There’s not much that I love more than a slice of fruit toast slathered in melting butter. Despite there being a gluten free sourdough cinnamon raisin recipe in my cookbook, it slipped my mind to post a loaf here. Until now, of course, with this delicious gluten free cinnamon raisin bread.
Gluten free cinnamon raisin bread (vegan)
This delicious cinnamon raisin bread is jam packed with both raisins and cinnamon. No stingy raisin portions here; we are going all out.
The bread is naturally xanthan gum free, dairy free, egg free and vegan. It uses a simple mix of white rice flour, buckwheat flour and tapioca flour for the perfect chewy crumb. The tapioca flour is in the minority, so it’s not jam packed with starches.
Psyllium husk holds the loaf together and absorbs enough liquid to create a plush and lofty loaf. Maple syrup adds a touch of sweetness and food for the yeast to thrive.
This bread has hastily made it into my weekly rotation and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Ingredient notes
I have chosen the flours in the quantities listed for a reason and have not tested any substitutions. You are welcome to experiment, but I can’t give any advice on that.
You can use honey, maple syrup or any other liquid sweetener of your choice. I personally think rice malt syrup is too mild, but maybe you prefer that. Of course, using honey means it will no longer be vegan.
I tested a loaf with 150g raisins which was deemed too stingy on the raisins. You can play around with a quantity that works for you, but I think 200g is the minimum.
I have no substitutions for the psyllium husk powder. These days, I grind my own powder in a relatively inexpensive spice grinder. The store bought stuff is so finely ground that it tends to clump up. The last few bags I have bought have also been turning things grey, so I prefer to grind my own from a brand that doesn’t turn grey.
A note on the grey (or grey/purple): it’s still food safe, just the way some psyllium looks. Annoying but safe to eat!
This loaf can be made low FODMAP – see the notes in the section below.
How to make a gluten free low FODMAP cinnamon raisin bread
I don’t know when it happened, but Monash has lowered the threshold for raisins since the last time I checked. As of August 2025, Monash says raisins are low FODMAP in only 4-5g serves before they contain moderate fructose. Sultanas fare slightly better at 7-9g per serve.
Interestingly, the FODMAP Everyday app lists raisins as being low FODMAP in serves of up to 120g.
So, how many raisins you add depends on which threshold seems most in line with your tolerance for fructose and dried fruit. The bread makes about 8-10 slices, so at the most conservative, you could use 32g-40g raisins. This is barely worth your time, in my opinion.
If you’re using the FODMAP Everyday threshold, this loaf is already low FODMAP. It uses 250g raisins, so you could almost eat half a loaf and remain under a low fructose serving.
There is one another option, though: dates. Monash says that common dried dates are low FODMAP in serves of up to 45g per person. In 46g serves, they contain moderate sorbitol and fructan. Medjool dates are low FODMAP in up to 40g serves, after which they contain moderate sorbitol and fructan. FODMAP Everyday give a slightly more generous rating for Medjool dates – 75g.
So, at a conservative estimate, you could use 360g of common dates and still have a low FODMAP loaf. You could also use 320g Medjool dates.
The only other consideration is the sweetener – I recommend maple syrup.
Hydration notes, tips and troubleshooting
- If you have followed me for a while, you’ll know I always harp on about hydration. What works for me might not work for your flours, how absorbent they are and the climate you live in (among other things). If your bread dough doesn’t sound like the recipe describes, adjust the hydration to suit. Always be open to making amendments to get the best loaf possible.
- Bread takes longer to proof in winter and less time in summer. A higher hydration bread also proofs a lot quicker, as yeast needs moisture and heat to multiply and grow. These are things to take into consideration when you are adding liquid to the dough, but also when waiting for bread to proof.
- Proofing takes how long proofing takes. You cannot rush it.
- I only test my gluten free loaf recipes in the USA Pan Pullman Pan in size small. The measurements are 23cm length X 10cm width X 10cm height or 9 X 4 X 4 inches. I always use the pan with the lid off.
- You cannot use a silicone pan to bake this bread and I can offer no suggestions on using other bread tins. The recipe is designed around this loaf. I wish I made money from this recommendation but it’s just the only bread tin I use.
