Cinnamon Bread

This BEST Cinnamon Bread recipe is so soft and delicious! It will be gone in minutes and will become a family favorite in no time.

Cinnamon Bread is packed with flavors like our family favorite One Hour Cinnamon Rolls, Cinnamon Roll Cake, and Cinnamon Quick Bread Recipe!

BEST Cinnamon Bread recipe close up image.

Homemade Cinnamon Bread

In our family, there are two things my mom makes that we ALL crave and beg for once the weather cools down – Cinnamon Bread and Homemade Donuts.

This Cinnamon Bread Recipe is especially delicious during the holidays!

The recipe comes from a family friend from church, and it’s the one my mom has used for years! This is the yummiest and gooey-est Cinnamon Bread I have ever tried, and I know you will love it just as much as we do!

Slice the Cinnamon Bread and spread it with butter, put it in the toaster, or use it to make French Toast!

My kids eat this bread like it was candy – it practically is! Cinnamon Bread makes a great breakfast, afternoon snack, or late-night treat. 

How to make cinnamon bread

WET INGREDIENTS. In a large mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, salt, hot water, and butter. Stir to mix, break up butter chunks and dissolve the brown sugar a bit (a few butter chunks are okay).

Add cold water, sprinkle yeast on top and let sit for 10 minutes. It will not bubble much.

DRY INGREDIENTS. Add flour 1 cup at a time and stir together with a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms. Knead the dough for a few minutes to ensure all the flour is well incorporated.

This is a very wet and sticky dough that will stick to your hands. Dipping your hands in flour before kneading may help, but it will still stick.

RISE. Cover with a tea towel and let rise in a warm place for 1½ hours.

PREP. While the bread is rising, grease two 5-x-9-inch loaf pans with cooking spray. Make the cinnamon-sugar mixture: mix sugar, cinnamon, and flour together. Set aside.

Make the egg wash by whisking the egg and water together in a small bowl. Set aside.

SHAPE. Once the dough has risen, punch it down and place it onto a lightly floured surface.

  • Form a ball and divide it into 2 equal pieces.
  • Working with one piece at a time on a well-floured surface, roll the dough out into a rectangle to about 7 x 22 inches and about ½ inch thick.
  • Brush with half of the egg wash to help the cinnamon-sugar mixture stick better.
  • Spread ⅔ cup cinnamon-sugar mix evenly over the dough, then lightly spray with water.
  • Roll the dough up tightly, lightly pulling as well as tucking in the sides as you roll. 
  • Pinch the ends closed and drop them into the prepared loaf pan seam side down.
  • Repeat with the second piece of dough and the remaining egg wash and cinnamon-sugar mix.

2nd RISE. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.

BAKE. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Bake for 40–45 minutes. As soon as the bread comes out of the oven, brush the tops with butter. Let cool completely before slicing.

Ingredient Tips

Flour. I use all-purpose white flour to make this Cinnamon Bread recipe. Use an equal amount of bread flour for a more chewy texture, but all-purpose flour will work perfectly.

Yeast. This recipe calls for rapid-rise instant yeast, but I often use active dry yeast. When sprinkled on top of the sugar and water mixture, it will activate either type.

Brown sugar. I use light brown sugar. Make your own using 1 cup of granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon of molasses. Mix them together well before using them in the recipe.

Variations.

  • Add raisins. Sprinkle them on after spreading the cinnamon sugar mixture over the dough, but before rolling it up.
  • Glaze. Many people like to drizzle the top of the bread with a powdered sugar glaze. 

Recipe Tips

Why do the swirls separate. Sometimes the swirls separate and create a gap when the bread is cut. The egg wash will help keep the cinnamon swirls tight and avoid forming a gap. 

Another factor that can cause a gap is using an extra amount of cinnamon sugar mixture. 

Slicing. Allow time for the bread to cool before slicing otherwise it can mush together and the cinnamon may run out of the swirls. Cool in the pan for a few minutes before removing the bread and placing it on a rack to cool. Use a bread knife to cut the slices. 

What size to roll the dough. The way the dough is rolled will determine the space and amount of swirls created. I typically roll my dough 7×22 inches so that it is ½ inch thick.  

