Use the instant pot to help your bread rise in just a few hours, no kneading required! This Instant Pot Raisin Bread is an old family recipe that I tweaked to be able to make in a fraction of the time.

Use the instant pot to help your bread rise in just a few hours, no kneading required! This Instant Pot Raisin Bread is an old family recipe that I tweaked to be able to make in a fraction of the time.

When the Recipe Redux announced its monthly recipe challenge was bread recipes, I immediately knew what I had to make. You see, my grandpa passed away in December, just a couple months ago, and this bread recipe was something he made religiously for our family after my grandma passed away. I originally tweaked this recipe to make it a little more nourishing with whole-wheat flour and applesauce and wrote a tribute to my grandma and you can find that post for Gram’s Irish Raisin Bread here. Since I have a post dedicated to my Gram, I wanted to carve out some space for my Grandpa here too.

This recipe goes back four generations to my Great-Grandmother who was born in Ireland. This bread always made an appearance at our family gatherings and holidays. It was a special treat to look forward to at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Until, my Gram passed away, and shortly thereafter, my sweet Grandpa Joe learned how to make the recipe and would bake loaves of bread weekly to hand deliver to our house. I remember pulling in the driveway a few times to see that loaf of bread tied up in a plastic bag hanging on our doorknob, and being so excited. It was always delivered warm too, which was an extra treat.

My grandpa kept up this tradition for a while until it became too much for him to continue. His home bread deliveries speak so much to his values and character. He always put his family first. Above all else. If you stopped by to visit him on a whim, chances are you’d catch him saying the rosary for a family member in need of some prayers. His dedication to family and faith was so moving and his passing made me realize how much I hope to put these things first in my life as well.

As I paged through my Gram’s recipe book, I held back tears thinking of my sweet Grandma and Grandpa. I miss them dearly. But I’m so thankful for the memories (and recipes!) we have to cherish them and keep them in our hearts. As I pulled the loaf out of the oven, I was overwhelmed with the aroma of the bread, which elicited so many fond family memories.

I didn’t tweak this recipe much this time except to make one loaf and to let it rise in the Instant Pot, which helps making this bread a little more manageable to make it in the morning and have it ready by the afternoon. To do this, you place your dough in the Instant Pot and set it to yogurt function for 3 1/2 hours. This helps keep the dough warm enough to poof or rise.

I love this bread when it’s still a little warm, slathered with some butter. It’s also delicious toasted too!

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Instant Pot Raisin Bread (No Knead!)


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  • Yield: One loaf

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 3/4 cup milk
  • 2 tablespoons butter (plus extra tablespoon for brushing)
  • 1 3/4 teaspoons dry active yeast
  • 4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 8 ounces raisins
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. In a small saucepan, heat milk on stovetop over medium heat until scalding. Remove top layer of film using a spoon. Add butter to saucepan until melted and let mixture cool to room temperature.
  2. Fill a glass with 1/8 cup warm water. Add yeast and a 1/8 teaspoon of sugar. Stir to combine and let sit. Over 5 minutes, you should see bubbles begin to form and yeast begin to rise in the glass.
  3. In a medium mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, raisins, and salt. Stir in cooled milk + butter mixture and yeast mixture.
  4. Use your (clean) hands to mix dough together once you can no longer stir to combine. If dough seems dry, add a little more milk. Once dough seems soft and elastic, stop.
  5. Gently spray the Instant Pot with cooking spray. Place the dough inside. Close lid and set to yogurt function for 3 1/2 hours.
  6. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place dutch oven in oven while it heats up.
  7. Remove dough from Instant Pot and turn dough out onto floured surface and shape into a round loaf. Brush with melted butter.
  8. Place dough on top of a piece of parchment paper in the dutch oven. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for additional 15 minutes.
  9. Remove from oven and let cool before slicing.

Notes

If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can make this recipe by letting the dough rise next to a heat source overnight or for at least 4 hours, punching it down half way through.

For more baking inspiration, check out the recipes below!


Whole Wheat Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

Apple Cinnamon Scuffins

Whole Wheat Turmeric Honey Donuts
 
 

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55 Comments

  1. Maggie

    Thank you for sharing your Grandpa Joe’s family recipe. Wish I could upload a photo of this beautiful and delicious loaf of raisin bread! This will definitely be a repeat here.

