Cinnamon Swirl Bread
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Posted: 09/04/23
Updated: 09/06/23
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This Cinnamon Swirl Bread is soft, buttery, and oh-so-good. Similar to cinnamon rolls this bread recipe is filled with a buttery cinnamon sugar mixture. Serve this fresh out of the oven, as toast, or get really creative and use this as your base for French toast!
If you’ve never had cinnamon swirl bread, you’re missing out! So, you just have to make this recipe. Bread making can seem daunting, but it’s actually not that difficult. This simple recipe will guide you step-by-step to making the most cozy loaves of bread ever.
Homemade bread is so much better than store-bought. There’s no preservatives and added ingredients, so it’s always perfectly fresh and melt in your mouth delicious. If you’re not ready to tackle homemade bread yet, then maybe check out some of my quick bread recipes! This easy banana bread is so good and so is my pumpkin zucchini bread.
Then, once you’re ready you can make this super easy cinnamon bread recipe!
Contents
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Why You’ll Love Cinnamon Swirl Bread
- It’s a great gift to give to friends as a housewarming gift. You can give it someone who is under the weather or a neighbor too!
- The perfect add on to breakfast time and can even be a part of your on-the-go breakfast!
- The smell of this bread is the most homey and inviting thing! You’ll love how cozy your house smells while baking cinnamon bread.
Ingredients for Cinnamon Swirl Bread Recipe
- All-purpose flour – For best results, use a high quality all-purpose flour. The texture of this bread always turns out better when I use high quality flour.
- Butter – I used unsalted butter, but you can also use salted butter. If you do use salted butter, reduce the amount of salt that you add to the dough.
- Milk – Whole milk is best in this recipe, but you can also use 2% milk or 1%.
- Water – Warm water will help bloom the yeast. Don’t use cold water and don’t use hot either. Ideally, the water should be around 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Dry active yeast – You’ll need one whole packet of dry active yeast for this recipe.
- Sugar and cinnamon mixture – Combine cinnamon and sugar to use as the internal swirl mixture!
- Salt – Salt helps to balance all of the flavors and helps with gluten development in bread.
Helpful Tools
- Stand mixer with dough hook
- Bread pans
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Bread knife
- Parchment paper
- Plastic wrap
- Mixing bowls
- Mixing tools
Begin making easy cinnamon swirl bread by combined ¼ cup of 110-degree water with one tbsp of sugar and a packet of yeast in a small bowl. Stir gently to combine and then allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes.
While the yeast is blooming, add milk, sugar and butter to a saucepan and heat over medium heat. Heat until the butter just begins to melt and the milk reaches about 105-110 degrees Fahrenheit.
Remove the butter and milk mixture from the heat and stir to combine. If the butter is not fully melted yet, don’t worry! It will continue to melt as the flour is mixed in.
Attach a bowl to your stand mixer and then add the activated yeast to the milk mixture. Attach the dough hook to the mixer and add in 2 cups of flour. Then, mix on medium speed until all of the flour is thoroughly incorporated.
Add the rest of the flour into the stand mixer a ½ cup at a time. Slow the speed when you add more flour so that it is easily incorporated. Keep adding flour until the dough begins coming off the sides of the bowl, this will take about 2 cups of flour.
Turn the speed up on your stand mixer to about medium high and allow the mixer to knead the dough for 5 minutes. Knead until the dough becomes slightly shiny and soft and there are no more lumps in the dough.
Turn out the dough on a clean and lightly floured surface. While the dough sits there, clean the bowl in was just in.
Grease the clean bowl with a small amount of oil. Then, place the dough in the greased bowl and cover it with a clean tea towel or plastic wrap.
Allow the dough to rise in a warm place for 1 ½ hours or until the dough has doubled in size.
Once the dough has doubled in size, grease 2 bread pans and place parchment paper inside.
Then, add the remaining ¼ cup of butter to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds until the butter has melted. Combine remaining sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl and set it aside.
Now, you can tend to the dough! Turn out the cinnamon swirl dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide in half.
Roll out the dough in a 9×18 inch rectangle that is ½ inch thick with a rolling pin.
Brush melted butter onto the rolled out dough and sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over the butter.
Next, tightly roll the dough up and tuck in the sides. Once rolled, place the loaf in the prepared bread tin.
Repeat this process with the second ball of bread dough and place it into the second prepared pan.
Allow both loaves to rise again for about 30 minutes. 10 minutes before the rise is over, preheated the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Brush melted butter over the top of the loaves and then bake for 55 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool in the bread pans for 10 minutes. Then, remove the bread from it’s pans and place them on a cooling rack.
Allow to cool for at least 10 more minutes before cutting it, then serve!
What to Serve with Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Serve some cream cheese or butter on a fresh warm slice of cinnamon swirl bread! Fresh jam and jelly would also be delicious on this bread. You can even make it into a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
If you’re serving this at breakfast, pair it with some simple scrambled eggs and bacon. Or, serve up a hearty helping of crescent roll breakfast casserole!
How to Store Leftover Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Wrap the bread tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature, in the fridge, or the freezer. Alternatively, you can store it in an airtight container. Stored at room temperature, this bread will be fresh for about 5 days.
FRIDGE: Place leftovers into the refrigerator and store for a little over a week.
FREEZER: Wrap the bread in plastic wrap and place into a gallon sized freezer bag. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw when you’re ready to eat some fresh bread!
Can I use gluten-free flour?
