Here is a wonderful bread machine raisin bread recipe. Many people love raisin bread. But you can make it even better… by adding delicious golden raisins! Golden raisins are sweeter & juicier than ordinary dark raisins. Golden raisins also tend not to have the problem of being too dried out (unlike some regular raisins).
If you are looking for the breakfast version of this recipe (or you just love cinnamon), you should try our Bread Machine – Raisin Cinnamon Bread recipe. However, for sandwich bread, I prefer this golden raisin bread recipe because it does not have any cinnamon.
Key Ingredient – Golden Raisins
Since this raisin bread recipe is done in a bread machine, it is simple & easy to make. This recipe takes me about 5-10 minutes to prepare and then the bread machine does the rest of the work (such as mixing, kneading & baking). For more great recipes, please visit Bread Dad’s main Bread Machine Recipes section. You will also find printable and “pin-able” recipe at the bottom of the page.
Sandwich made with Bread Machine Raisin Bread
Ingredients – Bread Machine Raisin Bread Recipe
- 1 1/2 Cups – Milk (lukewarm) – 355 milliliters
- 4 Tablespoons – Unsalted Butter (sliced & softened) – 57 grams
- 2 Teaspoons – Molasses – 13 grams
- 3 Cups – Bread Flour – 360 grams
- 1 Cup – Oatmeal – 90 grams – Do not pre-moisten the flakes. Use dry flakes.
- 1/2 Cup – Brown Sugar (packed) – 107 grams
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons – Salt – 9 grams
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons – Bread Machine Yeast – 4.5 grams
- 1 Cup – Golden Raisins – 140 grams
Servings – 12 slices
Equipment – Measuring cup & spoons, flexible spatula, oven mitts, cooling rack… and of course, a bread machine!
Instructions – Bread Machine Raisin Bread Recipe
- Bread machine settings – 2 pound loaf, light color and “basic” bread setting.
- Unplug the bread machine and remove the bread pan from the bread machine. This prevents any ingredients added to the bread pan from accidentally spilling into the bread machine.
- Pour the milk into the bread pan and then add the other ingredients (except the golden raisins). Place the bread machine yeast in last and the yeast should not touch the liquid or salt (until the bread machine is turned on and the ingredients start to be mixed together). FYI – Do not place the salt where you plan to add the yeast.
- Place the bread pan back into the bread machine and plug in the bread machine.
- Enter the correct settings into the bread machine (i.e. 2 pound, light color and basic) and press the start button.
- After the bread machine has finished its FIRST kneading cycle (and before it has started the second kneading cycle), add the golden raisins.
- When the bread machine has finished baking the bread, unplug the bread machine. Remove the bread and place it on a cooling rack. Use oven mitts when removing the bread machine container (bread loaf pan) as it will be very hot!
- After removing the bread, don’t forget to remove the mixing paddle if it is stuck in the bread. Use oven mitts as the mixing paddle will be very hot coming out of the bread machine. Or wait until the bread is completely cooled and then remove the mixing paddle.
- In our bread machine, the baking takes about 3 hours for a 2 pound bread at the light color & basic bread settings. However, some machines can differ and you don’t want to be away from home when the bread machine “finished” alarm goes off! Your bread machine should show you the length of the baking time after you have entered the settings into the machine. This will allow you to know when to be in the kitchen in order to remove the bread.
- Before using your bread machine, you should read the bread machine manufacturer’s instructions in order to use the bread machine effectively and safely.
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- Bread Machines – My favorites!
- Bread Mixes – Buttermilk, rye, sourdough, French, etc.
Tips – Bread Machine Raisin Bread Recipe
- The tips below are designed to help bread machine “novices” and those who haven’t touched their bread machine in years.
- Click on our “print recipe” link if you want to print out this recipe. It includes all of the recipe’s ingredients and instructions. However, the recipe print function does not include our tips section. Please read the tips section in order to avoid common recipe problems.
- This recipe is part of Bread Dad’s series on easy Bread Machine Recipes such as banana bread, French bread and multigrain bread.