  2. Barney

    The recipe sounds delicious, and must be even more so because it is a family recipe. But, and please understand I’m not “one of those” who looks for trouble on the internet, but why do you call this an instapot recipe? Proofing can be done in any warm place, hand mixing and conventional oven baking isn’t instapot.

  3. Jackie

    I made it all then realized I had no yogurt setting on my IP. So….. google and decided to try this suggestion. Set the IP to warm for 15 minutes then turn it off and let it rise. Could take 6-8 hours. I am also using a gluten free Red Mill flour replacement. And fast acting yeast. This should be interesting. cross your fingers!

  4. Sara L Kruger

    This sounds delicious but I’m avoiding refined sugar. Does the sugar that’s mixed in with the flour serve a purpose other than as sweetener?

  5. Ken Schultze

    Looks wonderful! Have you ever tried to do gluten free with almond or coconut flour? I have very little experience in the kitchen but I am learning so I can eat healthy.

  6. Beverly

    I assume it should be in the steam position, correct? Not the venting position?

  7. Rose

    This bread looks wonderful. However, have you ever tried making a smaller loaf? I’m afraid it would dry out before we ate it all.

  8. Karla Weinand

    I make it in the slow cooker (crock pot) line with parchment paper on high 1 1/2 to 2 hours when it becomes brown at the bottom. Then transfer it under the broiler for 10 min to brown the top

  9. Kelly

    Hi Kara, that sounds delicious! I too have many great memories of my grandparents and special meals. I have a question. Did you use a glass lid on the IP, or the regular lid sealed or vented?
    Thanks!

  10. Sue

    I don’t have a Dutch oven… is there an alternative way to bake it?

  11. Jean Wilm

    What a beautiful and heart-warming memory! You are blessed.

    Can parchment paper or something else be used in place of the plastic wrap? I am concerned about the health dangers of plastic on foods.

  12. Heather

    Just an FYI your recipe does not tell you when to put the yeast mixture in. I know where it need to go in at but you need to add it.

  13. Carol

    I don’t have a yogurt setting on my on my Bella PC. Any ideas of a work around?

  14. I was just thinking about making bread in my instant pot. Now I’ve gotta try this! it looks delicious

  15. Katie Falcon

    I have an instant pot but it does not have a yogurt setting, is there another setting I could use instead?

  16. Such a lovely post about family. I agree having family recipes ( and the memories of those foods and gatherings) are priceless. While reading your story I remembered the Christmas my Grandfather made me a recipe box and filled it with Grandmother’s favorite recipes. At the time it seemed like a little thing, but now I realize it was actually a very BIG thing.

  17. Bev

    when your rising the dough, is the yogurt setting on normal or low? Thanks! looking forward to making this bread, I will be trying with dried cranberries instead of rasins

  18. I am probably one of the few left that doesn’t have an Instapot, after seeing this recipe, that’s going to change.

  19. What a wonderful tribute to your Grandpa – love the photo of a young Kara with him. I adore that he learned how to make this bread and keep your Gram’s tradition going. I look forward to trying the recipe and will think of you and your family when I do 🙂

  20. This looks so delicious, can’t wait to try it!

  21. Emily | EmPowered Nutrition

    Love the memories you shared! Not having to knead bread is sooo nice! 🙂

  22. What a great story behind a delicious looking bread.

  23. I loved reading your Gram and Grandpa’s story. #familyfirst The pic is fun too. (: Thanks for sharing your memories and this 4-generation old recipe with us!

  24. You are always so creative Kara; love it! Memories are great, I can remember my parents saying the rosary, and my mother in law dropping off the Irish soda bread around St. Patricks day every year until she wasn’t able to anymore. We all looked forward to that and the loaf would be gone within the day! Thanks for sharing and I will try it this way.

  25. This looks amazing Kara and I love the memories you shared with it.

  26. This is genius, Kara! I have not used my Instant Pot yet (sadly still in the box), but you just gave me a whole new excuse to use it!!

  27. Brigid Sheehy

    I had no idea Uncle Joe learned to make soda bread. Baking this bread was a daily ritual for both our grandmothers, who after it was done, would sit down for a nice long phone chat with each other even though they lived 6 blocks apart. 🙂