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Cinnamon Raisin No-Knead Bread with a beautiful artisanal crust and light and fluffy crumb baked to perfection in a dutch oven!

This Easy No-Knead Cinnamon Raisin Bread is one of my favorite bread recipes. Like my Faster No-Knead Bread recipe, it has a impressive artisanal crust and is fluffy and tender on the inside. But this loaf is full of sweet cinnamon flavor, juicy raisins, and crunchy walnuts.

No-knead bread recipes are all about simplicity. They’re easy to make and don’t require any kneading or special baking techniques. The bread is allowed to rise slowly and then baked in a dutch oven which traps moisture, creating a beautiful artisanal crust.

The slow-rise baking techniques create loaves of bread with a beautiful artisanal crust while remaining light and fluffy on the inside! The raisins and walnuts in this recipe add a wonderful texture to this bread, but you could also omit them for a plain cinnamon loaf.

Homemade Cinnamon Raisin No-Knead Bread Ingredients

You only need a few pantry staples to make this bread. Because there are so few ingredients, you will want to make sure they are fresh, flavorful, and active.
Here is what you will need to create an artisanal style bread in your own kitchen:

• Instant Yeast:  If you buy your yeast in the strip of three 0.25 oz packets, you will need less than 1 of the packets. After you measure out ½ teaspoon of yeast for the dough, fold up the packet and pop it in the freezer until you are ready to bake your next loaf. The yeast should remain viable for up to 4 months.
• Room Temperature Water: Typical bread recipes call for warm water, but because we are looking for a slow and steady rise, water with a temperature of around 70°F (21°C) is excellent. The exact temperature doesn’t matter as long as it’s not icy cold, too hot, or warm.
• Honey: I like to add a tablespoon of honey to add a little extra sweetness and give the yeast a little extra support to promote a better rise. 
• Flour: You can use all-purpose or bread flour for this recipe. Both options work great, so feel free to use whatever you have on hand. 
• Salt: To help balance the flavors in the bread. 
• Cinnamon: I love using Ceylon Cinnamon, but make sure it is fresh whatever you use. Once opened, a jar of cinnamon’s flavor and quality will decrease after about 1 year. 
• Raisins: Add as much or as little as you’d like. If you are a fan of raisins, you can add up to a whole cup to this recipe.  
• Walnuts: Nuts add a nice flavor and texture to this bread. You can use walnuts or pecans, or if you are not a fan of nuts, you can omit them.

How To Make Cinnamon Raisin Bread

This no-knead bread recipe couldn’t be more straightforward. It is made with six ingredients and comes together in just 15 minutes, although you will want to start this bread at least 18 hours before serving time.

• Mix the dough. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the dry ingredients, add the water and honey, then mix together until no pockets of dry ingredients remain. The dough will look quite loose and shaggy and won’t hold its shape well, but that is what you are looking for. 
• Stir in the raisins and walnuts. Add the raisins and nuts, then mix the dough gently and distribute the dried fruit and nuts throughout the dough.
• Let the dough rise. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and rest at room temperature for about 12 to 18 hours. The longer it rests, the more flavor and better texture it will have. See my tips below for good resting locations if your kitchen tends to be drafty.  
• Heat the oven and Dutch oven. Place the Dutch oven inside your oven, then set the oven to 450°F. Wait for 20-30 minutes for the oven to heat while the dough rests. If the dough has spread more than you would like, use your hands to shape it into a tighter ball just before baking. 
• Shape the dough. Transfer the dough to a well-floured surface. Shape the dough into a round ball by folding the edges towards the center to create a loaf. If the dough is too sticky to work with or feels too loose at any point, just sprinkle the dough with extra flour. Once the loaf has been shaped, lightly flour the top of the dough ball and then carefully flip it upside-down onto a piece of parchment paper so that the smooth side is on top. Lightly flour the top of the dough ball, then loosely cover it with plastic wrap to rest while the oven heats for about 30 minutes.
• Score the Loaf. Right before you place the dough ball in the hot dutch oven, use a sharp knife at a 90-degree angle and score an X on the top of the loaf. Each score mark should be about 3 1/2 inches long and about ¼” deep. Using a mister, spray bottle, clean toothbrush, or pastry brush, lightly mist (or brush) the top of the bread with water.
• Bake. Once the oven is done preheating and has reached  450°F, carefully, with oven mitts to remove the Dutch oven from the oven. It will be scorchingly hot – be careful! Lift the edges of the parchment to carefully transfer the dough ball (along with the parchment) to the Dutch oven. Place the Dutch oven lid back on the pan and place it in the oven with oven mitts. Bake for 30 minutes. Carefully remove the lid and bake for 10-20 more minutes until the crust gets as light or as golden brown and crispy as you like. 
• Enjoy. Remove the dutch oven from the oven, uncover, and then carefully lift up the edges of the parchment to transfer the bread to a wire cooling rack. Cool for at least 30 minutes, then slice and serve.