  • Width: Roll the dough so that it is just wider than the width of your bread pan. The extra width will allow the edges to be tucked when rolled. 
  • Length: Roll it into varying lengths. The smaller the length the fewer the swirls. The opposite is also true, the longer the length the more swirls will be created. Do not roll the dough too thin otherwise, the swirls will tear open creating one solid cinnamon center. 

Kneading. This dough is quite sticky. The first time I made this I thought I made it incorrectly and threw the batch away! After having the master baker demonstrate each step, I had done it correctly after all.

To avoid using your hands, use the dough hook on the stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer.

Rising tips. In a quick bread, baking powder or baking soda is the rising agent. Once the batter is mixed it is immediately ready for the oven. However, yeast bread requires time to proof.

This Cinnamon Bread needs about 2 hours of rising time, fortunately, there are a couple of tricks to speed this up. 

  • Preheat the oven to 200°F. Turn OFF the oven. Cover the bowl of dough with a damp towel and place the bowl in the oven to rise. 
  • Another easy method is to add HOT water to a bowl and place the bowl containing the dough directly on top. Cover the dough and let rise.
  • The dough will always rise faster in a warmer environment. 
  • Do not let the dough over-rise otherwise it will fall and won’t be salvageable. 
  • Once the dough is in the bread pan, allow the dough to rise 1 inch above the top of the bread pan.
Melted butter on top of baked bread in bread pans.

Storing Info

STORE. Place the cooled loaves in a large resealable plastic bag and store them at room temperature for 3–4 days or in the refrigerator for 7 days.

FREEZE. This bread also freezes well. Wrap each loaf in plastic wrap, then place in a resealable plastic freezer bag, or wrap tightly with aluminum foil, and freeze for up to 3 months.

Thaw at room temperature before warming to your liking.

Cinnamon bread recipe sliced up and on cutting board.

For more of our favorite bread

Cinnamon Bread Recipe

5 from 19 votes
This BEST Cinnamon Bread recipe is ever so soft! It will be gone in minutes and will become a family favorite in no time.
Course Bread
Cuisine American
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Rise 1 hour 50 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 50 minutes
Servings 2 loaves
Calories 4743 kcal
Author Lil’ Luna

Ingredients

  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1⅔ cups hot water
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter softened and cut into pieces
  • 1⅔ cups cold water
  • 1 tablespoon rapid rise instant yeast
  • 7½-8 cups all-purpose flour

Cinnamon Sugar Mixture

Egg Wash

  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon water

Instructions
 

  • In a large mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, salt, hot water, and butter. Stir to mix, break up butter chunks and dissolve brown sugar a bit (there will still be a few butter chunks, which is okay).
  • Add cold water, then sprinkle yeast on top and let sit for 10 minutes. It will not bubble much.
  • Add flour 1 cup at a time and stir together with a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms. Knead the dough for a few minutes to make sure all the flour is well incorporated.
    (NOTE: This is a very wet and sticky dough that will stick to your hands. Dipping your hands in flour before kneading may help, but it will still stick). Cover with a tea towel and let rise in a warm place for 1½ hours.
  • While the bread is rising, grease two 5-x-9-inch loaf pans with cooking spray.
  • To make the cinnamon-sugar mixture, mix sugar, cinnamon, and flour together. Set aside.
  • Make the egg wash by whisking the egg and water together in a small bowl. Set aside.
  • Once the dough has risen, punch it down and place it onto a lightly floured surface. Form a ball and divide it into 2 equal pieces.
  • Working with one piece at a time on a well-floured surface, roll the dough out into a rectangle to about 7 x 22 inches and about ½ inch thick. Brush with half of the egg wash to help the cinnamon-sugar mixture stick better. Spread ⅔ cup cinnamon-sugar mix evenly over the dough, then lightly spray with water.
  • Roll the dough up tightly, lightly pulling as well as tucking in the sides as you roll.  Pinch ends closed and drop into the prepared loaf pan seam side down. Repeat with the second piece of dough and the remaining egg wash and cinnamon-sugar mix. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • Bake for 40–45 minutes. As soon as the bread comes out of the oven, brush the tops with butter. Let cool completely before slicing.

