, honey and oil on low-speed.
3. Add Dry Ingredients:Add salt, cinnamon (if using)  and 2 cups of flour and mix on low-speed until combined, then switch to a hook attachment. Set mixer on low-speed and slowly add in remaining 1/2 cups flour. Allow mixture to knead on medium-low speed until smooth and elastic, adding more flour as needed, about 8 minutes. If the dough is too sticky add 1 tbsp of flour at a time (but not more than 1/4 cup) until the dough starts to form into a ball, dough should be slightly sticky and not too dry. If too much flour is added the bread will be dense and heavy. A good measure of correct texture is a clean mixing bowl, when you pick up the dough you should be able to work on it with only slightly sticky to your hands (not too much).
4. First Rest Period,  30 Minutes: Remove the dough and form into a ball. Transfer into a greased bowl (with any flavorless oil) and cover bowl with plastic wrap or warm towel and allow to rest for 30 minutes in a warm place.
5. Prepare the Filling: Mix granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and raisins. Microwave for 30 seconds to soften the raisins. Set aside.
6. Shape:  Take the dough out from the bowl and transfer into a lightly floured counter or working area. Lightly push the dough down with the heel of the palm of your hands to knockout the air. Roll to about 8 x16-inch then sprinkle the filling across the dough. Roll into a 8-inch log or to the size of the pan you are using. Give at least 1-inch allowance so that there is room for bread to expand and rise. If you are NOT using a non-stick pan, line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper for easy removal of bread.Transfer in a 9-inch loaf pan.
7. Second Rest Period, 1 Hour: Let sit in a warm area for 1 hour.
8.  Preheat oven to 350F during last 15 minutes of dough rising, or however long  your oven pre-heats.
   • To help the dough rise better, I store the bread inside the oven which I pre-heated to 110F. Once it reached the 110F, I stopped/canceled it (my oven minimum is 170F) DO NOT forget to stop it, you only want the oven to warm up for the dough to rise, you do not want to dough to be baked. Some oven have a proofing setting, mine doesn’t, so this is my trick.
   • You can also put the loaf pan with the bread dough OUTSIDE the top of the heated oven, the heat of the surface will help the bread rise as it rest.
9. Egg Wash: Gently brush top of loaf with egg wash by combining 1 tsp of milk/water and 1 beaten egg.
10. Bake: Bake in preheated 350F oven until top is golden brown, about 30 – 35 minutes. Serve warm, reheat before serving as necessary.

Makes 1 9-inch Loaf Bread

Nutrition Information

Nutritional Information was calculated using Veryfitwell Recipe Calorie and Nutrition Calculator. For details about Nutritional Information in this website, please read the Nutrition Disclaimer page.

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Homemade Bread From Scratch Video:

Enjoy! If you make this, share and tag me in Instagram #SweetNSpicyLiving. I would like to see your creations too.

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