The Easiest & Best Gluten-Free Cinnamon-Raisin Bread Recipe Ever (2024)

A delicious recipe for gluten free cinnamon raisin bread (that’s also dairy free). Perfect for a side at breakfast or for a snack whenever.

Best Gluten Free + Dairy Free Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Learn how to make the best gluten free cinnamon raisin bread (dairy free and vegan option, too!). It’s soft, bendable, and easy to make.

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I’m really excited to share this gluten free cinnamon-raisin bread recipe with you.

I absolutely love a good slice of cinnamon-raisin bread, toasted, and slathered with grass-fed butter.

But the cost of gluten free bread?!

The cost of a tiny loaf of gluten-free cinnamon-raisin bread in the stores is absurd.

Seriously. I can’t find it for less than $4.99, and it’s the tiniest loaf you’ve ever seen.

Delicious, sure, but…disappointing when it lasts for one meal (or snack) in a family of six.

A sweet friend of mine suggested making gluten-free cinnamon-raisin bread, and I just couldn’t shake it until I gave it a go.

I can’t tell you how glad I am I immediately jumped into experimenting. The FIRST experiment WORKED! When does that ever happen?!

Practically never.

This bread turned out so fluffy, cinnamon-y, and with that perfect hint of sweetness.

And I can make this bread for a little over $1.60 a loaf (I’ll take that over $4.99 any day!).

All I did was take the regular gluten-free bread recipe I already make and tweaked it slightly. To get the swirl effect, I layered the bread dough and the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Best gluten free flour for bread

I feel like this should be a life chant of mine: use rice-based flour!

You could use this cheap homemade blend like I do (recipe here) or you can use a blend like Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1, King Arthur’s Measure for Measure, or Pamela’s GF All-Purpose flour.

Personally, I stay away from anything with garbanzo bean flour in it because I think it tastes off.

But some people love it…that could be you! So try it if you want.

But don’t say I didn’t warn you about putting beans in your bread.

My favorite kitchen tools

Things to note when making gluten free raisin bread:

1. This gluten-free bread relies on xanthan gum to bind it together and add chewiness. (Note: I have only tried this recipe with xanthan gum, but it should work just fine with psyllium husk or guar gum. If you try it, let me know how it turns out!). To really help the gum do its job, you need to beat the “dough” for 3 minutes. This is an important step to not skip.
   
2. This bread “dough”” is much more like muffin batter in consistency. Gluten-free bread is not harder to make than regular bread, it’s just different! Think batter, not kneadable dough.
   
3. If you plan on freezing the bread, it’s best to wait until it cools, slice it, and then put it in the freezer. This bread does mold more quickly than regular bread if it’s left at room temperature. It is best stored in the fridge or the freezer after 2-3 days. It has always reheated beautifully for me.

Now get to baking this so you can eat it asap!

Yield: 1 loaf

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

The Best EVER gluten-free cinnamon raisin bread! It's fluffy, sweet, moist, and amazing as is. It's also dairy free, but no one will ever know. Enjoy this semi-sweet bread with a cup of coffee for a quick breakfast.

Ingredients

Yeast Mixture

• ½ cup warm water (about 110° F)
• 1 T organic sugar or honey
• 1 envelope, or 2 ½ tsp, active yeast

Flaxseed Mixture

• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed

Dough Ingredients

• 2 cups gluten free flour blend
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 T organic cane sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp xanthan gum
• 2 eggs (can use chia or flax eggs instead)
• 1/4 cup oil (avocado, grapeseed, or any oil with a light flavor)
• 1 T black strap molasses (optional, but adds a warm undertone like a whole wheat bread)
• ½ cup raisins

For cinnamon sugar mixture:

• 2 T coconut sugar or organic cane sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

