ByDonna Elick
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Cinnamon Swirl Breadmade with homemade yeasted dough is sweet and irresistible! Enjoy thick, fluffy slices with your morning coffee or tea, or make it into the most incredible French toast! This is the best homemade bread recipe, ever!
Gooey swirls of cinnamon and sugar fill every slice of this deliciously sweet loaf.
Achieve a gorgeous color on top with a simple mixture of egg and milk brushed on before baking.
The cinnamon mixture pairs perfectly with the rest of the ingredients to create the perfect afternoon snack.
You can choose the best way to make this sweet bread, but I’m all about making large loaves and then topping them with some of my yummy sweet cinnamon butter.
Maple syrup would also be delicious way to add sweetness to this easy cinnamon bread!
Cinnamon Swirl Bread
I’ve been making this cinnamon swirl bread recipe for over a decade, and it’s still requested often! Everyone loves the golden brown goodness!
Don’t want to wait for the dough to proof? Try my quick bread recipes!Cranberry orangeandroot beer quick breadare both fantastic for snacking!
Cinnamon Swirl Bread Recipe Tips
- Watch the temperature!When heating the milk and butter, use a thermometer to ensure it isn’t too hot.
If needed, let it cool until it reaches 115 to 120°F before adding the sugar and yeast.
- Use quality, fresh yeast.It should bubble when combined with the sugar and milk. If not, you’ll need to buy a new container.
I like to keep mine in a jar in the freezer for optimum freshness.
- Dough too sticky?Add 2 tablespoons of flour at a time and knead it by hand until it becomes tacky.
You should be able to pull your hands away without the dough sticking to your fingers.
- Roll it tightly.Pockets of air trapped between the layers will turn into larger gaps once the loaf cools. Work slowly to ensure it’s rolled as tight as possible.
Serving Suggestions
This cinnamon bread has just enough sweetness for dessert, but it’s delicious for breakfast or a snack as well.
Slather a slice of this cinnamon loaf with butter or use it to makecinnamon swirl French toast.
If it starts to go stale before you can eat it all, use it forbreakfast casserole cups!
Kitchen Tools You Will Need
- Stand Mixerwith the hook attachment
- 9×5 Loaf Pan– Line it with foil for easy clean up!
- Glass Mixing Bowls– Use the largest one to proof the dough and the smaller ones or a medium bowl for the filling and egg wash.
- Basting Brush– Useful for everything from greasing a bread pan to brushing on melted butter and egg wash!
Cinnamon Swirl Loaf FAQ
How do you proof dough in the oven?
Set your oven to a low temperature for a few minutes, until it reaches around 110°F (an oven thermometer will help).
Turn the oven off and place the covered bowl inside. Let it sit with the door closed until the dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Having the dough in a small bowl in a warm place is a great way to help the instant yeast kick in to help the dough rise. A warm environment is needed to help the dough rise. I also add a clean damp towel over the top of the large mixing bowl as well.
Can I add raisins to cinnamon bread?
While I haven’t tried it with this cinnamon swirl bread recipe, I think making a cinnamon loaf with raisins is a fantastic idea! Sprinkle the raisins over the sugar mixture before rolling up the dough.
Small changes like this can make a difference in the outcome, so you might want to try this for your own personal consumption before sharing it with others. I tend to stick to the cinnamon sugar mixture as listed on the recipe card below.
Will this cinnamon loaf recipe work with bread flour?
Most likely, yes, though you may need a little extra liquid. Check the consistency of the dough once mixed, and add a splash of water if it seems too dry.
You may find that the cinnamon swirl loaf rises a bit higher and comes out more dense. Not to worry – it will still be just as tasty!
Can I store this homemade cinnamon swirl bread recipe at room temperature?
You can. Just be sure that you let the homemade cinnamon bread cool to room temperature before storing it in an airtight container. Leftover cinnamon bread should stay fresh for 2-3 days if stored properly.
What toppings go well on the top of the loaf?