More gluten free bread recipes
- Gluten free sourdough bread
- Gluten free focaccia bread
- Gluten free bread without yeast
- Gluten free vegan cornbread
- Gluten free quinoa bread
Gluten free cinnamon raisin bread
Equipment
- 1 X USA Pan Pullman steel loaf pan in size small ( 23cm length X 10cm width X 10cm height or 9 X 4 X 4 inches)
Ingredients
- 200 g fine white rice flour
- 150 g tapioca flour/starch
- 150 g sorghum flour
- 100 g light buckwheat flour
- 12 g fine salt (I use table salt)
- 25-30 g ground cinnamon (yes, grams)
- 25 g psyllium husk powder (I grind my own in a spice grinder)
- 7.5 g (1 sachet) instant yeast
- 250 g+ raisins (see notes)
- 90-100g (3 tablespoons)* maple syrup
- 20ml (1 tablespoon)* oil of choice
- 700-800 g water (see hydration notes in the body of the post)
Instructions
To make up the cinnamon raisin dough:
- Whisk all of the dry ingredients together (except for the raisins) in a large, non-reactive (glass or plastic) bowl.
- Once everything is combined, add in the raisins and mix to incorporate.
- Add the wet ingredients and whisk until a smooth batter forms. Be sure that you have whisked in all the flour on the sides and edges of the bowl and that no lumps of dry ingredients remain.
- Quite quickly, your dough should begin to thicken up thanks to the psyllium husk. You can play around a little with the hydration, but I find this bread gets a gummy bottom layer quite easily thanks to all the fruit and the maple syrup. So, I generally go for a lower hydration.
- At a lower hydration, the dough should look like you might just be able to shape it into loose balls if you have greased hands. It should be more of a sticky dough than a batter. On the higher end hydration, the dough should look just too wet to pick up.
- Adjust your hydration (adding more water if needed) to reach the above descriptions. If this is your first time making this recipe (or any gluten free bread) I recommend aiming for a lower hydration. It might not be 700g exactly – go for the description of the dough rather than the number.
- Cover the bowl and proof for 1 hour. In winter or a cold kitchen, proof it in a sunny, warm spot. In summer or a humid kitchen, anywhere is fine.
- Grease and line your USA Pan Pullman steel loaf pan in size small ( 23cm length X 10cm width X 10cm height or 9 X 4 X 4 inches). Preheat the oven to 220C/428F.
- After 1 hour, the dough should feel and look bubbly when you mix it. It might have domed slightly for a higher hydration dough, but it probably won't for a lower hydration dough. The bubbles in the dough itself should be evident, though.
To assemble and bake:
- Use a silicone spatula to transfer the dough into your greased and lined USA Pullman pan. Use a moistened hand to smooth down the top of the loaf and distribute the dough evenly.
- Cover the Pullman pan in an airtight manner but with room for the loaf to proof. I use a plastic produce bag which inverts snugly over the Pullman pan.
- Proof the loaf for 30-60 minutes or until it reaches or slightly domes over the top of the Pullman pan. This took 90 minutes for me in an Australian winter and using a lower hydration (700g). Higher hydration loaves proof faster but they also have slightly more volume from the extra water.
- When the dough is proofed, remove any covering and place it in the oven for 15 minutes. After this time, turn the oven down to 200C/400F and bake for an additional 25 minutes (40 minutes total). The loaf should look golden brown and domed on top once baked.
- Remove the loaf from the oven and allow to sit in the tin for 15 minutes. Carefully remove from the tin using the baking paper and place it on a cooling rack to cool completely (remove the baking paper to allow the base to cool too).
- I like to slice the loaf and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. You can also slice the loaf and freeze the slices on a lined baking tray. Once frozen, transfer the slices to an airtight container. Toast the slices straight from frozen.
- Hot tip: use a sharp serrated knife to cut this loaf in small sawing motions. This keeps the raisins in place instead of pulling them out as you slice.
Notes
- Read the body of the post for all the tips, tricks and FODMAP notes.
- I loved this quantity of raisins but my tester (my Mum) wanted more. She LOVES a fully stuffed fruit loaf. You can experiment with adding more, but they do add moisture to the loaf. You may need to test a different hydration to suit, but play around and see what works for you.
- If you are in Australia, I really like the Sunbeam raisins here. They are smaller, juicier and stickier compared to the Coles generic brand, which makes for a jammier, sweeter loaf.
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