1. Combine the water and sugar in a measuring glass and stir to dissolve the sugar slightly. Add yeast and gently mix together then set aside in a warm area for 5 minutes until frothy.
2. Mix the other cup of warm water with the ground flaxseed and stir well. Let sit while the yeast mixture proofs for about 3-5 minutes.
3. In the bowl of a mixer, add the gluten-free flour, coconut sugar, cinnamon, salt, and xanthan gum. Mix together until combined.
4. When yeast is done proofing, add the eggs, oil, yeast mixture, flaxseed mixture, and molasses to the mixer bowl and turn it on low.
5. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue to mix on low until it’s well combined and there aren’t any large lumps.
6. Turn mixer to high and let beat for 3 minutes.
7. While it’s mixing, grease and lightly flour (with brown rice flour) your bread loaf pan.
8. Add in the raisins and stir briefly to incorporate.
9. Spoon a third of the mixture into the pan and spread as best as you can (you can wet hands and pat it down if needed, but I just used a spatula and it worked fine), keeping one side thicker than the other length-wise if you want more of a swirl effect.
10. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon mixture over the bread layer, making sure to leave about ½ inch of dough along the outside. If you bring the cinnamon mixture all the way out, the bread doesn’t hold together as well and comes apart in layers.
11. Layer more dough and repeat the cinnamon sprinkle, again not all the way to the pan walls.
12. Put the last layer of dough over the top and smooth with wet hands or a spatula.
13. Cover pan loosely with plastic wrap or a towel and let rise in a warm place for 35 minutes. You don’t want the dough to rise above the top of the pan, so keep an eye on it.
14. Preheat oven to 375° F while the dough is rising.
15. Bake the bread for 40-50 minutes until the top is nicely browned and the inside temperature is 200° F. If the top starts to get too dark to early, you can add a tin-foil tent over the top to help stop the browning.
16. Let bread cool for 20 minutes until turning out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling before slicing.
17. Enjoy!

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

See Also

Sugar-free Keto Gingerbread Cookies Recipe | Wholesome Yum

Yield: 1 loaf

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

The Best EVER gluten-free cinnamon raisin bread! It's fluffy, sweet, moist, and amazing as is. It's also dairy free, but no one will ever know. Enjoy this semi-sweet bread with a cup of coffee for a quick breakfast.

Ingredients

Yeast Mixture

• ½ cup warm water (about 110° F)
• 1 T organic sugar or honey
• 1 envelope, or 2 ½ tsp, active yeast

Flaxseed Mixture

• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed

Dough Ingredients

• 2 cups gluten free flour blend
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 T organic cane sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp xanthan gum
• 2 eggs (can use chia or flax eggs instead)
• 1/4 cup oil (avocado, grapeseed, or any oil with a light flavor)
• 1 T black strap molasses (optional, but adds a warm undertone like a whole wheat bread)
• ½ cup raisins

For cinnamon sugar mixture:

• 2 T coconut sugar or organic cane sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

1. Combine the water and sugar in a measuring glass and stir to dissolve the sugar slightly. Add yeast and gently mix together then set aside in a warm area for 5 minutes until frothy.
2. Mix the other cup of warm water with the ground flaxseed and stir well. Let sit while the yeast mixture proofs for about 3-5 minutes.
3. In the bowl of a mixer, add the gluten-free flour, coconut sugar, cinnamon, salt, and xanthan gum. Mix together until combined.
4. When yeast is done proofing, add the eggs, oil, yeast mixture, flaxseed mixture, and molasses to the mixer bowl and turn it on low.
5. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue to mix on low until it’s well combined and there aren’t any large lumps.
6. Turn mixer to high and let beat for 3 minutes.
7. While it’s mixing, grease and lightly flour (with brown rice flour) your bread loaf pan.
8. Add in the raisins and stir briefly to incorporate.
9. Spoon a third of the mixture into the pan and spread as best as you can (you can wet hands and pat it down if needed, but I just used a spatula and it worked fine), keeping one side thicker than the other length-wise if you want more of a swirl effect.
10. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon mixture over the bread layer, making sure to leave about ½ inch of dough along the outside. If you bring the cinnamon mixture all the way out, the bread doesn’t hold together as well and comes apart in layers.
11. Layer more dough and repeat the cinnamon sprinkle, again not all the way to the pan walls.
12. Put the last layer of dough over the top and smooth with wet hands or a spatula.
13. Cover pan loosely with plastic wrap or a towel and let rise in a warm place for 35 minutes. You don’t want the dough to rise above the top of the pan, so keep an eye on it.
14. Preheat oven to 375° F while the dough is rising.
15. Bake the bread for 40-50 minutes until the top is nicely browned and the inside temperature is 200° F. If the top starts to get too dark to early, you can add a tin-foil tent over the top to help stop the browning.
16. Let bread cool for 20 minutes until turning out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling before slicing.
17. Enjoy!

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

For the visual learners out there (hey-o!) this is the layering I did to get the faux “swirls”

Need more gluten-free and dairy-free recipes to try?

• Gluten-free sandwich bread
• Vegan pumpkin scones
• Hearty breakfast cookies
• Best ever dinner rolls

Want to know how we eat healthy and gluten-free with a family of six on a budget? Check out this post:

How We Save Over $600 A Month On Grocery And Household Items: Saving Money on Gluten-Free Foods