The Egg Hack That Transforms Homemade Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Cinnamon raisin bread might not seem like the most challenging baking project, but it's surprisingly hard to get right. The most common problem is structural: As soon as you cut a slice, it unrolls in your hand. Even if the roll sticks together, you might find annoyingly large gaps between layers — unsuitable for jams or spreads.

If you're having the problem consistently, go back and check your recipe. Many recipes for cinnamon raisin bread and cinnamon rolls call for painting the inside of the dough with melted butter. The butter helps fillings stick and gives the bread a rich, decadent taste, but it's also your culprit.

When you add that layer of butter, it works the way it would when you're making laminated dough — the process that gives pastries like croissants their extra-flaky texture. Butter is made from milk solids, butterfat, and water, which evaporates when the baked goods bake. As the water evaporates, the steam pushes the layers of dough apart. That's exactly what you want for croissants or puff pastries, but it's not necessarily ideal for cinnamon bread.

Instead, swap the butter for an egg wash. Beat the egg, brush on a layer, and add your fillings on top. Egg, which is high in protein, is a fantastic binding agent. When the proteins in the eggs heat up, they bind together — sealing the layers of dough into one solid roll.

For some people, the peel-apart-ability of rolls and loaves is a feature, not a bug. Tasting Table's cinnamon swirl raisin bread recipe calls for butter, and you can't deny that the flavor that butter adds is unmatched. Context matters, too. Butter is a good choice for decadent, gooey cinnamon rolls, where sloppiness is part of the appeal, but egg is a better option for a stable loaf of cinnamon bread. After all, it's hard to spread a slice of bread with apple butter or turn it into French toast if it falls apart in your hands.

If you're out of eggs, you can use milk as a substitute — it has proteins, too. However, milk won't provide the same grip that egg would. Looking for a vegan option? Check your cupboards for ingredients you can use as binding agents. A stabilizer like Instant Clear Jel will help hold the layers together but go easy on it. A little goes a long way. Even something as simple as flour will help soak up excess goo.