Rum & Raisin Bread

This bread machine loaf brings the flavors of rum raisin ice cream into a warm, sliceable bread. Rum flavoring gives that boozy aroma without actual alcohol, while plump raisins and pecans stud every slice with sweetness and crunch.

The recipe uses a clever buttermilk hack: vinegar mixed with water and dry milk powder creates the acidity that buttermilk would normally provide. That acid reacts with the baking soda and helps the bread rise while giving the crumb a subtle tang that balances the sweetness.

Just load everything into the bread pan according to your machine’s order (typically wet first, then dry, with yeast last) and let the machine handle mixing, kneading, rising, and baking.

Pro Tips

• Add the raisins and pecans at the mix-in beep if your machine has one. Adding them at the start can break them down too much during kneading.
• Make sure the vinegar-milk mixture is fully dissolved before adding. Undissolved powder leaves gritty spots in the bread.
• Check the dough ball after the first few minutes of kneading. It should be smooth and slightly tacky. Add a tablespoon of water or flour if it’s too dry or too sticky.

Variations

• Soak the raisins in actual dark rum for an hour before adding for a stronger rum flavor.
• Swap pecans for walnuts or leave the nuts out entirely for a nut-free version.
• Add a teaspoon of cinnamon to the dry ingredients for a rum-raisin-spice bread.