Possibly, yes. I have never tried it with this recipe, but I do know that there are some 1:1 gluten free flour substitutes that mimic all purpose flour incredibly well. Feel free to try it out and see how it works! Keep in mind that the dough may be more dry or or wet and you may need to adjust the amount of flour you use.
Can I add raisins to this bread?
Absolutely! Add some raisins into the bread dough before the first rise and mix them in while the dough is in the stand mixer. The perfect cinnamon raisin bread!
Pro Tips!
- The amount of the flour you need will vary on the weather, your location, and how the flour is measured. For proper measurement, be sure to spoon the flour into the measuring cup instead of scooping it directly out of the bag.
- Leave your bread dough under the overhead stove light, on top of the refrigerator, or under the oven light to keep it in a warm place as it rises.
- Use a high quality bread knife to slice your fresh homemade cinnamon swirl bread without smushing the loaf.
Let me know how this tasty recipe turns out! I think you’re going to love it!
More Cinnamon Recipes You’ll Love
- These Cinnamon Roll Pancakes are one of my new favorite breakfast items.
- Make some Easy Cinnamon Rolls the next time you host brunch!
- Instant Pot Cinnamon Apples are a fabulous fall recipe that you can use in so many different way.
- Cinnamon Banana Bread is so cozy and warming, it’s my favorite way to make banana bread!
Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!
Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Our Cinnamon Swirl Bread is a comfort food at its best. The soft and pillowy texture combined with the sweet and spiced cinnamon swirls truly makes each slice a treat.
slices
Ingredients
- ¼ cup water 59.5ml
- ⅔ cup + 1 tbsp sugar divided (146.5g)
- 1 packet or 2 ¼ tsp dry active yeast 7g
- 1 ½ cups milk 354.88ml
- ½ cup butter divided (113 g) + 1 tbsp optional (additional 14g)
- 4 ¼ – 5 cups all-purpose flour 544g – 640g
- 1 Tablespoon salt 17g
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon 5.52g
Instructions
- In a small bowl combine the ¼ cup of 110-degree water, 1 tbsp of sugar, and the packet of yeast (2 ¼ tsp). Stir to combine. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes. **This will soften and activate the yeast. If using active yeast I do recommend following this step to test your yeast.
- Meanwhile add the milk, ⅓ cup of sugar, and ¼ cup of butter to a saucepan and heat over medium heat until the butter just starts to melt and the temperature of the milk hits about 105-110 degrees F. The butter mixture should be warm to the touch but not hot.
- Remove from heat and stir to fully combine the ingredients. The butter may not have fully melted yet but that’s okay because it will continue to melt while the flour is mixed in.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, add in the activated yeast and the milk mixture. Attach the dough hook attachment.
- Add in 2 cups of flour and mix on medium speed until the flour is incorporated.
- Add in ½ cup of flour at a time to the mixture over medium speed, slowing the speed when you add in the flour and increase the speed when the flour is being incorporated. Do this until the dough is coming off the sides of the bowl and the walls of the bowl are clean. About 2 more cups. **The amount of the flour does vary on the weather and how the flour is measured. For proper measurement, be sure to spoon the four into the measuring cup instead of scooping it out.
- Turn the speed up to medium high and allow the eclectic mixer to knead the dough for about 5 minutes until the dough becomes slightly shiny and soft to the touch. You will no longer see lumps within the dough.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and clean out the bowl you were using to make the dough.
- Then grease it with a small amount of spray oil or cooking oil. Place the dough in the bowl, cover it with a tea towel or plastic wrap, and let sit in a warm place for 1 ½ hours or until the dough has doubled in size. (I like to place the bowl on the counter and run my dishwasher, the counter is slightly warmed and helps the rising process.)
- Before you tend to the dough, once it’s doubled in size, grease 2 bread pans and place a piece of parchment inside.
- In a microwave-safe bowl add the remaining ¼ cup of butter. Microwave for 30 seconds or until the butter has melted.
- In a separate bowl combine the remaining sugar and cinnamon. Stir to combine. Set aside for a moment.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 2 equal balls.
- Roll out the first ball of dough into a 9×18-inch rectangle. It should be about ½ inch thick.
- Brush half of the melted butter onto the rolled-out dough.
- Sprinkle half of the cinnamon and sugar mixture over the buttered dough.
- Roll the dough up, tucking in the sides. Place the bread in the prepared bread pan.
- Repeat this process for the other ball of dough. Once the second loaf is in the bread pan, cover both loaves, and allow to rise for about 30 minutes.
- About 10 minutes before the final rise, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Optional: Brush a tablespoon of melted butter over the top of both loaves of bread before baking.
- Once the bread has risen for the second time, bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 55 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool in the bread pans for about 10 minutes. Then remove the bread from the bread pans and transfer it to a cooling rack. Allow it to cool for another 10 minutes before cutting into it and serving.
Tips
FRIDGE: Place leftovers into the refrigerator and store for a little over a week.
FREEZER: Wrap the bread in plastic wrap and place into a gallon sized freezer bag. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw when you’re ready to eat some fresh bread!
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1slice, Calories: 234kcal (12%), Carbohydrates: 35g (12%), Protein: 14g (28%), Fat: 6g (9%), Saturated Fat: 3g (19%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 11mg (4%), Sodium: 343mg (15%), Potassium: 311mg (9%), Fiber: 8g (33%), Sugar: 6g (7%), Vitamin A: 134IU (3%), Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 32mg (3%), Iron: 2mg (11%)
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