Artisanal Cinnamon Raisin Walnut No-Knead Bread

Yield: 1 Loaf

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Additional Time: 1 day

Total Time: 1 day 1 hour 5 minutes

Cinnamon Raisin No-Knead Bread with a beautiful artisanal crust and light and fluffy crumb baked to perfection in a dutch oven!

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Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour (plus 1-2 tablespoons if necessary)
• 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 cup raisins fresh is best
• 1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Instructions

1. Whisk the flour, salt, cinnamon, and yeast in a large bowl. While stirring with a wooded spoon, gradually add the water and honey, stir until incorporated. If the dough looks to thin add add 1-2 more tablespoons flour if needed.
2. Stir in the raisins and walnuts, mix the dough gently and distribute the dried fruit and nuts throughout the dough.
3. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a draft-free area at room temperature until the surface of the dough is covered with tiny bubbles, and the dough has more than doubled in size. This usually takes about 18 hours or so.
4. When the dough is ready, place a Dutch oven into the oven and turn it on to 450° degrees. Allow it to heat in the oven for 30 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, transfer the dough to a well-floured surface. Shape the dough into a round ball by folding the edges towards the center to create a loaf. If the dough is too sticky to work with or feels too loose at any point, just sprinkle the dough with extra flour.
6. Once the loaf has been shaped, lightly flour the top of the dough ball and then carefully flip it upside-down onto a large square of parchment paper (big enough to cover the bottom of your Dutch oven).
   Lightly dust dough with flour, cover it with plastic wrap and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.
7. Before baking, use a sharp knife at a 90-degree angle score an X on the top of the loaf. Each score mark should be about 3 1/2 inches long and about ¼" deep. Using a mister, spray bottle, clean toothbrush, or pastry brush, lightly mist (or brush) the top of the bread with water.
8. Very carefully remove the Dutch oven from the oven. Place the shaped dough, cover, and return to the oven to bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for an additional 8-12 minutes or until the top is lovely and dark (but not burnt).
9. Remove from the oven and transfer the loaf bread to a cooling rack. Allow it to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing to prevent a gummy crumb.

Recommended Products

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  Lodge 6 Quart Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven. Blue Enamel Dutch Oven (Blue)
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  Pyrex Glass Mixing Bowl Set (3-Piece)

5 Tips for Making Cinnamon Raisin No-Knead Bread

• Trust The Recipe: It is easy to doubt this recipe; it requires a minimal amount of yeast, and when first mixed, the dough looks very shaggy. I have made this recipe several times and always get rave reviews from my husband. In fact, it is his favorite bread recipe. I know it is a different technique than we are used to when it comes to bread making, but follow the recipe and continue as directed. I think you may be delighted with the results!
• Proof the dough in a draft-free spot: When dough needs to rise, it’s best to let it sit in a consistent and controlled climate. I prefer using my oven (with the oven settings are off). The oven is draft-free and my dough is unlikely to be disturbed there.
• Don’t Rush the Rising Time: As the dough sits at room temperature, the yeast begins an enzymatic process converting sugar and starches into carbon dioxide. It is a slow process but yields amazing flavors and texture in the finished loaf. Rising time is what makes this no-knead recipe work.
• Don’t Be Tempted to Add Too Much Flour: The dough is loose and shaggy early in the process but will begin to act more like a standard bread dough after the first long rise. 
• Let the bread cool before cutting into it. Resist the urge to slice the bread while it’s hot. When the loaf is still hot, there is a lot of steam still trapped in the bread. Slicing into this gorgeous loaf before it cools will cause the inside of the loaf to be gummy. Letting the loaf cool completely before slicing ensures the perfect fluffy texture when you slice into it!