No-Knead Cardamom Raisin Bread

An easy-to-make twist on the classic morning treat.

3 hours, 30 minutes

Serves: 12-14

Medium

A "no-knead" version of the classic but instead of cinnamon, this recipe calls for Cardamom making it a little more unique and special.

This No-Knead Cardamom Raisin Bread is both a terrific loaf for your morning toast and a great start recipe for people wanting to get into baking bread. The ingredients are all pretty simple and you might even have most of them on hand. This recipe calls for cardamom instead of the traditional cinnamon so it’s a bit more unique. Make sure you give this recipe a try on a day when you have 3-4 hours where you’ll be at home and able to attend to the dough as it’s rising and the yeast is doing its magic.

Start the recipe with soft butter. Make sure to leave it out at room temperature for at least 20-30 minutes. This will help combine it with the sugar and salt as well as help the hot water melt it. This recipe was really easy to do with a stand mixer, but you can definitely do it with a hand mixer, too. You’ll just need to be careful when pouring in the hot water.

In most recipes I share, when adding flour I mention to mix only until it’s just incorporated. That’s not as big of a concern with this recipe since we’re making bread. The more it’s mixed, the more the gluten is developed which is what you kind of want with bread. You’ll still want to add the flour a cup at a time to make sure it’s all incorporated. But you don’t need to be as cautious about over mixing.

There are two rises in this recipe and the exact length of them really will depend on the temperature of your kitchen. The times I provided are a good general guide if your kitchen’s temp is in the mid 70’s. If it’s colder, it will take longer and vice versa if it’s warmer.

I hope you give this recipe a try! Make sure to use cardamom at least once but feel free to swap that out for the more traditional cinnamon if you’d like as well. This makes a large enough loaf for you and your family to have toast all week. I’d love to hear what you think of the recipe in the comments below, or share a picture of it with me on Instagram (@bdhbakes).

Steps:

Cream Butter, Sugar and Salt
In your mixing bowl, add the butter (room temperature), sugar and salt. Mix with a stand mixer or hand mixer until the sugar and salt is well blended into the butter and smooth. About 2 minutes.
Add Hot Water
With the mixer going on low, add in the half cup of very hot water and keep mixing until the butter has melted.
Add Evaporate Milk
Next, add the evaporated milk and stir to combine.
Add Yeast
In a separate bowl or glass measuring cup, add the packet of yeast to warm water (90º-100º F) and whisk until combined and frothy. Add to the big mixing bowl and stir to combine.
Add Eggs and Raisins
Add your eggs, one at a time. For best results, crack each egg into a small bowl and slight whisk to break the yolk before adding to the dough mixture. Stir between each egg. Next add the raisins and give them a quick stir until they are all covered in the batter.
Add Flour
Now, we'll add the All Purpose Flour. Add the flour a cup at a time and mix well between each addition. Keep going until all 4 1/2 cups of flour are mixed in.
First Proof
Within the bowl, try to form the dough into a rough ball. Cover and set the bowl in a nice warm area and allow to double in size. In an average temperature kitchen, it should take about an hour and half.
Prep Bread Pan
Towards the end of the hour and a half, prep your bread pan by greasing it well and placing a piece of parchment across the bottom and out the sides. This parchment will become the "handles" later that will allow you to easily lift the bread out of the pan.
Punch Down and Beat
After an hour and half, your dough should have double in size. Punch it down and then beat the dough for two minutes. I used the dough hook for this.
Rise in Bread Pan
Tip the dough into the prepped bread pan and gently spread it out so it evenly fills the pan. Cover and allow to rise again for about 45 minutes. Now is a good time to preheat the oven to 375º.
Ready to Bake
After the second rise, the bread is ready to bake. Pop it into the preheated oven and allow to bake for about 45 minutes.
Baked Bread
After the bread is done baking, allow it to cool in the bread pan for about 5 minutes and then pull from the pan and place directly on the cooling rack until completely cooled.