Bread Machine Raisin Bread
Easy rum raisin bread is baked right in your bread machine and is a delicious variation of classic cinnamon raisin bread for the holidays.
My husband is obsessed with rum raisin bread pudding.
I thought it would be fun to create a bread machine raisin bread that incorporated those same festive flavors with a touch of rum for a special treat.
You can definitely taste the rum in each slice. There are just enough raisins to keep it interesting but not so many that they overpower the bread.
The bread is delicious warm right out of the bread maker, holds it's shape really well when you slice it, and tastes amazing with a little pat of butter.
This cinnamon raisin bread is hearty and thick and holds up so well if you're the kind of person who likes to dunk their bread in their chili or soup.
But the very best part of the recipe?? Leftovers made into toast the next morning!! The toast is crispy on the outside while still soft on the inside.
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Why This is the Best Recipe
As the author of The Ultimate Bread Machine Cookbook, I know my way around a bread maker. I think this is the best bread machine raisin bread recipe variation because:
- Fun for the Holiday Season: While classic raisin bread is perfect all year round, a touch of rum in this recipe makes it super fun to serve at Christmastime.
- Just as Easy: When you're working with a bread machine, the recipe is always easy. Just measure and press Start!
- Smells Amazing: I always love the smell of fresh bread baking in the house, but this is the perfect holiday scent while you have company visiting.
Ingredients
As with most of my bread machine recipes, this rum raisin bread only needs a few ingredients:
- Bread Flour
- Sour Cream: Full fat or light sour cream will work, avoid fat-free.
- Butter: I personally use salted butter for all my baking.
- Sugar
- Egg
- Dark or Light Rum
- Dark Raisins: Use regular raisins, not golden raisins for this recipe.
- Vanilla Extract
- Salt: I use Morton's Kosher Salt
- Active Dry Yeast
Easy Bread Machine Recipe
Most bread machines instruct you to add all the wet ingredients into the pan first. You top them with the dry ingredients and add the yeast right at the end.
You should always consult your own machine's manual, but I've included the instructions for how we made our bread.
Add the Wet Ingredients First
Add the sour cream, water, egg, rum, vanilla, and the softened butter to the bread machine pan.
Add the Dry Ingredients
Add the flour and sugar right on top of the wet ingredients. You don't need to mix anything together.
I've heard that salt can kill active yeast in bread. When I researched that, it appears that salt doesn't kill the yeast but it does slow it down from working it's magic during the rise. For that reason, I've always tried to keep the salt and yeast separate from one another when adding them to the pan.
I sprinkle the salt around the perimeter of the flour and then dig a small well in the center of the flour.
I add the yeast to the well.
They will mix and mingle once the bread machine starts mixing, but this helps the yeast get coated by flour before touching the salt.
Bread Machine Program Settings
Use the Basic or White program on your bread machine.
Select the size of the loaf you've prepared. I've included ingredient quantities for both a 1 1/2-pound loaf and a 2-pound loaf of bread.
Then select the color of the bread if your bread maker has that option. I usually bake with a medium setting.
When to Add the Raisins
You actually keep the raisins out of the pan at the start.
Most bread machines have a special alarm that sounds when it is time to add the mix-ins like raisins or nuts. Simply lift the lid and dump them into the pan.Â
If your machine doesn't have that kind of setting, wait to add the raisins until the first knead has completed.
Serving Suggestions
I love this rum raisin bread for the entire winter season but it would make an especially fun element to your Thanksgiving or Christmas meal plan.
You could serve it alongside your main dish, have a loaf ready for epic toast on Christmas morning, or start your New Year with a fun and simple brunch of toast and eggs.
More Bread Machine Recipes
I absolutely love our bread machine. Don't miss some of my other favorite bread maker recipes for the holiday season:
📖 Recipe
Bread Machine Raisin Bread
Ingredients
Quantities for a 2-POUND Loaf of Raisin Bread:
- 2/3 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup dark or light rum
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 4 cups bread flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 2/3 cup dark raisins not golden raisins
Instructions
- For a 2-pound loaf of bread, your pan must have a capacity of 12 cups or more. For a 1 1/2-pound loaf, the pan needs a capacity of 10 cups or more. See the ingredient adjustments in the notes for a 1 1/2-pound bread.
- Most bread machines want you to add the wet ingredients before the dry. Please consult your machine's manual and follow their preferred instructions.
- Our machine requires us to add the sour cream, water, egg, rum, butter, and vanilla first. Then add the flour, and sugar on top.
- Keep the salt and yeast separate in the pan. Sprinkle the salt around the perimeter of the flour, then use a spoon to pat a small well in the middle of the flour to add the yeast into. (See photos in post for clarification.) This will help with the bread rising, salt interacting with the yeast directly will slow it down.
- Select the Basic or White bread cycle on your machine and the proper size loaf setting.
- The raisins will be added in after the machine has kneaded the dough. Our machine has an alarm that sounds when it is time to add the "extras" like nuts or raisins. If your machine doesn't, add the raisins after the first knead cycle.
- The Basic / White program takes about 3 hours to complete the baking cycle on most machines.
Recipe Notes
Ingredient Adjustments for a 1 1/2 Pound Loaf:
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp dark or light rum
- 2 tsp butter
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3 cups bread flour
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup dark raisins
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Love this bread! I tried it for the first time yesterday, and it was a big hit! I will definitely be making it again. This recipe is a keeper!
This bread is heavenly! I tried it for the first time today, and I hope it will at least last until tomorrow!