- Add the golden raisins during the “rest” period after the first kneading cycle and before the second kneading cycle. If you add the golden raisins before the first kneading, they can become very fragmented (chopped up) by the bread machine’s typical two kneading/mixing cycles.
- I use one minute oatmeal (versus old fashioned oatmeal) in this raisin bread recipe in order to make it a little softer. However, if you want to use less processed oats, you can easily replace the one minute oatmeal with old fashioned oatmeal.
- If you don’t have any golden raisins, you can use regular raisins, dried cranberries, dried blueberries, etc. However, I much prefer sweet delicious golden raisins to regular raisins. They also tend to be juicer than regular raisins.
- Visitors – What do you like to use in your raisin bread? Golden raisins? Regular raisins? Occasionally adding a mix of raisins & cranberries? Please leave your raisin bread tips in the comment section below.
- Do not use cold milk. The main problem with using regular milk is that people tend to use cold refrigerated milk and this can slow the yeast growth. Try to use warm milk (or instant powdered milk mixed into warm water). However, you should also be aware that the milk should not be too hot because very hot milk can kill the yeast.
- Some of my visitors like to use buttermilk when making this bread. FYI – The slight acidity of the buttermilk helps to create softer breads by “tenderizing” the gluten.
- Use FRESH ingredients (i.e. flour) for the best results. Ingredients that have been sitting in the pantry for months can become stale or pick up weird smells & flavors.
- Try to keep your ingredients (i.e. flour) in airtight food containers in order to extend their shelf life. Airtight containers protect ingredients from moisture (in the air), pests, dust, etc.
- Many bakers like to make an indent in the top of the flour in order to hold the bread machine yeast in place (looks sort of like a small flour volcano with a yeast crater). This is done to prevent the yeast from falling into the liquid ingredients (and activating prematurely) or coming into contact with the salt until the bread machine is turned on. Of course, you should not place the salt in this “crater” or it could kill the yeast.
- If your bread comes out too dense, it is likely due to one of the following reasons; You are using old or stale yeast, using a cold refrigerator temperature liquid (which slows yeast growth), baking in a cold winter temperature kitchen (yeast likes kitchen temps of 75-80 degree F), using all purpose flour (versus bread flour as called for in the recipe), placing salt on top of or next to the yeast (salt kills yeast so it must be placed away from the yeast in the bread pan), etc. For more reasons, you should visit Bread Dad’s Why Is My Bread Machine Bread So Dense? page.
- Having trouble with bread collapses & misshapen bread tops? Make sure to read Bread Dad’s article on bread machine bread collapses. It has reasons and solutions to potential bread collapses.
- This recipe uses bread machine yeast (instant yeast). It does NOT use active dry yeast.
- Bread machine yeast and instant yeast are not the same as active dry yeast. Bread machine yeast and instant yeast are added directly to the recipe’s ingredients. In contrast, active dry yeast must be activated in water/milk before being added to a recipe’s ingredients. If you try to use active dry yeast for this recipe, it is much less likely to work properly (as the recipe instructions & leavening time is based on the use of bread machine yeast). Examples of yeast that can be used for this recipe include Fleischmann’s Bread Machine Yeast, Fleischmann’s Instant Yeast, Saf Instant Yeast, Red Star Instant Yeast, etc. You should not use active dry yeasts for this recipe such as Fleischmann’s Active Dry Yeast, Red Star Active Dry Yeast, etc.
- I would recommend NOT reducing the salt in this recipe. You generally want to keep the salt-to-yeast ratio at a 1:1 basis in most bread recipes. The salt moderates the growth of the yeast. If you cut the salt (and disrupt this 1:1 ratio), the yeast will grow faster than expected. In turn, this leads to more bread collapses (because the yeast rises too high and then craters in the middle) and/or results in “slack” less manageable dough. In addition, less salt will impact the flavor and browning of the bread.