Video

Notes

Make Ahead: Place the cooled loaves in a large resealable plastic bag and store at room temperature for 3–4 days or in the refrigerator for 7 days. This bread also freezes well. Wrap each loaf in plastic wrap, then place in a resealable plastic freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before warming to your liking.
Use It Up: This Cinnamon Bread is perfect on its own, but can also be used to make some of our other recipes even better. Try cutting it up and using it to make French Toast or our French Toast Bake.

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About Kristyn

My name is Kristyn and I’m the mom of SIX stinkin’ cute kids and the wife to my smokin’ hot hubby, Lo. My mom’s maiden name is Luna, and I’m one of the many crafty “Lil’ Lunas” in the fam. On this site I like to share all things creative - from recipes to home decor to gifts and home decor ideas. Welcome!

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Comments:

  1. I am making this bread now and can’t wait to finish it, I live in a more humid area, Nashville, Tn, and I did have to use a little more flour to make it manageable to knead, about 3 1/2 cups more, I added a cup and a half of raisins that had been soaked in hot water and kneaded them in at different intervals of kneading, kneaded for about 15 min by hand, was quite a workout, but I figured I burned some calories!!! Love that this recipe makes 5 loaves! I would recommend a beginner bread maker to half the recipe, as it can be overwhelming working with so much dough for the first time. Will,let you know how it turns out later on today~~

    1. So, how did it turn out? I love that it is a workout:) It’s a great recipe if you are wanting to give some treats out to share!

  2. 5 stars
    Over the top delicious! I halved the recipe and it was a very sticky dough, but I worked it down and it turned out wonderful. I added some raisins to the dough as i worked it, before rolling it out and adding the cinnamon/sugar. one problem that I had was that the middle of the very bottom didn’t cook through all the way, leaving it a little doughy. I’m not sure if adding another few minutes would fix that or just overbake the rest of the loaf, any ideas?

    1. I am so glad you liked it! That may have caused it. I know all ovens are different, so it may have needed a little more time. Great idea about adding raisins!

  3. 5 stars
    I have never baked Bread before, so id like to try your recipe. Seems easy to follow. My question is, looking at your picture after Putting the cinnamon sugar, before rolling, it seems like there is Thelong side and the short (end) side. Where do I start rolling from before Putting it in the bRead pan? What do you meaN by regular pan? The foil Bread pan is different in size from the tin pan (bigger). Thank you.

    1. A regular size pan is like 9×5. Not sure what size foil pan you have. And you start on the short end side. Hope that helps!

  4. I AM wanting to try this recipe, but am a little confused about the part where you’re saying to add 3/4 c of the cinnamon/sugar mixture to the dough..all of it isn’t added to the dough? What is done with the remainder?

  5. 5 stars
    This is my go-to recipe for cinnamon bread. I love that it makes 5 loaves at a time – great for gifts or freezing for the family. I’ve made French toast using sliced loaves and my family and friends are usually fighting over the last piece. Thank you!

  6. i get so HUNGRY for home made CINNAMON rolls and this bread recipe is wonderful just as gooD as rolls.. gave my family each a loaf they loved also

  7. I am currently making your white bread. I’d love to make cinnamon bread with the second loaf as we rarely use bread and I’d hate for the second loaf to sit in the freezer for months. How would you recommend tweaking this recipe to reflect your white bread recipe? Just roll it out and add the toppings before baking or should I avoid trying to replicate this with dough from your white bread recipe? Thanks!

  8. 5 stars
    Our kids favorite!! We make it often, and gift it to others just as often. Also is great for making French toast!!

  9. 5 stars
    I’ve made your recipe several times and everyone loves it. I know you said you made it around the holidays, but I have decided every day is a holiday when I make this yummy bread. Thank you for sharing.

  10. This dough was extremely sticky even with more added flour. I baked this bread longer then the recipe prescribed, and still was raw in the middle. I’m a pastry chef and seasoned baker for 50 years. This was a most frustrating experience. I wasted those ingredients

  11. 5 stars
    This recipe is so amazing! My family loves it so much and they can’t get enough of it. Would probably make it again.

  12. 5 stars
    This recipe is so good! So soft and flavorful. Always a favorite in my house. It makes incredible French toast too!

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