I’m all about making a cinnamon-sugar mixture for the top of the bread. You can also create a cream cheese frosting that I think would taste really well, too.
Since this recipe does make the best French toast, adding syrup on top is never a bad idea. Just a little bit is needed to enhance the flavor.
The next time that you make the bread dough and recipe – try out a few different topping flavors! You never know what recipe inspiration or topping idea that you’ll have, and it might just turn out to be a hit!
Enjoy!
With love, from our simple kitchen to yours.
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Other Yeast Bread Recipes
Best Homemade Cinnamon Swirl Bread Recipe + Video
Donna Elick
Cinnamon swirl bread made with homemade yeasted dough is sweet and irresistible! Enjoy thick, fluffy slices with your morning coffee or tea.
5 stars from 1 review
Tried this recipe?Please comment and review!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes mins
Cook Time 40 minutes mins
Rise ime 1 hour hr
Total Time 2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
Course Bread
Cuisine American
Method Microwave, Oven
Servings 1 loaf
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk + 2 tablespoons, divided
- 1 1/4 cups 12 tablespoons sticks unsalted butter, room temperature (divided)
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 3 large eggs, room temperature (divided)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
Heat 1 cup of milk and 6 tablespoons of butter in microwave to 115-120°, until warm but not hot. Add warm milk mixture and 1/4 cup of sugar to the bowl of the stand mixer. Sprinkle the yeast over the top of the milk mixture and stir to combine. Allow to sit for 10 minutes to let the yeast bloom and become fragrant.
Add 2 of the eggs, flour, and salt; mix with the dough hook on low-medium until combined.
Knead on medium for 10 minutes. Place 2 tablespoons of butter in a large glass bowl, microwave for 30 seconds to melt butter.
Pull dough out of the mixer (it will still be a little bit sticky. If it is too sticky, add 2 tablespoons of flour at a time and knead by hand until it becomes tacky, meaning when you touch the dough and pull your fingers away it doesn’t get stuck to your fingers). Roll the dough in the butter in the glass bowl.
Cover the glass bowl in plastic wrap and then lay a tea towel over the top and set it in a warm place for about 1 hour, until it doubles in size.
Meanwhile: in a small bowl combine the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and the cinnamon. Set aside. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan with a tablespoon of room-temperature butter. Set aside. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
Fold it like a letter in the flour and then fold in the sides to make a square. Roll dough into a rectangle about 9”x18”. If it is wider than your loaf pan, simply fold dough in and roll again. Spread 2 tablespoons of room temperature butter all over the dough, leaving a 1 inch border around the dough.
Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over your butter and roll your rolling pin over the dough to help press it into butter. Begin forming a roll with your dough, start at the far end and roll the dough toward you. Keep your roll tight and try not to let the filling escape. Once the dough is in a roll, pinch the end of the dough to the roll.
Place the dough seam down in the buttered loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap and a tea towel and allow dough to rise for 1 hour in a warm place (until doubled in size).
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Adjust racks to have one in the middle.
Mix 1 egg with 2 tablespoons milk, and beat well. Using a pastry brush, apply egg wash to the top of your bread (you will not use it all). Place bread in the oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes.
Remove bread from the oven when it is done (if the top is browning too fast, cover with aluminum foil). Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes, then remove from pan to cooling rack and brush the top and sides with the remaining butter.
Allow bread to come to room temperature before you slice it, if you can wait!
Video
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 4894cal | Carbohydrates: 567g | Protein: 90g | Fat: 258g | Saturated Fat: 156g | Cholesterol: 1130mg | Sodium: 2664mg | Sugar: 164g | Fiber: 29g | Calcium: 689mg | Iron: 28mg
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Originally published March 2012, updated and republished February 2024
Disclosure: Posts may contain affiliate links. If you purchase a product through an affiliate linkyour price will remain the sameand The Slow Roasted Italian will automatically receive a small commission. Thank you for supporting us, it helps us keep creating new recipes.
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