- If you haven’t used your bread machine in a long time, please buy some NEW bread machine yeast before making your bread. Old yeast can die or lose its potency and this will lead to bread that does not rise properly. Bread machine yeast may not be viable if it has been sitting in your pantry for years.
- Bread machine yeast loses its potency over time. Generally, bread machine yeast lasts for only 3-4 months after you have opened the bottle. However, if the yeast is exposed to air & moisture (i.e. the bottle is not sealed tight) or exposed to higher temperatures, the yeast will expire even more quickly.
- Be aware that some bread recipes may differ slightly between different types of bread machines. Therefore, please read your bread machine manufacturer’s instructions for basic bread recipes (i.e. white bread or whole wheat bread) as these are more likely to work on your individual bread machine.
- Always wear oven mitts/gloves when dealing with a bread machine. The bread pan and the rest of the bread machine can get very hot during the baking process. This means that the bread pan and bread machine is likely to be very hot when you attempt to remove a baked good from the bread machine and/or bread pan.
- For more easy bread machine recipes (i.e. white bread, banana bread, pizza dough, cornbread, whole wheat bread, etc.), please visit Bread Dad’s main Bread Machine Recipes section.
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Bread Machine Raisin Bread Questions
Do golden raisins taste different?
Golden raisins taste different from regular raisins. Golden raisins tend to be sweeter, plumper and look great (golden colored). Moreover, regular raisins occasionally have the problem of being too dried out.
Reference Sources
- Wikipedia, Bread Machine
- Wikipedia, Raisin
Bread Machine Raisin Bread (Golden Raisins)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Cups Milk (lukewarm) – 355milliliters
- 4 Tablespoons Butter (sliced & softened) – 57 grams
- 2 Teaspoons Molasses – 13 grams
- 3 Cups Bread Flour – 360 grams
- 1 Cup Oatmeal – 90 grams – Do not pre-moisten the flakes. Use dry flakes.
- 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar (packed) – 107 grams
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons Salt – 9 grams
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons Bread Machine Yeast – 4.5 grams
- 1 Cup Raisins (golden raisins) – 140 grams
Instructions
- Bread machine settings – 2 pound loaf, light color and “basic” bread setting.
- Unplug the bread machine and remove the bread pan from the bread machine. This prevents any ingredients added to the bread pan from accidently spilling into the bread machine.
- Pour the milk into the bread pan and then add the other ingredients (except the golden raisins). Place the bread machine yeast in last and the yeast should not touch the liquid or salt (until the bread machine is turned on and the ingredients start to be mixed together). FYI – Do not place the salt where you plan to add the yeast.
- Place the bread pan back into the bread machine and plug in the bread machine.
- Enter the correct settings into the bread machine (i.e. 2 pound, light color and basic) and press the start button.
- After the bread machine has finished its FIRST kneading cycle (and before it has started the second kneading cycle), add the golden raisins.
- When the bread machine has finished baking the bread, unplug the bread machine. Remove the bread and place it on a cooling rack. Use oven mitts when removing the bread machine container (bread loaf pan) as it will be very hot!
- After removing the bread, don’t forget to remove the mixing paddle if it is stuck in the bread. Use oven mitts as the mixing paddle will be very hot coming out of the bread machine. Or wait until the bread is completely cooled and then remove the mixing paddle.
- In our bread machine, the baking takes about 3 hours for a 2 pound bread at the light color & basic bread settings. However, some machines can differ and you don’t want to be away from home when the bread machine “finished” alarm goes off! Your bread machine should show you the length of the baking time after you have entered the settings into the machine. This will allow you to know when to be in the kitchen in order to remove the bread.
- Before using your bread machine, you should read the bread machine manufacturer’s instructions in order to use the bread machine effectively and safely.
Notes
Nutrition
Related Recipes
- Bread Machine Cinnamon Raisin Bread
- Bread Machine French Bread
- Bread Machine Italian Bread
- Bread Machine Oatmeal Bread
- Bread Machine White Bread
- Bread Machine Whole Wheat Bread
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