Laura, with the raisins, brown sugar and honey in this recipe, the sugar content is relatively high, which makes a more challenging environment for bread to rise. You might want to try making this recipe with our SAF Gold instant yeast, which is geared for sweeter doughs. It may also be helpful to mix all the ingredients until everything is fully moistened and there are no dry pockets of flour, and then cover the bowl and allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes before beginning the kneading process. This pause allows the bran in the whole grain flour to fully hydrate and will lead to a more productive kneading process and a better rise. Barb@KAF

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