Fresh-Milled Cinnamon Raisin Bread
A 100% fresh-milled cinnamon raisin loaf at 72% hydration with a brushed cinnamon-sugar swirl that stays tightly laminated through the bake.
Key Takeaways
- Soak raisins 10 minutes in warm water so they don't pull moisture from the crumb.
- Brush water — not butter — under the cinnamon-sugar swirl to keep it from separating.
- Roll the swirl tight and pinch the seam well to prevent gaps.
- Slice only after fully cool, or the swirl will smear.
About this recipe
A breakfast loaf made with 100% freshly milled hard white wheat, plump raisins, and a tight cinnamon-sugar swirl. Made for toast.
Prep: 30 min
Bake: 42 min
Hydration: 72%
Ingredients
- Fresh-milled hard white wheat flour500 g
- Warm water330 g
- Honey40 g
- Softened butter30 g
- Large egg1
- Instant yeast6 g
- Fine sea salt9 g
- Raisins (soaked, drained)150 g
- Cinnamon swirl: sugar60 g
- Ground cinnamon10 g
Instructions
- 1
Mill 500 g hard white wheat berries; cool. Soak raisins in warm water 10 minutes; drain well.
- 2
Whisk flour and water; rest 45 minutes.
- 3
Add honey, butter, egg, yeast, and salt; knead 6 minutes. Gently fold in raisins.
- 4
Bulk ferment 75 minutes until puffy.
- 5
Roll dough into a 9x16 rectangle. Lightly brush with water; sprinkle cinnamon-sugar evenly.
- 6
Roll up tightly from the short edge; pinch seam. Place seam-down in a greased 9x5 pan.
- 7
Proof 60–80 minutes until 1 inch above the rim.
- 8
Bake at 350°F for 40–45 minutes until internal temp 200°F. Cool fully before slicing (yields one 9x5 loaf). Store 3 days at room temp or freeze sliced.
new to fresh-milled flour? start here — hydration, gluten development, and grain choice tips that make this recipe work.
Related Content
Recommended Grains
Related Techniques
How to Autolyse Fresh Milled Flour
Combine flour and water and let it rest before adding yeast and salt. Bran softens, gluten develops passively, and the final dough is dramatically easier to handle.
How to Increase Hydration Successfully
Raise water in 5% increments, autolyse longer, and lean on stretch and folds instead of kneading.
Related Troubleshooting
How do I know if my dough is under-proofed?
Dough goes into the oven before fermentation has built enough gas and gluten extensibility, producing a dense, tight loaf.
Why is my fresh milled bread dry?
Bread that crumbles, feels dusty, or stales within a day of baking.
Why is my loaf gummy inside?
The crust looks done but the inside of the loaf is sticky, paste-like, or wet to the touch.
Related Conversions
All-Purpose Flour to Fresh Milled Flour
Fresh milled flour absorbs more water and ferments slightly slower than refined AP flour. Start with hard white wheat for the closest 1:1 swap.
All-Purpose Flour to Hard White Wheat (Fresh-Milled)
Swap 1:1 by weight (not volume) and add 5–8% more water. A 20–40 minute autolyse, or sifting to remove ~10–15% of the coarsest bran, brings the texture very close to AP. Fermentation runs roughly 10–20% faster than the original AP recipe.