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Iced Cinnamon Raisin Bread

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Soft and sweet cinnamon bread with juicy raisins, topped with a simple frosting. This Amish-inspired frosted cinnamon raisin bread is a special bread for special mornings.

If you think icing on bread seems strange, that’s because you haven’t tried this recipe yet.

loaf of cinnamon raisin bread with icing.

Iced Cinnamon Raisin Bread

4.63 from 8 votes
A soft and fluffy cinnamon raisin bread topped with a thick icing that hardens as it dries. An old fashioned treat for breakfast.
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Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
rising: 3 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 16 slices
Calories: 159kcal
Author: Katie Shaw
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Ingredients

Bread

  • ½ cup milk
  • ½ cup water maybe need an additional 2-3 tablespoons
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
  • cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup raisins soaked in water for 1 hour
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • teaspoons instant yeast active dry is fine too

Icing

  • 1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter room temperature (equivalent to ½ a stick)
  • 1 dash vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon milk

Instructions

  • Make the dough. Combine all bread dough ingredients except for the raisins in a large mixing bowl or bread machine bucket and mix to combine. Knead until smooth and elastic, at least fifteen minutes by hand or ten in a stand mixer. Add the raisins once the dough is kneaded and knead just until they are evenly distributed.
  • The first rise. Place the dough in a clean, lightly oiled bowl covered with a damp tea towel. Allow to rise 60-90 minutes in a warm place such as a warm but turned-off oven, until the dough has doubled in bulk.
  • Shape and rise again. Shape the dough into a sandwich loaf by stretching out to a 9 x 14 inch rectangle. Tuck in the corners and the top and then roll into a log. Pinch the sides and the bottom closed. Place into a lightly greased loaf pan with the seam side down. Cover with heavily greased plastic wrap and place back into a warm place to rise again until the dough is 1-2 inches above the top of the loaf pan.
  • Bake. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, until the loaf is baked through and golden brown. Remove loaf and turn out onto cooling rack. Allow to cool fully before frosting.

Make the Icing

  • Combine all frosting ingredients and beat until smooth. The frosting should be very thick. Generously frost top of the cooled loaf and allow to set until firm. Serve slices toasted and buttered, or plain.

Notes

You may find that the dough rises slightly slower than you are used to: this is because the cinnamon in the recipe can slow down the yeast.
Store any leftovers at room temperature for 1-2 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 159kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 261mg | Potassium: 121mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 66IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg
Did you make this?Let me know how it was! Please see below for serving ideas, storage instructions, and substitutions.
sliced cinnamon raisin bread with icing on top and apples in background

How to make old fashioned cinnamon raisin bread with frosting

If you think icing on bread seems a bit strange, that’s just because you haven’t tried this recipe yet. The loaf itself is soft and fluffy with a hint of sweetness. The cinnamon isn’t swirled, but mixed throughout, giving the bread a beautiful color and filling your kitchen with a delicious fragrance as it bakes.

And the icing, of course, is the star! It’s relatively stiff and dries firm, which means you can slice the loaf and even toast it and still have that yummy frosted layer.

If you love sweet breads and cinnamon, don’t forget to try sourdough cinnamon raisin bread too.

If you’ve made bread from scratch before, this will be a snap. And if you haven’t, no problem. Let’s do it together!

What you’ll love about this recipe:

Soft and sweet – If you enjoy a sweet treat with your coffee in the morning, this is perfect.

Easy to make – The dough is soft and easy to work with: no sticking and it’s easy to shape.

The frosting– That’s really what it’s all about here.

What you’ll need

flour, sugar, cinnamon, yeast, raisins, butter, and other ingredients in small bowls

Bread

  • milk (whole milk is great if you have it, but no big deal if you don’t)
  • water
  • butter
  • sugar
  • salt
  • all-purpose flour
  • raisins, soaked in water for one hour (this helps keep them plump and prevents them from sucking moisture out of the bread dough!)
  • cinnamon
  • instant yeast (I recommend SAF brand!)

Icing

  • powdered sugar
  • butter
  • vanilla
  • milk

You’ll also need an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2.

Step by step instructions

Mix, knead, and rise

4 images- mixing, kneading, and rising bread dough
This mixing bowl is from this affordable and cute Pioneer Woman collection.

First, mix all bread dough ingredients except for the raisins in a large mixing bowl or bread machine bucket and mix to combine. You don’t have to worry about combining them in a certain order, or activating the yeast. Promise! (That’s why instant yeast is so great!)

Knead until the dough becomes smooth and elastic, at least fifteen minutes by hand or ten in a stand mixer. Add the raisins once the dough is kneaded and knead just until they are evenly distributed.

Related: how to knead dough in a stand mixer.

Place the dough in a clean, lightly oiled bowl covered with a damp tea towel. Allow the bread dough to rise 60-90 minutes in a warm place such as a warm but turned-off oven, until the dough has doubled in bulk

shape and bake

shaping bread dough in loaf and placing in loaf pan for second rise
I recommend Goldtouch bakeware for an evenly browned loaf

Don’t be scared of shaping the dough into a sandwich loaf. If you don’t do it perfectly, it won’t really matter that much. Remember the saying “shoulders in, head down” which just means tuck in the corners and then roll down from the top.

Shape the dough into a sandwich loaf by stretching out to a 9 x 14-inch rectangle. Tuck in the corners and the top and then roll into a log. Pinch the sides and the bottom closed. Place into a lightly greased loaf pan with the seam side down.

Cover with heavily greased plastic wrap and place back into a warm place to rise again until the dough is 1-2 inches above the top of the loaf pan.

finished cinnamon raisin bread cooling on counter

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, until the loaf is baked through and golden brown. Remove loaf and turn out onto cooling rack. Allow the loaf to cool fully before frosting.

Frost

two images: finished icing and spreading onto loaff

The frosting is easy. Just mix all the ingredients together and beat until it’s smooth. You want it to be stiff, so it will stay on the loaf and harden. The idea is to be able to cut slices and have a stiff layer of icing on top.

hand holding slice of frosted raisin bread

Enjoy plain or toasted!

Iced Cinnamon Raisin Bread
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6 thoughts on “Iced Cinnamon Raisin Bread”

  1. 5 stars
    I made 6 small buns in the oven and rest was baked in the bread machine and it worked !! I added 1 tablespoon more to keep dough perfect! Added another teaspoon cinnamon!! (Cause I love it!)

    Awesome recipe and I can make it oven, machine, loaf or rolls !! SO GOOD

    Reply
      • Maybe you should change the picture. The last post was December 2021, and it is now February 2023 – more than enough time to change it. I googled a cinnamon raisin potato flake bread and got yours. Except there’s no potato flakes…
        It sounds like a good recipe, but not what I’m searching for.

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